Hemingway Milling Vice Kit Build

[sco]

I've made a start on building the Hemingway swivelling milling vice (second item on this page http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/Machine_Vices.html#aHK_202460

This is my first machining of a casting so it was quite a steep learning curve - I know some of our number love castings but I found getting through the tough outer skin quite a challenge.

This is the base plate casting part machined;



Doesn't look too challenging but the shear size was right at the limit of what my lathe can handle and that annular groove hides a blind tee slot which was far from straightforward to machine.

The plans for the moveable jaw call for a shaper which I don't possess so expect some questions when I get to that bit!

Cheers,

Simon.

[Chris J]

Good luck Simon 

[Jo]

Simon,

I didn't know Hemingway did that  , I feel a need. 

Use a tipped tool on the cast Iron if it has hard bits.

So how did you cut that Tee groove ? Slowly with a specially shaped up tool? I had an equally interesting little one on my 4" rotary table I knocked up for myself, but that was around the edge .

Jo

[sco]

Jo,

I used a treppaning tool to cut a groove 7mm wide by 13mm deep - lots of chatter and squeal - god knows what the neighbours thought.  I then used a carefully ground 'hooked' type tool to cut one side of the Tee which I then flipped in the tool post and ran the lathe in reverse to cut the other side.

I only have HSS and brazed carbide tools at the moment but was wondering about getting some of the tipped tools shown on this page - would they do the trick and cope with an interrupted cut without chipping;

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/10MM_AND_12MM_Turning_Tools_Indexable.html

Simon

[Jo]

... which I then flipped in the tool post and ran the lathe in reverse to cut the other side.

  I am assuming that you don't have a lathe with a screw on chuck  .

Yes they will do the job. There are lots of other suppliers, it is the quality of tips themselves that make the real difference. When you look to make your first cut to get rid of a hard spot take a good depth of cut, if you try to tickle the hard spots they will break your tip.

Jo

[sco]

Jo,

Not a screw-on chuck - a plain back mount one (DIN 6350).  I hear what you say about take a deep cut to get under the skin but when it's that big a diameter that's not round or flat it seems quite a brutal test of the machine.  The other castings are smaller so hopefully that's the worst of it done.

Simon.

[sco]

Next bit was the fixed jaw casting, this was even more tricky to mount in the 4 jaw but after a bit of fiddling about the bottom face was skimmed and the central pivot bored out.  I ignored the plans and drilled the pivot hole pilot right through to have a reference centre for when the casting was right side up.

This is it mounted on my mill after milling the dovetails and squaring up the corners;



So all good so far but the best new is that a knock that I thought was a bad bearing in my lathe headstock turned out to be just a loose pulley in the drive train which was a massive relief. 

[Don1966]

That's looking  good Simon and it also looks like a lot of work. Keep at it bud.

Don

[steamer]

That's a sweet little vise!

Dave

[sco]

Bit more work done today, here's the setup for milling the profile of the fixed jaw;



Profiling finished here's the fixed jaw in position on the base plate at a jaunty angle;



I've now hit a bit of a problem as I need to drill these two holes to hold the jaw insert and my smallest chuck is too big;



I did experiment with a pin vice but it wasn't very satisfactory so I think I need to make a long slender arbor to hold a drill.

[Jo]

Simon,

Extending drills is easy take a piece of BMS drill a hole in the end, Superglue your drill into the hole. Wait for the glue to go off, drill your holes then apply a little heat to release your drill bit.

It is looking more and more like I need one for my workshop 

Jo

[sco]

Jo,

I was thinking along similar lines apart from I was going to cross drill and tap for a grub screw - Retainer or Super glue might do the trick instead though thanks.

imon.

[tel]

OR you could drill 'em tapping size from the other side, then clamp the insert in place to spot thru for the clearing holes.

[Bearcar1]

Do the holes have to be blind ended? If not, why not drill them from the other (bak) side.


BC1
Jim

[steamer]

Either loctite or superglue.....with taps, you can drill a close fitting hole for the body, then mill a slot through on center to fit the square...works well!

Dave