Vises

Vises
Last updated on Sunday, April 09, 2023 09:13:48 PM Mountain US Time Zone

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6-inch, 75 lb, TE-CO Parlec vise mounted on the RF-25.
Massive, precise, durable with very high clamping
forces. The Kurt-like closing mechanism has a wedge
that applies downward force as the jaw is tightened.
Parlec PWS-6900 single station vise parts list Parlec flyer

Indicating Animation

Indicating the Parlec solid jaw, animation.
The slot on the top of the solid jaw can also be used.
Move the bed left & right, make minute adjustments of the
vise position until zeroed, then lock it down.
This Swiss Interapid dial test indicator has 0.0005" per
gradation resolution. The vise manufacturer's spec.
See instructions to set tip geometry & see illustration.
Lock the axes before aligning the fixed jaw of the vise.

Machinists distinguish between "indicating a part" (alignment) vs. "tramming" (centering).
However, the definition of tramming is "to adjust or align (mechanical parts).
Accurate mechanical adjustment: The device is in tram."

Indicating the vise bed animation.
In the deep center (not-measured location)
only the small needle moves showing that
the large needle changed by about 0.030".

Precision ground parallels of varying heights accurately
hold parts at the proper depth inside the vise jaws.

5-axis milling stop with 1/4" rod; strong construction &
versatile low-profile positioning (USA). The metal-constructed locking
handle can be easily repositioned by lifting upward & rotating.
One end of the steel rod is squared-off (diamond ground)
while the other end is hemispherical. Made a blind hole slipover aluminum
handle, held on with 6-32 set screws, for the 1/4" hex wrench.
The three flush hex set screws positively engage the flat.
Left off the knurling so it would not hold dirt.
The stop rod engages the square 5C fixture edge.
The 5C collet has a depth stop screwed into its end.

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Drill Press Vises

1-1/2" drill press vise (Taiwan).

Click on linked thumbnails. Different sizes available. #ad

Palmgren variable angle drill press vise (USA).
1-1/2" (38mm) W x 1" (25mm) D x 6" (146mm)
OAL. Opens to 1-9/16" max.

Eron 3-inch drill press vise (Japan).
Sides are also machined flat & true.
Base groove for table mounting.
Excellent quality, good for metal work.

4-inch, low-profile Delta drill press vise (Taiwan).
Good for wood but not precise enough for metal projects.

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Palmgren 3" wide, 1-1/8" deep, 6.5" square base, 13 lb,
cradle-style, variable angle drill press vise (import).
Positive pin stops at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, & 90 degrees.
Hand-tightened lock at all positions; 0 to 90 by 1 deg scale.
Solid jaw has vertical & horizontal V-grooves. The base has
1/2" shoulder slots for bolting down to a drill press table.

Tool Maker's Vise

Tool maker's vise: W 2-9/16" (62mm) x D 1-1/4" (32mm),
opens to 3-3/8" (86mm) & OAL is 7-1/2" (190mm).
Hardened & precision ground to within 0.0002".
Single-piece base construction.

The movable jaw has a counterbore around the
lead screw attachment point which provides
relief for the threaded bronze insert. This allows
full jaw retraction for maximum vise opening.

The movable jaw is not quite as wide as the base
so it can be moved while still clamped in a setup.
Also handy for use as a transfer vise between setups.
Shown here with the 5-axis work stop (lower right).

Its strength, speed, size, & precision make
it one of the best all-around vises I own.

1", 2", 3" & larger vise widths available.
Click on select linked thumbnails to view different sizes.
Note that 1" screwless vises differ &
may or may not have built-in parallels.

\The built-in parallels aid holding especially small parts.
The movable jaw of the small vise is not as wide as the base
so it can be operated while still clamped by another fixture.
Parts can thus be swapped-out while maintaining a fixed position.

3-inch screwless vise mounted on the Taig mill.
This style is vise pulls the movable jaw down as it closes.

An adjustable, pivoting, solid-jaw mounted work stop.
An M6-1 cap head screw holds the bracket to the vise.
The adjustable 8-32 screw has a pressed-on knob, a tip
that was diamond ground flat, & a knurled lock nut.

Detail of the spring-loaded ball bearing detent for
adapter retention in the precision ground spindle.
The flat spring has been rotated to expose the ball
bearing detent. The vise is allowed to float in two
directions enabling easy tap/hole alignment. The
example shows tapping eight, #7 holes, with 1/4-20
threads. A rotary table was used to drill every 45 deg.

Mounted in t he RF-25 mill, showing a #2 center
drill bit which was then followed by a #21 drill bit.
Held the part in a smaller vise so the setup could
be easily transferred to the hand tapper for threading.

Very small pieces can be held in the miniature
vise, then held in other vises or set-ups.
The small vise can be transferred from machine
to machine while still retaining a part's orientation.
Parallels (steps) are ground into the jaws. The
movable jaw is not as wide as the solid jaw allowing
it to be adjusted while still clamped in a
larger vise. Tolerances are +/-0.0002"

Sine Vises

2-inch & 3-inch wide sine vises that are
both 4-inchs between roll centers.
See sine vise/bar angle calculation.

The ubiquitous, obligatory Bench Vise.

Upgraded to a 5", rotating-head, Palmgren bench vise.
The mount uses a 1/2" thick sub-plate & hex bolts.
Three, 3/8-16, 6-in long bolts with washers pass all
the way through the bench's 2x4 edge. 56 lb (Taiwan).

High-grade steel & three types of replaceable, hardened
steel jaws. The movable jaw & slide bar are one piece.
Full 360 deg rotation with 12-positions (every 30 deg) with a
spring-loaded detent that holds head position during setups.
I personally would not buy this type of vise if it did not
have the detent mechanism to hold a given jaw position.

Bench Vise Animation

12 position, rotating vise head animation. Note, two
O-rings were placed at each end of the sliding bar handle.

PALMGREN VISE SPECS
Stock Number	29503
Model	MJ50
Jaw Width	5-1/8" (13cm)
Throat Depth	3-1/2" (9cm)
Height	10-5/8" (27cm)
Length	16-1/2" (42cm)
Base Width	9-1/2" (24cm)
Max Jaw Opening	4" (10cm)
Max Pipe Capacity	3-1/2" (9cm)
Max V-Jaw Opening	4-1/2" (12cm)
Weight	56 lb (25.4 kg)

The vise base has 3 mounting lugs but the
sub-plate allowed a 4th (6") bolt to be utilized.
Spring-loaded, black knobbed detent, shown.
There are two, base swivel locking lugs.

Attached both of my benches, at two points,
to the concrete wall for maximum stability.

Soft Jaws

Soft jaws made out of aluminum L-bracket.
The stick-on magnetic backing was problematic.

OEM hardened, ground steel jaws (above) & aluminum
soft jaws (below). Original M6-1 cap-head screws were reused.
The jaw dimensions are 5-1/8"(L) x 1"(H) x 1/2" (D). The aluminum
soft jaws were drilled for 5/16" clearance followed by an end
mill for a 1/2" counterbore to 0.310" depth.

A Columbian 4-1/2-inch (USA) bench vise. Milled,
smooth-finish, soft aluminum replacement jaws.
To remove sideways play in the slide bar, I drilled &
tapped (1/4-20) the vise body for a set screw
(other side). I put a small (3mm) length of Teflon rod
in-between the screw & slide bar to reduce friction.

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Pin Vises

This pin vise stores drill bits in the handle (USA).
Very high quality with a precision chuck.

The chuck has a 1/4" (0.25" or 6.35mm) capacity.

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This pin vise has a reversible collet to hold both 1/16"
(0.0625" or 1.6mm) & 3/32" (0.09375 or 2.4mm) sizes.

Hand Vises

Custom-made hand vise with an aluminum head & handle.
After reviewing the pros & cons of many different
designs available for purchase, I decided to make one
that incorporated the desired mechanical attributes.
This hand vise was specifically made to hold hardened
pins while they are being diamond-wheel ground.

The jaws are opened & closed using a lead screw
that has both left- & right-handed 10-32 threads.
Using this type of lead screw moves the jaws at
twice the single-thread rate. The non-threaded
center section of the screw has clearance via
short counterbored holes. The movable jaw is
guided by a 1/4" dowel pin riding in a 0.251"
precision reamed hole. The movable jaw has
a blind hole with a 6-32 set screw that holds the
pin as it slides through the fixed-jaw hole. The
movable jaw's bottom surface also slides on the
fixed jaw which greatly reduces any twisting.
Jaw size: 1/2" W x 1" D x 3/4" opening. Aluminum
jaws are fairly soft so part marring is minimized.

The fixed jaw has two V-grooves to clamp round parts.
The knob was threaded 10-32 & then a 6-32 set screw was installed.
A 4-40 pan-head also screws into the lead screw's end.

The 9/16" knurled aluminum handle is attached
using a hardened, one-inch long 1/4-20 set screw.
The other end is tapped for 8-32 to hold another head.

This long-nose hand vise was made for grinding delicate
parts. These jaws also open & close using a lead
screw that has both left- & right-handed
10-32 threads. Using this type of lead screw
moves the jaws at twice the single-thread rate.

V-grooves were cut to hold small round parts.
Jaw size: 1/4" W x 2-3/4" D x 1-1/16" opening.

A long 8-32 set screw holds the lower brass guide rod &
the handle. A 4-40 set screw holds the upper guide.
The brass rods slide in precision reamed 1/8" holes.
A 4-40 pan-head screw at the end of the lead screw
limits the overall travel. The knurled brass thumb
adjustment knob is held by two, 6-32 set screws.

The same knurled handle is used for
both vise heads: 8-32 left & 1/4-20 right.

Two different styles of drop-forged hand vises (Germany).
Acme thread used for extra strength. Narrow spring-loaded
jaws: 1/2" W x 1" D x 3/4" opened. 3-3/4" OAL.
Excellent design & high quality.

A hand vise designed to clamp long wire (Germany).
The tightening screw & handle have clearance holes.
Jaws: 5/8" W x 1/2" D x 1/4" opened. 4-5/8" OAL.

Replaced the original wing nut with a higher quality part.
Replaced the steel washer with a brass type.

Made a washer out of oil-impregnated bronze
to ease operation of the (tight) wing nut.

Lowell Pattern hand vise (wire-working tool) with
hollow handle (Pakistan). Moderate quality.
Overall length is 4-15/16" (125mm). Handle diameter
is 3/4" (19mm). Jaw width is 1/2" (12.7mm).
Serrated jaws open to 3/8" (9.5mm). Body
hole is 0.118" (3mm). Nickel-plated finish.
Weight is 6.8oz. (193gr). Long wires can be pulled
completely through the handle for twisting.

A universal work holder (India). It has 60 peg slot
positions & is supplied with eight, 3mm steel pegs.
Aluminum vise head dimensions: 2" diameter (head only)
x 3-1/4" W (head plus thumb screw) x 1-1/8" H.
Max pin-to-pin opening is 2-3/16". Overall length,
including the detachable wooden handle is six-inches.

To store all eight pins with the tool, I
clamp them onto a soft plastic tube.

Another custom-made aluminum hand vise that uses
the same 3mm pegs with or without their silicon grips.

The stepped base allows easy clamping in a larger bench vise.
6-32 set screws hold the dowel rods in place.

The movable jaw runs on two, 1/4" dowel pins in
precision-reamed holes. The adjustment screw is M6-1.
The spring compresses into two, 9mm
counterbored holes allowing complete jaw closure.
A custom-made Teflon washer makes turning
the screw smooth & precise. There are 50 holes.

Anvils

Low-cost anvil.