My birthday vise

[JScott]

Happy Birthday to me! 

 Last night when I got home this 4" mill vise was waiting patiently for me at the front door.  My wife bought it for me off eBay from JTS Machinery.  I quickly unpacked it and took some pictures.  So far it looks pretty good for a run of the mill Chinese vise.  It has nicely ground surfaces and while it is somewhat grimy there is no rust.  The paint is average but that is probably due to the rough casting and quick prep.

My next step will be to take it apart and give it a good cleaning while checking for burrs, etc.  This is my only vise for the mill and I have been making due with a little drill press vise for small stuff.  This will open up a whole new avenue on the mill.  It fits my mill perfectly and if I need to go bigger I will just clamp the work to the table.

I don't have a surface plate to check it for dimensions down to the tenth but I will tram it in and check it on the mill for square and parallel.  It sure will be nice to have a vise with some mass, capacity and strength to tackle some bigger, tougher jobs on the mill.  I'll post more pics when I get it apart.

   

   

[Highpower]

Happy Birthday! 

Gotta love it when a woman buys you tools. Congratulations. 

[EdK]

Don't use the swivel base unless you need it. You'll get better results without it. I bought a 5" vise with the swivel base years ago and have never used the swivel base. They just add another opportunity for stacking tolerances.

Happy Birthday!

Ed

[doubleboost]

Put the base in the cabinet under the mill
Happy Birthday
John

[kenne]

Any woman that will buy you tools is a keeper ! Happy Birthday !

[JScott]

Thanks everybody.  Yes, my wife is a keeper.  Did I mention that she likes deer hunting and fishing?

Regarding the swivel base; yes it is coming off.  I was pretty excited and just plunked the whole thing down on the mill for the picture taking.  I'll post another picture or two as I take it apart and reassemble.  I'm really curious about the fit and finish of the "innards".

[Shawn]

I can tell from the pictures you posted that your vise is put together better than the one I bought. The key between the fixed jaw and main casting on mine was a horrible fit. One of the key ways on the casting was about .125 to wide and the key itself was horrible. The only thing holding my fixed jaw was two cheap socket head cap screws. I got the vise fixed and it does a reasonable job on my shaper now.

Curious to see your pics to compare.

Shawn

[JScott]

Here is a quick update.  I had about 45 minutes last night to start taking apart the vise.  Surprisingly the fixed jaw was the most difficult piece so far.  I had to use a dead blow hammer to remove the fixed jaw from the square key because it is a very snug fit.  Then I had to use a bolt and nut as a jack screw to push the key out of its slot in the vise body.  If you look closely you can see the marks on the key where it was burnished by the interference with the slot.  I will take more pictures as I clean up the individual parts.  Everything is still dirty from the packing oil and grinding dust.  When I reinstall the key I will use some anti-seize just for fun.

I was tickled to see the hemispherical contact in the movable jaw.  The grease on this part looks like it is just ordinary stuff so I'll probably put a similar grease or some white lithium wheel bearing grease.  Everything else will get some chainsaw bar oil.  I hope to have it all cleaned and reassembled over the weekend so there will be new pics on Monday.  I also want to tram it and check it for squareness and level.

   

   

   

   

   

   

[Dr Stan]

Ditto on the keeper as my wife also buys me tools. When you store the base spray it down with LPS3 or spread a good coat of grease on the bare surfaces. Wrap it in wax paper, or better yet oil cloth if you can find the real stuff.

[JScott]

(10-30-2014, 12:25 PM)Dr Stan Wrote: When you store the base spray it down with LPS3 or spread a good coat of grease on the bare surfaces.  Wrap it in wax paper, or better yet oil cloth if you can find the real stuff.

Good tip on storage.  My ultimate plan is to build some wooden storage boxes with lids and handles for each lathe and mill accessory.  That way I can keep them organized and shiny.  I can grease them, wrap them and throw in some VCI paper and dessicant packs to keep any rust or corrosion at bay.