Help Needed: Small Part For Milling. Proper Hold-down/how To Q!

[countryguy]

Hi everyone. This is the first pair of small part that I need to mill down (preffered) or grind.
They go into the bottom groove of a new mill vise for the hobby mill w/ .5 T-slots These are sized for the 5/8 larger table slots.
My problem:
There is simply not much to "bite" onto in the vise as I need to mill down until 1/32 off the vise top. (pics below).

I need to remove .085 from each long side. They are in there and very tight. I took a mallet to them to see if I could pop one out.... seemed to stay?

So as a newb- How can I get a better workhold on them? I'm sure there is just something I'm not seeing there that's so simple to do! (this is where you come in )

Appreciate any help. Stymied and simply do not want a flying hunk o' steel for any reason being so new to
small stuff.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

They already have tapped holes so bolt them to a steel or aluminum plate from the bottom and mill away.

 

[T Bredehoft]

Be aware. many commercial T nuts are NOT tapped through, to prevent a screw from breaking out the T slot.

Your vice should be enough, take two passes, one at .020, one at .012, to leave a nice finish. but do one at a time, if they are a tiny bit different in width, one may come loose when hit with the tool

 

[countryguy]

thanks Wreck! I was sitting there pulling out the drills and tap sets and the light bulb went off as I was twirling them in my hand over an aluminum block. - Thinking like an endmill (and some chanting) I just turned it sideways. As long as I kept the side's height off the vise top, (over .085) I can just sweep across w/ X and use Y runs for the depth (as opposed to Z in the images above). Tada! Plenty of meat in the mill vise now.

Man - This 3D thinking, and looking over Ops methods & order takes practice! Going to cut them down now. Thanks for the reply again.

 

[lvflats]

From 40 plus years of experience I would separate them one at each end of the vise. They may look the same and even measure
the same but they don't have to vary much to have one pop out of the vise. Usually damages the cutter along with it.
Art

 

[chips&more]

From 40 plus years of experience I would separate them one at each end of the vise. They may look the same and even measure
the same but they don't have to vary much to have one pop out of the vise. Usually damages the cutter along with it.
Art

That’ is excellent advice! Move the two pieces apart so the moveable jaw can evenly clamp both pieces. In doing so, this accounts for irregular sizing and does not put all the clamping force on the larger piece.

 

[countryguy]

Thanks guys. That is grand info! Now I know. I love this place!

 

[coherent]

If you want to leave them close together, or ever have material that is not perfectly square on one side another alternative is to use a piece of aluminum rod or brass rod(I use short a piece of aluminum welding rod) between the movable jaw on the vice and the material. The aluminum rod is soft enough to deform and hold an uneven piece (or pieces) tightly. Just another option.