After seeing
@DeadGuyAle 's Grizzly
Self-Centering Vise, I decided I needed one. I figured I would wait for a sale, but while I was waiting I dug into the specs: significantly taller than my 3" vise, and with a Mini-Mill that's a big deal. However, while searching for deals (Amazon and eBay had the Grizzly vise, but wanted more than direct [and the eBay listing was from Grizzly!]). eBay did have a bunch of listings for a fairly heavy duty low profile self-centering vise at half the cost (better suited for a drill press, but . . .):
I watched a couple of listings, got a reduced price offer and negotiated a little lower for one direct from India, with free shipping and returns. I've had better luck with products from India than China, so purchased one and had it 4 days later via DHL. Looked OK, but was missing the handle. A couple of message exchanges later I was offered a replacement handle or a $25 refund: I had already planned on changing the handle arrangement, so guess which option I took?
After disassembling the vise (was a little bit of a challenge figuring out how they had put it together), and started work on the handle:
After reducing the diameter of the handle end (leaving the hole in case I changed my mind), I then milled a 12mm hex (same as my 3" milling vise has) using a hex collet block (sorry, forgot to take a photo; collet block in the 3" vise holding the shaft horizontally, multiple cuts until reached the final dimension, rotate 60°, rinse & repeat).
After deciding what other improvements I was going to make, I ordered some shim washers (McMaster &
eBay) and 5mm set screws (Bolt Depot & McMaster) and a waited for deliveries. Everything showed up today so I cleaned up the vise and components:
I used my cheap-n-easy hone to clean up the bores in the vise and handle shaft; polished the screw shaft ends and handle shaft; ran an M5-0.80 tap through the set screw holes and cleaned up the holes and sharp edges with a General 196 Reamer/CS, a Noga RC1000 Reversible Deburrer and a Noga BS2010 blade; I used a Nicholson Thread File to fix the buggered-up thread on the handle shaft where the original set screw had landed and an M12-1.50 tap to clean up the threads on the ID of the shaft collar. I cleaned up the faces at both ends of the handle shaft hole in the base with a large file & abrasive cloth, then used a green Scotch-Brite pad to remove stains & light rust and reassembled:
Handle shaft ready to go with shim washers, an M5-0.80 x 5mm dog point set screw to attach the shaft to the screw and an M5-0.80 x 5mm Nylon point set screw to lock the collar to the shaft.
Handle Shaft – 22mm ID shim washer between the shaft and the base and 20mm ID shim washer between the base and the collar.
The other end of the screw in "located" in an oversize hole in the base; I didn't see the sense of trying to fit a bushing, but I did add a 9mm ID shim washer.
Ready to go, next to my 3" vise:
Taller jaws but the tops of the jaws are only 12mm above the stock jaws on the 3".
I got the speed handles from Richard at
Osteg Texas last year when he was experimenting with his CNC Mill; he currently doesn't have anything for sale, but does have a few
videos on You-Tube. The first one (now on the self-centering vise) didn't have enough clearance between the end of the hex socket and the arm so it hit the vise base. He re-designed it and sent me the one on the 3" vise (I had to make him take money for the 2nd one). To the best of my knowledge, these are the only two in existence.
