Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise & other tooling

[wquiles]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Splurged and got an Albrecht 1/32" - 5/8", Integral R8 Classic Keyless. After having got one for the lathe, I am truly spoiled. It's just fun to use that drill chuck!

+1

The Albrecht is only drill chuck I use in my knee mill. Just a pleasure to use.

That being said, on my lathe, I use a heavier duty, Jacobs Ball Bearing Super Drill Chuck, specifically the 18N, which goes up to 3/4"

Will

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Power Longitudinal feed - useful?

Without a doubt. Not only does it save fatigue on long, multiple cuts but the pattern is visually consistent - which may or may not be important. Most mill users add one sooner or later.

What about basic 1 2 3 blocks, parallels and similar items. Not having any mill experience, they all seem essential but I don't know. Can you recommend some basic set-up tools to have on-hand?

My short list:

A set of normal thickness parallels, usually 1/8" thickness. Buy the one that's in your price range, no need for Hermann Schmidt here

A set of adjustable parallels. Starrett or Brown & Sharpe make really nice ones & near new sets are sometimes for sale on eBay for $100 or less.

Some matched V-blocks. Starrett makes the nicest small v-blocks ever, the 278. Not cheap even on eBay but awesome for some types of vise work. Larger V-blocks for larger jobs.

Dead stop. You can make one but for $60 you can buy the most rigid stop ever made, the Pro Stop from Edge Technology. Make sure to get the model to fit the slots in your table & even then you may need to final mill the tongue to size. http://www.edgetechnologyproducts.com/pro-mill-stop.html

 

[BVH]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Nice looking dead stop but smallest is 9/16 whereas my slots are .500. Looks like one of the first milling jobs! Milling looks like it will open up the thru-bolt hole circle but I can't see where that would make any difference?

Thanks for the other recommendations. Question on length of the parallels? Does it relate to the vise being used or can an inch or two longer work just as well, or better? And hob about height?

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

smallest is 9/16 whereas my slots are .500. Looks like one of the first milling jobs! Milling looks like it will open up the thru-bolt hole circle but I can't see where that would make any difference?

Cutting into the bolt circle won't affect the stop as the stop locates on the tongue. Mill down the width but leave it over .500" as almost all table slots have a chamfer at the upper edge. My stop locates on that chamfer. I've used a number of stops, some shop built & others commercial & the Pro Stop is the best of the bunch for lockup. The stop rod is always 90° to the part & that helps assure repeatability.

on length of the parallels? Does it relate to the vise being used

Just about every set of parallels is 6" long as that's the most common mill vise width. Not a problem using a 6" parallel with a 4" or 5" vise as long as there's no interference with your setup. Most sets have a range of heights from 1/2" up to 1.5"

 

[Phil Ament]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Gee whiz, those magnetic vises seem very attractive!

 

[Phil Ament]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Dead stop. You can make one but for $60 you can buy the most rigid stop ever made, the Pro Stop from Edge Technology. Make sure to get the model to fit the slots in your table & even then you may need to final mill the tongue to size. http://www.edgetechnologyproducts.com/pro-mill-stop.html

Sorry to interupt and I won't do it again, however I just really had to say something. I just had a look at that Pro Stop from Edge Technology and for such a high quality item I could not believe the cheap price. If that was an item for one of my motorcycles I am absolutely certain that it would cost at least $1200 if not more. Fascinating stuff really and a lot like works of art on their own!

 

[StrikerDown]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Gee whiz, those magnetic vises seem very attractive!

You would not want a magnetic vise for your mill, they are for holding items that will not be subject to strong cutting forces, typically used on something like a surface grinder.

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

I just had a look at that Pro Stop from Edge Technology and for such a high quality item I could not believe the cheap price.

+1 Most of their items are low priced for such nice quality. And once it's locked it will not move, even if it gets bumped hard. Mine gets used mostly when a head or tail is being set up for slotting as it allows rotating the head for planar alignment without changing the stickout from the collet. That alone saves a lot of time.

You would not want a magnetic vise for your mill ...

+1 I didn't mean to imply that any magnetic vise is appropriate for milling use. Like so many of the items sold by Hermann Schmidt & Suburban Tool these are grinder only fixtures. Pretty sweet when you need to make 100 shims with a face angled to within 1 minute of a degree.

 

[BVH]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Mr. Grizzly arrives tomorrow. Ordered the items Barry suggested off Ebay, took the "hit" and ordered a new D40 Kurt. A few other posts I've read on this machine indicate their owners put them on risers like a lot of us here have done with the lathes so looks like I might need to get the welder to make me one out of 1/8" wall square tubing. Mill is around 275 and stand is probably 70lbs. I'll probably do something similar to what I did with the 1236 in bringing out out riser extensions beyond the base footprint for more stability. Maybe diagonally at the 4 corners instead of straight out. I ordered 8 Mason feet when I bought them for the lathe so good to go there.

Grizzly is back ordered until Dec for the power feed and Lathemaster is BO for at least 6 weeks so no joy in that department.

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

... took the "hit" and ordered a new D40 Kurt ...

OMG Bob, I thought you'd certainly buy something else ... happy to see that you're now a member of the Kurt Klub. You benefits package & official membership card are in the mail. Until then, this should give some comfort:

Use your new Kurt, enjoy it, and know that you'll get back most of the purchase price if or when you decide to sell it. I would dearly love to have a D40.

 

[BVH]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

In the end, it was the same pure enjoyment of using the Albrecht chuck that I expect to feel using the Kurt that tipped me off the fence. And I recently sold a few moderately priced lights which helped in the money.department. Thank you for my certificate!

 

[gt40]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Congrats on your Kurt. You can never go wrong with quality work holding. I have been very happy with my 688.

 

[StrikerDown]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

In the end, it was the same pure enjoyment of using the Albrecht chuck that I expect to feel using the Kurt that tipped me off the fence...

Yea baby. That is what I feel every time I use my kurt...

When it arrives turn it over... even the bottom is gorgeous!

 

[StrikerDown]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

I added a 2X4 box tubing riser to my flimsy base... it really added rigidity to the base cabinet plus the ability to level the mill on my sloped garage floor. Leveling a mill isn't as important as having a lathe level/ to straighten the bed, but it's nice that round items don't roll off the table!

Oh, it also raised the mill to a comfortable height!

 

[BVH]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Excellent timing, Ray. I remembered your post on my 1236 thread with your pics of the 2x4 box riser. I was at first thinking 2x2 with the orange feet but the table is so very low as it sits now that doing exactly what you did is the answer! I can get 6" of height increase and also cover the floor slope. Thanks!

 

[StrikerDown]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Cool, hope it helps. I'm anxious to see pics of your new toy!

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

... even the bottom is gorgeous!

Ray, you probably know this already but it's worth mentioning - the bottom of the vise is a datum point or reference surface. Always wipe the bottom til it's clean enough to eat from before mounting on the table.

There are four reference surfaces on the top that you'll want to avoid machining into:

The bed ways are the reference for taller parts that can rest directly on the ways & for parallels to support shorter parts. The tops of the stationary jaw & movable jaw are used mostly when the jaw plates are moved to the outboard position(s). The jaw plates themselves are fair game & most machinists have a field day with those ... sometimes they even do this intentionally

 

[BVH]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

My table is so nice, clean, shiny and unmarked. I suppose sliding even the Kurt around is going to start scratching the surface. I'll try to pick it up to move it when I can, I guess. Or is the table surface hardened enough that the vise becomes the wear surface?

 

[precisionworks]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

I suppose sliding even the Kurt around is going to start scratching the surface?

If you're careful it shouldn't. First wipe the table with a clean cloth until nothing can be felt on the surface. Then pour on a bit of Vactra #2 way oil & spread it around where the Kurt is going. Wipe the bottom of the vise clean & lower it onto the table. It's easy to slide it around to get it indicated as the Vactra forms an oil cushion.

 

[Phil Ament]

Re: Ordered a Mill, now question on a good, non top-of-the-line vise

Gee they look really exquisitely made and I myself would really love to be able to get a couple of those Kurts, however I already have way too many vices, and I don't mean the type that holds things!