Holding small work pieces

[Highpower]

(03-31-2012, 10:17 AM)DaveH Wrote: Willie,
Smart little vise, do you have a couple of other pics?

Not sure what you are looking for Dave, but here are a couple of items I use along with the usual stuff like 5C collets & blocks etc.



A couple of the toolmakers vices - pretty obvious.

Upper left: A small fixture for slotting screw heads. The screw shank is locked into the v-block using the socket head screw, with the screw head centered between the rollers on top. There is just enough space between the rollers to guide a file across the center of the screw head to cut a nice straight slot.

Below that is another screw gizzy. Just a couple pieces of spring steel riveted together at one end with holes in the opposite end. You simply insert a screw into one of the holes (from the center - out) and pivot the spring strips one on top of the other. The upper strip sits on top of the screw head holding it in place. It makes it easier to hold tiny screws while grinding them to length, wire brushing them clean, etc.

Under that is just a piece of round stock with a square hole broached in the end and a couple of set screws in the side. Works good for holding square tool bits while grinding HSS by hand, or touching up a carbide tool with a diamond file. Gives you a little more to hang onto.

In the center is something that started out to be a tool for power tapping in my mini-lathe. Insert a small tap into the drill chuck, and then put the slip fit end shaft into the tailstock chuck. Turn on the lathe and slide the tap into the work while holding the body with your hand. If things start to bind up, you just let go of it and the whole thing spins with the work instead of breaking the tap. It worked pretty well keeping everything aligned as I managed (somehow) to get a very close fit on the sliding shaft (drill rod).

If you look closely at the top of the knurling on the handle you will see a very tiny vent hole drilled in the side. I could not insert the drill rod because the air pressure inside would pop it right back out like a spring! I suppose it would have made a good "fire piston".
These days I mainly use it for holding small pins & screws for polishing work on the buffer.

On the lower right is some low temperature alloy metal that will melt in a double boiler. I have used this for holding really small odd shaped parts by dipping them in the melted alloy and letting it cool and harden. Then clamp onto the alloy block and work away. When finished you just set it back into the double boiler and let the alloy melt again, and then pick out your part.

For what it's worth....