4" vise - help choosing the right one

I've been using the 4" x 3.93" vise from CDCO. It was even cheaper than Shars when I bought it 7 years ago. These cheap import vises get the job done for light production. I've made many times over what I put into my G0704 conversion.

Over the years I have purchased several sets of 4" soft jaws from Monster Jaws that are supposed to fit the Kurt vises. They work just fine with the import vise.

Looking at the size of your machine I think the 3" version would probably be a better fit.
 
John, have you considered a screwless vise? Even the cheaper Chinese versions are more accurate and potentially more rigid than a standard milling vise. They tend to be smaller than milling vises so you might get away with a 4" screwless vise instead of a 3" milling vise. They are a tiny bit slower to use but not much, and I really like that they pull the work down as part of their design. I own 4 of these things in various sizes and I think they are overlooked as a really good work holding option.

I have a really nice little 2" Wilton precision screwless vise, bought back when Wilton actually made these things (now made in India) and it is very accurate on all sides. I pull it out when I have to do close tolerance work. If I were going to buy one of these things today, I would go for a Taiwan-made Vertex.
 
mikey said:
John, have you considered a screwless vise? Even the cheaper Chinese versions are more accurate and potentially more rigid than a standard milling vise. They tend to be smaller than milling vises so you might get away with a 4" screwless vise instead of a 3" milling vise. They are a tiny bit slower to use but not much, and I really like that they pull the work down as part of their design. I own 4 of these things in various sizes and I think they are overlooked as a really good work holding option.

I have a really nice little 2" Wilton precision screwless vise, bought back when Wilton actually made these things (now made in India) and it is very accurate on all sides. I pull it out when I have to do close tolerance work. If I were going to buy one of these things today, I would go for a Taiwan-made Vertex.
Click to expand...

I've been looking at them but would want a good one.
It would be useful on my universal tool cutter & grinder for surface grinding set-ups as well.

Thanks for the heads up on Vertex:)

John
 
matthewsx, be careful with that VFD so close to the tool. A stray metal chip in the vent slots in the side could fry that thing.
 
Yep, it's a very temporary set-up. Getting inspired looking at your control box build:cool:
 
matthewsx said:
Yep, it's a very temporary set-up.
Click to expand...

Machine is looking awesome! Can't wait to see it running. Looks like your Z axis motor is at the bottom going through a right angle gearbox? Pretty unique.

Looks pretty rigid too!
 
Thanks, I feel like a hack compared to what you've done though;)

Here's a quick clip, not sure why it turned sideways when I converted it.
You can see the Z axis drive in the back, it's actually just how it came, I've tried to figure out how to change it but so far it isn't giving me any problems.

JOhn

View attachment mymill.mp4
 
John,

That's sweet! Spindle motor is quieter than I expected (that is after I turned my headphones down from the deafening volume they were at :) ).

I like my control panel, but I'm getting kinda sick of the flimsy machine it is attached to. I feel like I've invested too much time to go back and redo it.
 
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