Self centering vise

Topics include, Machine Tools & Tooling, Precision Measuring, Materials and their Properties, Electrical discussions related to machine tools, setups, fixtures and jigs and other general discussion related to amateur machining.

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

Post Reply
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Self centering vise

Post by stephenc »

I haven't bought any tools for awhile and it's time .

So I have it in mind to buy a self centering vise , there's no way I can afford a nice Kurt or even one of the nicer made Taiwan made vices .

But I can afford one like the grizzly h7576. It's a 4 inch vice .
Size wise it suits my needs and it fits nicely in my budget @ $218 shipped .

Might anyone here have experience with this or a similar Chinese vice , I am by no means expecting perfection but I also don't want to waste my hard saved cash on junk

My intended purpose is to use it to make bullet molds to help my my other addiction.
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Self centering vise

Post by GlennW »

I can't really imagine any advantage to a self centering vise in a mill.

I always work from one corner of the fixed jaw on a milling vise as the dials are zero'ed there and it remains constant. By doing that, you are always working in a positive direction from zero.

Being zero'ed on a center point between two movable jaws makes you work in two quadrants rather than just one, so you now have positive and negative movements from zero.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: Self centering vise

Post by stephenc »

Bullet molds are made with a cherry on a mill ... unless you have a very precise cnc mill.

You fixture the mold halves to the vice jaws and close them on the cherry to cut the mold cavity
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Self centering vise

Post by spro »

I don't understand things which I haven't had direct involvement. I try and fail but it is interesting to know why these vises are selling fast. When stephenc mentions "cherry on a mill" , I think that is short for a "Cherry head" which is a certain unit. Volstro and others made similar attachments. Once the core or any core is centered, the head or attachment swings an adjustable spinning milling tool. The head itself is not spinning but has control over the end mill or shaped spinning ball end, to mill inside or outside to a variable....
why am I even here ? You can see this in operation now.
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Self centering vise

Post by GlennW »

A bit of Googling, ad now I see what you are doing...
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: Self centering vise

Post by stephenc »

Spro

Think of a mold cherry as a form tool , in this case it is the size and shape of a bullet and it will have flutes like an endmill so it can cut .

There are a few ways to make bullet molds , you can use a lathe and bore the cavity
But it is a very precise and tedious operation , and of course you can also use a cnc mill .
The issue with lathe boring or using a cnc mill ( if you have one ) is that both usually require more then one cutting tool for bullet designs with a pointed or round nose .

I've gone the lathe boring route a couple times , it is tedious and one little oops moment will ruin hours of work .
My one semi success took about 15 hours of effort and still wasnt what i wanted it to be .
Attachments
Screenshot_2018-02-18-12-51-55.png
User avatar
wlw-19958
Posts: 1072
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:41 pm
Location: Lewes, DE

Re: Self centering vise

Post by wlw-19958 »

Hi There,

The term "cherry" comes from the bygone days
of muzzle loaders and the bullet commonly used
in them. Back then, the round ball bullet was
the norm and the cutter was spherical with a
stem that was held in the mill (or hand powered
drill in more primitive times). This made the cutter
resemble a cherry fruit.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: Self centering vise

Post by stephenc »

So not really expecting much I went ahead and ordered a vise from grizzly.
It's $218 with shipping, so if it doesn't suit my needs for making molds I'm not out a fortune. If nothing else it'll make a pretty dang good drill press vise.

I have a couple ideas on a jaw fixture to hold the mold halves. Once I have it in hand, I'll solicit for some opinions and ideas.
User avatar
ctwo
Posts: 2996
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:37 pm
Location: Silly Cone Valley

Re: Self centering vise

Post by ctwo »

Wow, another tool and a practical use for it. I could see something like that being helpful on a drill press.
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: Self centering vise

Post by stephenc »

let's not get carried away and say anything I do is practical , more often then not it isn't .

Anyhoo ... one thing I can say about grizzly is that they don't waste anytime shipping .
Order on Sunday and it's here on Thursday .

First impressions. .. it looks fairly well made , for what it cost .
Fit and finish is better then expected , I'll have to get it bolted down and see what an indicator says on that subject .
What with the next step up in quality costing 4-6 times the money I'll be pretty easy to please .
Attachments
20180222_151230.jpg
Post Reply