Machine vise for hobbymat.

[stew 1Participant @stew]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi all.</p>
Does anyone know of a machine vise that will fit the Hobbymat MD65 compound slide holes?

My machine didn’t come with the accessory vise and I need to mill some delrin parts.

Or if you have a Hobbymat vise for sale, I’m in the market….

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

My mill doesn’t have any vises – just the owner.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

The OEM Hobbymat one is awful (apologies, but it is) – essentially a cheap ‘drill-press’ vice with a short, wobbly, lifting, jaw, running in an ‘as cast’ slot..

It is possible to modify them by machining the slot and fitting a longer moving jaw but then of course capacity is reduced – I’ll dig mine out later and refresh my memory.

I’d investigate something like the ‘milling slide’ vices that seem to be widely available from a number of suppliers*, but worth checking the footprint/mountings against the work-table  & T slots.

*see Warco

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

I’d agree with the above, the official hobbymat vice is of poor quality. I’d look for a small toolmakers vice or grinding vice.

[StewartParticipant @gaunless]

Hi all.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve ordered a small Milling vice from Warco. The mounting holes centres on the vice I’ve ordered are incorrect for the threaded holes on the compound slide on the Hobbymat MD65, but I plan to drill out the existing holes in the vice, replace them with metal plugs I’m going to make which will be loctited in place, and then I’ll drill new holes at distances that will match the ones on the compound slide. I don’t own a milling machine yet, so this vice is a temporary measure, however it should suffice for what I have in mind and allow me to do a small amount of milling in plastics.

Stew.

[StewartParticipant @gaunless]

I wonder why Hobbymat supplied a poor quality vice with their machine? The rest of the lathe is of very good quality, (although a little odd/quirky in design…)

Perhaps the vice was just an existing design they bought in and put their name to. Who knows.

Stew.

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