Orientation of Machine Vice on Mill table

[mmcmdl]

Speed wrench or cut your handle shorter . Even on larger BPs , the 6" Kurt handles will interfere .

 

[mmcmdl]

Just as fun as the above , hanging your air hose on the left table handwheel can create some excitement also . I know this for a fact !

 

[SouthernChap]

Speed wrench or cut your handle shorter . Even on larger BPs , the 6" Kurt handles will interfere .

Hmm...a speed wrench might be a fun little project.

To be honest, this thread was really mainly about the preferences regarding orientation of the vice on vertical mills shown by a couple of experienced and respected English model engineers.

Sadly Harold Hall is now old enough that he appears to have lost patience with idiots like me emailing him, asking "Whaddya-do-dat-for"!

And my other example, Tubal Cain (no, not MrPete, he's definitely still alive and kicking buying!I mean the second one, who was an English model engineer; the first being the biblical character) is, as the aforementioned MrPete would say, 'taking a dirt nap'. So no help there.

Thank you for reminding me of the speed wrench though. I think BlondiHacks made one in one of her videos, might take a look.

 

[mmcmdl]

Hmm...a speed wrench might be a fun little project.

$7 on the bay . I guess you guys across the pond have Epay ?

 

[mmcmdl]

Just as fun as the above , hanging your air hose on the left table handwheel can create some excitement also . I know this for a fact !

The first thing I did on my last BP was to install free spinning handwheels that needed to be pushed in to move the table . @rwdenney has the mill now . I'm looking for the old handles along with the other pieces for someone on here who asked for them .

 

[ChazzC]

I got my directions confused; here is Y = 0" Table as close as practical to the column):




And Y = 3.75" (table at the far end of it's travel):


That's a 1/2" pin in the drill chuck, so I can work on the back & front edges of a ~3" deep piece of material.


Here's the Y hand wheel and vise handle (custom made by Osteg Texas – one of three in existence: the first one interfered with the vise base [I use it on my 4" self-centering vise, bottom photo] and this one is just about perfect [I'm assuming that the Maker made one for himself ]):

 

[Aaron_W]

I suspect it may be related to the vise. Look at the hold downs on the vise in your example. Also look at the handle, more like a drill press vise which will be easier to turn in that position than the long style used on most mill vises these days.

I use a small tool makers vise on my Sherline and it also uses a slot with hold downs and is tightened with an Allen wrench so no handle getting in the way. I've used in on the mill in both orientations depending on which seemed more practical for the use.

On my larger Clausing mill I mostly use a conventional milling vise, and have run it in the typical perpendicular to the table position.


I suspect Harold Hall ran his vise that way because he could.

 

[sdelivery]

I turn my vise so during cutting I am pushing against the rigid jaw of the vise.
So it will be parallel to y axis sometimes and x axis other times.
Many vises have optional turntable bases and it is a labor saver.

 

[Eddyde]

DOH! Yep, that's right! I shall edit to correct!

Oh, this vice does have a removable handle. It looks like this:

View attachment 507911

It's just a minor irritation having to hold the handle at about 45° rather than between 70°-80° or even 90° to be able to spin the handle with a finger when you want to open the jaws a bit quicker.

Okay I gotcha, there are "speed handles" available such as this: https://www.amazon.com/HHIP-3900-21...31066026116232616-B01LWC7YY4-&hvexpln=73&th=1

 

[Aaron_W]

Okay I gotcha, there are "speed handles" available such as this: https://www.amazon.com/HHIP-3900-21...31066026116232616-B01LWC7YY4-&hvexpln=73&th=1

I think Mr Pete has a video making a speed handle for his Bridgeport.