[nateman_doo]

I was looking into 3 different 6" vises.

All of them do the same thing and do it well: Accurately hold a part.

Here are my 4 contenders:

$145.95
shars.com

.002


$89.95
shars.com

.002


$249.00
shars.com

.0004 repeatability. 82 lbs

$158.95
shars.com - 8x858x2quot Lock Down Precision Milling Machine Vise

8" vise & on sale


What are your opinions? What I like about all of them is that you can put the jaws on the outside of the vise and clamp a much larger part-although the only one that actually states it is the 250.00 vise "Jaw Opening (Outer Jaw): 15.80"

[tmbg]

CHOOSE VISELY!


hohohohohohhoho

[nateman_doo]

Wow, that really was funny :P

I am close to eliminating the rotary vise simply because I have CNC, so I can dial in angles on the table. But I have by no means made up my mind.

[tmbg]

swivel vise just gives you one more thing to have to keep in tram.

[photomankc]

Have you seen an 8" vice in relation to anything.... I think you may as well take that off the list. I think even the 6" is going to be surprisingly large.

A 6" on an extended X2:


an 8" might outweigh the whole machine.

[tmbg]

I agree. I have that 6" pictured above that I use for my bridgeport. These days it mostly sits on a shelf though, cause I have a kurt double 4" on the bridgeport now, and it's adequate for most of what I do. 8" vises are ENORMOUS and HEAVY.

[nateman_doo]

My mill has some decent overhang.

Here is sitting next to an X2.

It has close to a 6" extension over the X2.


Here is a tool plate that the vise will be bolted too.

1/2" holes and 1" hole pattern. I think I can fit the 8" vise, but the question more is, "do I need it".




The 8" gives more bang for the buck, but your right-its HUGE. Plus since I can put the jaws on the outside of all the vises I doubt I need something so big as the 8".

The wiser side of me is starting to choose the first vise:
shars.com

[doorknob]

I don't want to take this too far OT, but I noticed that only one of the vices (the third one) has a slot in the top of one of the jaws.

What is that used for? Does it accommodate some kind of work stop, or does it have some other function?

[nateman_doo]

I don't want to take this too far OT, but I noticed that only one of the vices (the third one) has a slot in the top of one of the jaws.

What is that used for? Does it accommodate some kind of work stop, or does it have some other function?

This right?


No idea.

Now I am beginning to wonder if I really need a vise. I have a tool plate already, and its around $100 to ship any of the vises. ouuchhhh.

[eartaker]

For a little more money you can get the GMT version of the Shars 670V

Glacern Machine Tools - GSV-690 6-inch Standard Vise

[pete from TN]

I would probably look into buying a PAIR of maybe 4" toolmakers vices... I have a 6" kurt clone much like what you are looking at. Bought it with the rotary that now just sits there collecting dust. Wish I had known about the CNC type vises that have ground sides and faces too. Makes it useful for many different clamping setups both horizontally and vertically. There are some reasonably priced toolmakers vises out there that are all ground and have slots on the side for clamping down. I would think that might actually be easier on your new table surface.... Also TWO four inch vises leaves you to be able to do multiple setups AND you can span an aluminum sacrificial jaw between them and have like ten or more inches of clamping surface if you need it... Just a thought man... BTW I am a Mr. T fan too!!

Peace

Pete

[nateman_doo]

For a little more money you can get the GMT version of the Shars 670V

Glacern Machine Tools - GSV-690 6-inch Standard Vise

MUCH sexier Vise, I will give it that...

I would probably look into buying a PAIR of maybe 4" toolmakers vices... I have a 6" kurt clone much like what you are looking at. Bought it with the rotary that now just sits there collecting dust. Wish I had known about the CNC type vises that have ground sides and faces too. Makes it useful for many different clamping setups both horizontally and vertically. There are some reasonably priced toolmakers vises out there that are all ground and have slots on the side for clamping down. I would think that might actually be easier on your new table surface.... Also TWO four inch vises leaves you to be able to do multiple setups AND you can span an aluminum sacrificial jaw between them and have like ten or more inches of clamping surface if you need it... Just a thought man... BTW I am a Mr. T fan too!!

Peace

Pete

I pity the Foo. Tell me more about this dual vise setup. Any pictures of it in action?

[pete from TN]

If you take one vise, square it with the spindle, then take a longish piece of maybe 2" by3/4 inch bar stock and drill and countersink it for the fixed jaw. Then you take the other vise and put it as close or as far away as needed and span the bar onto it and mark the hole locations for the fixed jaw on it you can screw this new sacrificial jaw down to BOTH vises kinda forming a LONG vise.. Then you machine a step into it so you do not need any paralells and maybe add some moveable jaw sacrificial plates and you have one big mother of a vise that could easily clamp something like a long fixture or a larger part than that six or even that eight inch vise could hold. I think the biggest feature of the toolmakers vises is that they are ground flat on the top and both sides so you can clamp them to the table both vertically and horizontally to hold odd shapes or perhaps to be able to drill down thru something tall. Better to hold a tall piece with a four or five inch vise vertically than to stick it in the top of a typical vise which is only around two inches deep and the rest is sticking up in the air to get chatter when milling or just possible misalignment when drilling. Since the sides are ground flat and paralell you know it is square to the table in any position. Most of the best CNC vises are built this way as is the GMT tools 6" premium vise. That thing is like $450.00 each. The only negative of these vises is that since they have no screw like a traditional vise you must reposition the locking pin into one of multiple holes based on the width of your part and then tighten down the large allen screw to both tighen and pull down the moveable jaw. They are sure gonna be more precisely machined than any of these cheaper 6" kurt clone vises out there...

As far as the size of the vise, I have a six inch on my RF45 and while it is fine it would probably look like a titanic monster on that x2 hybrid of yours. Shars has some 4.75" toolmakers vises for like $80.00 each and you could buy two of them for nearly what you are getting one typical vise for. If I could afford one of the CNC vises I would sell my current vise quickly.. It is not that it is not accurate or flat or that I have had any real issues with it. it is just that these ground vises allow for much more flexibility of mounting... Peace

Pete

[SCzEngrgGroup]

If you're serious about machining, a GOOD vise is the best money you'll spend. Go for the Glacern, you'll never regret it. They are absolutely fabulous quality. Get one of the cheap ones, and within a year you'll be fighting it's inadequacies. They do NOT age gracefully.

Regards,
Ray L.

[eartaker]

I like this guys videos and shows a good reason to have 2

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAx_xMiL0Ig"]YouTube - Ch18 - Tormach PCNC - Milling with a Custom Fixture[/nomedia]

[pete from TN]

That is kinda what I am saying but he is right that is way to far apart. Not sure why he did it that way, with the operation he is doing there and since they are up on paralells, he can just butt both vises together and have full support. Man wish I could afford one of those vises let alone two. That is a grand sitting there on that table, probably more with shipping.. peace

Pete

[pete from TN]

I hope..

http://www.cnccookbook.com/img/Other...ials2Vises.jpg

[eartaker]

Pete,

I know what you mean. If you watch his videos he is running a Tormach PCNC1100 mill with almost every piece of tooling available from Tormach.

[pete from TN]

The tormach is a nice machine but for that much cash I would not buy one... There are better options out there both new and used... He does have a very nice setup and he makes some cool videos with a lot of useful stuff. He also had a taig I think that was also setup nice. I have thought about making some more videos but I don't have a really nice video camera mine died and I am busy making parts!! peace

Pete

[nateman_doo]

I like this guys videos and shows a good reason to have 2

YouTube - Ch18 - Tormach PCNC - Milling with a Custom Fixture

OMFG?!?
WOW!

that is gorgeous! My only question in that dual vise setup, I can easily get them parallel, but when you tighten them, whats stopping you from clamping unevenly?

And why couldn't he use a tooling plate to clamp that fixture down and save a BOATLOAD of cash on those 2 vises?

Also, what were those gold nut looking things that were bracing the sides of his part against the fixture?