Soba Vice Problem

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Baz on 27/07/2014 15:34:07:

… I would like to say that apart from these two holes being on the p**s it is a very well made vice, castings are good ,machining all over is to a good standard and it does what it was purchased for. …

.

That's very good to hear, Baz

I hope that David is reassured that his money was well spent.

MichaelG.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Thinking about it, I don't really see why you would want to swivel a milling vice in the first place. I have never yet come across a reason to do it, but maybe you lot know different?

Martin

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 26/07/2014 10:04:59

See here

.

Martin,

If you look at the machining example on that page, it should be fairly obvious.

MichaelG

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Fair point. That's what I would have used my rotary table for. I guess I rarely make oblique slots.

Martin

[David CambridgeParticipant @davidcambridge45658]

Just a quick note to say thanks for the advice, and in the end I sent the vice back for a refund and ordered something similar from elsewhere, but without the ‘alignment problem’.

David

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Always nice to see a happy ending.

MichaelG.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Glad to hear you got it sorted !

[VicParticipant @vic]

For what it's worth I bought a plain 4" Soba vice and the mounting holes are spot on with the vice jaws. They were so good I made two press fit "sleeves" for the vice that extend below the vice when fitted in place (I don't actually remove them from the vice normally) the exposed parts of the sleeves are a snug fit in the table slots of my mill and simply dropping them into the slots and bolting the vice down it's within .001" parallel with the table. This is the vice.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee286/Arbalist/IMGP2270_zpsf2692ad1.jpg

 

Edited By Victor Russell on 11/08/2014 21:36:53

[Martin 100Participant @martin100]

Posted by Chris Trice on 26/07/2014 17:37:02:

…. a Soba collet chuck that wouldn't fit the spindle

Wouldn't happen to be an ER32 one intended for fitting to a Boxford would it?

Went through quite a few before I gave up, got a refund and fitted one from Arc Euro to a backplate, it's far less elegant but it does the job. The Soba one was tried on I think five different spindles dating from 1952 to 1980ish plus a brand new 'still in the packaging' one from Boxford.

Can't fault Soba at all on the finish or the consistency of the work as they would all stop threading onto the spindle nose at exactly the same point.

Other Soba stuff has been ok, got a couple of their ground all over 'precision' milling vices and something else I can't recall right now.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Firstly, the bolt holes are most probably just clearance for the mounting bolts/studs, so not intended for dowels or fitted bolts. YES, the holes should be a bit better aligned than they seem to be, but as already said "You get what you pay for" Peanuts and Monkeys and so on.

If a swivel base, I would set the vice at 0 degrees to the base, and then open up the offending hole(s) a little.

As already advised, clamp a parallel against one side of a Tee slot, invert vice, clamp to parallell, and open up the offending hole, preferably with an end mill or slot drill .

If possible, mill a slot for a key, across the base, and drill and tap for securing screws.

Once aligned, right way up, make a key to fit the vice, and to be a snug fit in the Tee slot.

If this is not possible, make an alignment fixture, ready for future use.

Turn the bottom end of two pieces of round bar, to be a snug fit in the Tee slot, but not long enough to protrude into the Tee nut area, (and tall enough that a horizontal bar can be clamped in the vice; eventually)

Drill through to take long bolts (preferably) or studs, to engage with tee nuts in the slot.

Fix the horizontal bar to the two verticals, at such a height that it clears the base of the vice jaws, but so that material needs to be removed from the vertical plane, to allow the vice jaws to clamp on to it.

Having now made a sort of "goal post", (ensuring that the parts cannot easily move relative to each other) clamp it to the table. Using an end mill, machine the face that will bear against the fixed jaw of the vice, removing material until the vice can be clamped to it, with the vice fixings in place, but not tight.

You may need to offer up the vice, a few times, to get the correct position.

If you want to, machine a little material off the face that will be contacted by the moving jaw.

Now, to align the vice, it is laid on the table, over its fixing bolts (left slack) and the "goal post" fixture is clamped into the Tee slots.

The vice is now clamped to the horizontal member.

When the vice holding bolts are tightened, the vice should be correctly aligned.

Slacken the vice, remove the "goal post" bolts , "goal post" and its Tee nuts, and the vice should be aligned within a thou or so.

This saves me about 15 minutes of clocking, winding and tapping to and fro, when I replace the vice on the table of the mill.

It is not my original idea, just a variation on a time saving idea published some time ago.

Howard

[VicParticipant @vic]

This is the underside of my Soba vice showing the two locating "sleeves" I made for it. I just slide the sleeves over the mounting studs and they fit snugly in the table slots to give a fit within 001" of parallel. Just a quick easy turning job to suit your vice/table.

[Author]

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