Clamping the workpiece at an angle on the vice

[RJSakowski]

The sine bar does need a set of gauge blocks, something on my list, but not yet in my tool cabinet.

You can set the required angle by machining a piece of scrap to the desired thickness. It takes a little longer to set up but is just as effective.

Adjustable parallels will also work.

 

[wachuko]

Great now I am googling sine bar and how to use it…

Much to learn…

 

[rabler]

You can set the required angle by machining a piece of scrap to the desired thickness. It takes a little longer to set up but is just as effective.

Yeah, I’ve done that. I think it exceeds the inconvenience of batteries.

 

[rabler]

No it doesn't . No need to set blocks up with a 1 piece sine bar .

That’s not a tool I’m familiar with. Off to hoogle and YouTube for more info.

 

[mmcmdl]

Can't give up all my trade secrets ! And no , you don't need any kind of blocks , scraps etc .

 

[compact8]

Thanks for all the replies. The prime advantage of using this kind of protractor is speed, there is no need to do any machining or sweeping of DTI.

I have looked at the angle plates for a while and finally decided that it's not for my small machine ( hence small vice ) as the angle plates will take up quite a lot of jaw area leaving insufficient amount for clamping the workpiece in some cases.

I have also heard about using level meters which is just as convenient or even better but I am not sure about accuracy. Will check it out.

 

[mikey]

Don't forget about tilting angle tables. Sherline makes a nice small one.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

When dealing with angles, the key is the reference to zero. An inclinometer will measure an angle, the quality of the machine is the quality of the measurement. But at the bottom line, it is a measurement from absolute level. How accurate is your machine, as in where is true zero.

I have some surplus industrial inclinometers, a couple orders of manitude more accurate than 'run of the mill' retail indicators. But for machining setups, I still use milled taper blocks. For really precision work, which I don't do, there is a sine bar and "Jo" blocks. I have a set now, but have never used them. But that's accuracy, period.

.

 

[Parlo]

No it doesn't . No need to set blocks up with a 1 piece sine bar .

I made my 1 piece sine bars almost 40 years ago and never seen any others, is you one piece sine bar made the same way?
Hopefully you will share the method without blocks.

 

[mmcmdl]

After a very long google search I found nothing like it on the market . I made 30 or so of these as an apprentice for most of the students back in the late 70s . I should say , the tool has more than one piece though and is assembled together . I had a picture of the bar on here and deleted it after not finding anything else even close to it on the internet . The bar is in my box at work but I think I may be able to make a few $$$$ off of making these in the future if I would end up retiring .