Simple Vice Stop

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

Both spellings are OK (or either) – in England anyway.

Tim

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Wonder no more

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

What I meant was, if you want to set multiple parts vertical in the same relative X position.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

When I worked as the metals-storekeeper for a company making screen printing machines, most of the millers made similar stops by cutting a slot in a piece of b.m.s. angle held to the vice by a screw tapped into the casting behind the fixed jaw.

They were working on batches that could be anything from a few to maybe 50-off, perhaps even up to 100, components.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by John Haine on 27/10/2019 17:13:28:

What I meant was, if you want to set multiple parts vertical in the same relative X position.

Should still work as I said with the stop fixed to the end of the vice jaw. Probably need to push small items up against the stop with something like a steel rule as the vice is tightened.

Also best to set the stop truely vertical with a square or ground block.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

This is what I use for a stop, M6x1 setscrew in a hinge up guide bar, in this case it allows the part to extend out of the jaws so the corners can be radiused, i end done ready to turn around for the other end.

Usually I set the left end of the rear vice jaw as X=0 and the face of the rear jaw as Y=0, top most surface of the work is Z=0

Mainly only making small aluminium parts (see my Album) so vice jaws are only lightly closed, but enough to hold the workpiece.
In the picture below the stop has been swung back clear after setting the part in the jaws, the end of the work is set to the OD of the tool rubbing before moving to radius both corners.

Emgee

Edited By Emgee on 27/10/2019 18:49:29

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

I made myself one this afternoon, its a bit shorter at 25mm simply because I had some 1 inch x 3/8 inch bright bar so took a couple of slices off that. I dont have a 3mm reamer so I turned up a couple of pins for a good fit into the drilled holes.

I have some repeat parts to mill in the morning so it should be put to good use.

Thanks Jason.

p.s. forgot to say I fixed the pins to the block with 638, which worked fine.

Edited By Ron Laden on 31/10/2019 17:35:12

[Derek GreenhalghParticipant @derekgreenhalgh23299]

The threaded hole in the end of the vice jaw is to hold a piece of flat/square barwuth a hole towards one end the size of the threaded bolt, you then fold the bar down and lock it tightening the bolt and there you have it, just slacken and fold out of the way for normal vice use.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

In this photo, you can just see the hole drilled through the rear of one of the Bison vises for a stop made from 8mm studding. Both of the Bisons have been drilled, and I found out they are made of SG cast iron.

[DrDaveParticipant @drdave]

Half way through making some T-nuts seemed like a good time to (finally) make a vice stop.  A bit of 10 mm square key steel and Bob’s your uncle.  Thank you Jason.

Then I tried the tapping function on the Sieg mill: it made me a bit twitchy, but but it gets easier on the nerves as you progress…

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Doesn’t need be even that elaborate.

I worked for several years as the materials store-keeper for a machine-shop so picked up a lot of useful tips (and off-cuts); and one was to use no more than a small block, strip or piece of b.m.s. angle secured by a screw tapped into the side or top of the vice body, behind the hardened jaw. The hole in the block can be slotted, or a row of holes be used, for a bit more adjustment.

For larger work on my own machine I sometimes use a few clamp-set parts, perhaps augmented by a small angle-plate, as end-stop.

I’ve also used a large G-clamp round the fixed jaw as a stop, but it is hardly elegant!

[[email protected]Participant @rodrenshawwaitrose-com]

I was idly flicking through this thread last night thinking ” Nice design but I have a vice stop, nothing new for me here” when I saw John Haines post about extending the thin part of Jason’s design downwards, and I was suddenly awake.

In his book “The Model Engineers Workshop Manual” George Thomas addresses the issue of locating a workpiece with a vertical edge correctly in a milling vice on pages 39 and 40. His solution is to make a small square rather like a cross between a set square and a T square but with the stock offset to one side of the blade. Being a Thomas fan I made one of these and it does work but I find it difficult to use.

I need one hand to hold the stock of the square securely on the top of the vice jaw and one hand to position the workpiece firmly contacting the blade of the square. Then I need a third hand to tighten the vice jaw on the workpiece before anything moves out of place.

With John’s idea the vice stop can take the place of the square, and it holds itself in place! Sheer genius! I will make a new vice stop to Jason’s general design but incorporating John’s idea, and then I won’t need 3 hands any more.

Rod

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