How to clamp mill vice to table?

[John Hill]

Every time I need to mount my vice on the mill table it becomes an exercise in frustration as the very last bit of movement with the wrench caused the vice to move a little...

There must be a cause and a way around this?

[awemawson]

Turn vice over, accurately (*) mill a slot in the base for a key to engage your Tee slots, revert to vice correct way up, and slide / press the key against the wall of the Tee slot as you tighten your hold down bolts. If your slot is accurate then the vice should already be set parallel.

(*if you grip a piece of flat bar in the vice jaws before inversion, and slide it against the Tee slot wall your alignment should be bang on)

[seadog]

John, it's fairly common to machine the base of the vice and insert dowels or keys that are a snug fit a slot. No amount of heaving on the spanner should then allow misalignment of the vice.

Graham

[John Hill]

Thanks very much, I know what I will be doing on my next session in the shop!

[PK]

I'm sure this is what everyone is saying, but it was explained slightly differently to me so I'll chip in here.

• Buy some keyway steel that is the same size as the slot in your table.
• Tap it into the table slot about half way.
• Flip the vice upside down and clamp it over the keyway steel.
• Clamp the vice to the table with the usual clamping apparatus.
• Mill a slot in the bottom of the vice to take some of the keyway steel. It should be a tight fit.
• Push the key steel into the slot in the vice, maybe retain it with some loctite if the fit isn't so good..

Now your vice will always go in straight..

[mattinker]

Have you got flat washers between your hold down nuts or bolts and the vice?

Regards, Matthrw

[Lew_Merrick_PE]

1) Spotface the clamp/washer area (call it) 20% larger than your washer diameter accurately.  Use strap clamps and an end mill if you must.  Keep these (and the bottom of the vise well waxed.

2) Approach full clamping torque incrementally and slowly.

3) Check, clean, and wax your vise jaws regularly!

[DavidA]

I was wondering the same as Mathew.

If you have washers under the nuts and tighten gradually, the vice shouldn't move.

Dave.

[Arbalist]

I turned a couple of sleeves for the mounting holes in my vice. They are a press fit into the vice and a snug fit in the T slots of the mill. Just dropping the vice into the slots it's within .001" and a tap or two on the vice with a copper and hide gets it spot on.

[Stilldrillin]

John.
Here's my version....... http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,7643.msg82113.html#msg82113

David.

[John Hill]

I have been lying awake thinking about this..thank you for all the comments and advice.

Hmmm, I didnt know about waxing the underside of the vice.

My vice is on a swivel base which I usually leave set to zero and make the final alignment by moving the base on the table but I recognise having the base always square to the table would be a great advantage.

I do have washers under the two pairs of nuts and although not thin they could maybe be thicker.

There are a couple of ideas came to mind during the night which I should experiment with and present here..

John

[John Hill]

I did a job today which kept me out of the shop until this evening then I read your comments again...

So as per suggested I machined the surfaces where the washers and nuts rest and went to get a rag and a pottle of wax.  I felt a bit stupid there with my vice on the bench and the waxy rag in my hand but I decided to go ahead and did the wax bit too.

The vice was easily aligned and barely moved while I tightened the nuts down.


Now then, if the waxing was a send up you can all have a hearty laugh at me!