Milling Vice Location

[VicParticipant @vic]

Where do you position your vice on the table? Mine stays in the middle but it may have been helpful today having it off centre by several inches. Anyone do this?

[VicParticipant @vic]

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I thought about this the other day as it occurred to me that positioning the vice in the centre and as many jobs are likely to be small then the wear will be concentrated in the centre. On the other hand there are stories of tables left with the overhang all at one end having sagged slightly. Some people keep a vice and a rotary table mounted all the time and some have two vices which if they are a matched pair could be handy for long jobs. I certainly think there is some value in moving the vice around each time it is refitted and as most vice work is smallish then this will help to even wear to the screws and slide ways. I would avoid positioning it at the extremes as I would feel I had to park the table back in the centre just in case table sag is a possibility. I think the table sag legend may have come from Bridgeport’s extra length table being parked at one extreme for a lengthy period and as mills go the Bridgeport is not massively built although it may seem substantial compared to many hobby mills.

Mike

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Hi I always put my vice to one end of the table. I swap it around and use either end and leave space for my rotary table or angle plate. I used to machine Bridgeport beds for Bridgeport and as the way that they were roughed out aged and then finnished they never bend.

David

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Seen lots of mills with wear causing table movement at either extreme, but never seen one with the table having actual curvature as the sag stories state.

The mills with the widest knees / longest knees generally show least deflection due to wear.

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

I too put the vice at one end, the other end is used for my indexer or rotary table. I tend to move the table towards the middle when the milling machine is not in use.

Thor

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

If you have ever tried to lift a Bridgeport 48" table you might decide that a mere vice at one end would not be that significant

Edited By KWIL on 06/04/2021 09:27:14

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I usually plonk my vice near the middle, because then I don't have to lean to get at the hand-wheels. Without checking to see if it's a real problem or not, I also like to balance the table and the work on it so the weight goes straight down to ground through the stand. In theory, an off-centre weight will bend the table (slightly), and it might tilt if the gibs are worn or loose, causing movement and more wear. No evidence this is a real problem!

However, I often move the vice to make room for other accessories. As always depends on the type of work, but not unusual here to have the rotary table and vice both on the table ready for action. For one job I put an angle plate on as well, but it's not very practical – many jobs are easier on an uncluttered table.

Difficult to describe the thought process because it varies and may be unnecessary. I try to plan a work sequence that minimises the need to move table accessories, because shifting them takes time and compromises accuracy. Otherwise, I'm driven by circumstances, for example, long jobs needing the rotary table headstock leave no room for the vice and off it comes.

Most work I do lets me keep the rotary table and vice on together, but I usually remove the rotary table because sooner or later it gets in the way. Once in a blue moon I clamp big jobs direct to the table, and although small jobs also benefit from rigid direct clamping, it's quicker to hold them in a vice.

It depends on what you do, and I'm on the simple side! I suppose 70% of milling jobs in my workshop are vice held, 20% are straightforward rotary table work, and less than 10% require a thoughtful set up. As my percentages are unlikely to be right for either modelling steam locomotives or mending motor bikes, best to do whatever works best for you! The main thing is to hold work firmly. My mill is a WM18, table about 800 x 200mm, and I suppose its usable longways traverse is about 500mm. Rotary table is an HV6 clone and the vice a DH1.

Dave

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

My Vertex K4 is usually kept in the middle. The handle overhangs the front of the table, allowing long workpieces to be held, when required.

Having the K4 in the middle leaves room to squeeze on a 2" 3 way at the non operator end, when required.

Non operator end means no handwheel at the left hand end, The right hand end carries the graduated dial

For using the HV6 , the vice comes off, and the RT is fitted near to the non operator end, with the Tailstock usually being in the middle.

No obvious signs of bad wear after over 20 years of intermittent use.

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 06/04/2021 10:17:09

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

When working with the vise it stays near the middle of the table. When I use the RT or dividing head I slide the vise to the left of the table. My vise is keyed to the table so I don't have to tram it every time I move it.

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