Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Discussion on all milling machines vertical & horizontal, including but not limited to Bridgeports, Hardinge, South Bend, Clausing, Van Norman, including imports.

Moderators: GlennW, Harold_V

Post Reply
User avatar
rmac
Posts: 787
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:48 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by rmac »

I'm looking to get a decent Kurt-style vise for use on my mill drill, which has a 7-1/2" x 22-1/2" table. The picture shows what a Glacern 4" vise would look like if it were mounted using the second T-slot from the front of the table. I haven't settled on the Glacern for sure, but they had a dimensioned drawing on their website to work from. I assume that other 4" vises would be similar.

Anyway, I'm concerned about two things. First, with the vise open as far as it will go, and with it jammed all the way back against the column (in green), the mill spindle (in red) won't reach the vise's movable jaw. There is enough Y axis travel to move the fixed jaw out as far as the mill spindle. Second, the vise just seems huge to me. It would hang over the front edge of the table by about 4-3/4".

So I'm wondering if a 4" vise is about right for my machine, or should I be looking at something smaller. Any hints?

Thanks,

-- Russ

vise.gif
User avatar
Gary Armitstead
Posts: 279
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:35 am
Location: Burbank, CA

Re: Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by Gary Armitstead »

rmac wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:22 am I'm looking to get a decent Kurt-style vise for use on my mill drill, which has a 7-1/2" x 22-1/2" table. The picture shows what a Glacern 4" vise would look like if it were mounted using the second T-slot from the front of the table. I haven't settled on the Glacern for sure, but they had a dimensioned drawing on their website to work from. I assume that other 4" vises would be similar.

Anyway, I'm concerned about two things. First, with the vise open as far as it will go, and with it jammed all the way back against the column (in green), the mill spindle (in red) won't reach the vise's movable jaw. There is enough Y axis travel to move the fixed jaw out as far as the mill spindle. Second, the vise just seems huge to me. It would hang over the front edge of the table by about 4-3/4".

So I'm wondering if a 4" vise is about right for my machine, or should I be looking at something smaller. Any hints?

Thanks,

-- Russ


vise.gif
Russ,
I'm a retired Die Sinker (in the trade over 45 years) and I have an Enco mill/drill I purchased new in 1981. The vise I purchased for my machine is a 4 inch "Kurt type" mill vise from My Little Machine Shop. Works great for my 8-1/2 by 28 table. 6 inch would be a little large for your table, I believe. 4 inch is just about right. BTW, make yourself some sets of aluminum soft jaws for your vise when you do get it.
Gary Armitstead
Burbank, CA
Member LALS since 1980
Member Goleta Valley Railroad Club 1980-1993
User avatar
rmac
Posts: 787
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:48 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Re: Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by rmac »

Thanks, Gary. I wasn't even thinking about a 6" vise.

-- Russ
pete
Posts: 2518
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:04 am

Re: Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by pete »

I'd totally agree on the 4" with a 7 1/2" wide table. Mine has a 9" x 32" table and a 6" with pretty much the same dimensions a real Kurt has works ok. A 5" might be a bit more suitable, but I couldn't get one in that size with the ground sides. Your table width fully supports the vise where it opens to and that's the important part. Glacern did have a Halloween sale going on, but you might have missed that. I've been happy enough with my vises from them.
User avatar
rmac
Posts: 787
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:48 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Re: Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by rmac »

Another vote for the 4" size. Thanks, Pete.
User avatar
Bill Shields
Posts: 10460
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
Location: 39.367, -75.765
Contact:

Re: Help Sizing Vise for Mill/Drill

Post by Bill Shields »

it does not matter how big your vise it...some day...it will be too small for the job at hand....

even if you have a crappy junker sitting on the shelf...it WILL GET USED....
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Post Reply