PM883 Vise?

[parshal]

OK, I've not found this information via search.

What's the right size for the 883? The table is, for all practical purposes, the same size as the 935. I see a lot of folks running 6" vises on their 935.

I've been looking at the Glacern and Kurt 4" vises. The Kurt DX4 Crossover has a larger opening at 6.5" while the Glacern Premium is 5.25". The Kurt weighs 30 lbs. (according to allindustrial site) and the Glacern weighs 40 lbs. Overall length is the same at 12.5". There's the 5" Glacern which is only made in standard with a 5" opening, 16.3" length and 55 lbs. shipping weight.

Then, there's the DX6 which weighs 70 lbs. and can be found on their scratch/dent sale for under $459. Not only is it heavy it's nearly 17" long. That seems way too long to be putting on a table with an 8.25" Y size. But, boy, is that a good price!

The 4" vices seem to be about right in the length department. The larger opening of the Kurt seems like a no-brainer. On my current little mill, I find the jaw opening more important than the width of the jaws but I don't know if the width will become more important with a larger mill.

 

[darkzero]

Here's recent thread about vise sizes.

Vise size - 4" or 6"

I need a vise for my new mill. I see that most parallel sets come in 6" lengths so that seems to signal that a 6" vise is the norm. Or am I wrong?

www.hobby-machinist.com

Again for your mill I vote 5" because of weight of the vise & less overhang. Your mill/drill is more comparable to a 932 than a 935 knee mill. However in the case of the 935 & your 833, there is more Y travel so in this case a 6" is worth considering, 932 with less Y travel, no IMO.

With your 833 you may actually be able to make use with the capacity of a 6" vise. 935 has an adjustable ram but if I had I'd one probably still go with 5". So it comes down to whether if you need that much capacity in a vise or the price. If you can get a 6" for a good price might as well. Kurt don't make 5" vises anymore.

 

[davidpbest]

I routinely used two Kurt 6" vises on my RF-45 with no issues. I would not want a smaller vise on the 833. Here's the setup on RF-45 (slightly smaller table than 833):

Here's the setup on my PM-935 for comparison:

 

[parshal]

Wow Will, I don't know how I missed the same type thread that started today! Silly search.

David, those things look huge on that table! I'm guessing you never make use of the jaw opening and still are able to cut on the side closest to you.

 

[darkzero]

Another thing to consider, on a mill/drill that doesn't have an adjustable ram, with that much over hang, how do you read the Y handwheel dial? While most people have DROs these days, not everyone does & what if your DRO ever goes down & you need to use the mill?

 

[davidpbest]

I do make use of the jaw opening. The opening is roughly equal to y-axis travel. Plus I often put a smaller toolmakers vise (usually angled) into the Kurt to mill/drill parts at an angle, or use a 5x5 sine plate in the Kurt.

 

[Grandpop]

I have a 8x32 knee mill with no head travel in/out. Have 4 and 6" vises, but didn't like either for most of the work I do. Bought a PM 5" vise for about $110 last fall on sale, and have been happy with it. Just seems to fit my machine and my size work well.

 

[davidpbest]

Also consider soft jaws. I routinely put 6061 jaws on the Kurt that are 1.5-inches thick on both jaws. Those steal 2” of jaw opening. I also put the removable factory jaws on the outside of the fixed and moving jaw to get even wider jaw spacing for plate-type projects.

I think it all depends on the kind of work you do. If you are making watch parts, a 4” is fine. I do a wide variety of projects and really appreciate the larger jaw openings.

 

[7milesup]

Here is a 5" Precision Matthews vise on my 833.
Sorry for the mess...

 

[mksj]

Agree with David, go with a 6". I previously had a BF-30 which was smaller than the 833 and used a 6" on it with no problems, and I often used the full width of the jaws and often wished for a second vise. Parallels are much more common for the 6" vises. If you are looking for something a bit more compact than consider a CNC vise.

6" 660U CNC Milling Machine Vise 0.0004"

www.shars.com