[bmurph]

I'm having trouble with facing all sides perfect, because both of my mill vises arn't perfect. Are the precision mill vises, or the toolmakers vises going to be any better?

[txcncman]

Yes. The better the vise, the better the part. There are things you can do during set up to verify if the material is parallel and square before machining. Try using a test indicator and bump with material into correct position before machining. Most would buy a more expensive and better quality vise to avoid having to do this.

[aarggh]

I bought what was advertised as a good quality drill/mill vise in the cheaper to mid price range, but it is absolutely useless for the mill, not perfectly parallel or level, jaws tilt just so slightly when tightened, etc. Bought a Vertex precision vise and the difference was chalk and cheese, no more wasted time trying to achieve a basic result. My advice is spend a bit and buy a really good vise, you'll have it for good then and never look back.

cheers,
Ian

[bmurph]

here's what I did, I cut the vise screw to get one of the sides off my self centering vise, and put a 1 2 3 block on there. 2 precise sides should be enough, if I'm not mistaken.

[chipslinger69]

What is your range of "perfect"?

[spv123]

Bought a Vertex precision vise and the difference was chalk and cheese, no more wasted time trying to achieve a basic result.

Good to know. I just received my 5" Vertex. I wonder if their rotary tables are the same quality.

[aarggh]

Good to know. I just received my 5" Vertex. I wonder if their rotary tables are the same quality.

Taiwan appears to be the new Japan these days, and all the Vertex products I've come across are just superbly manufactured. I bought a massive vise that is just a treat, but sometimes a little too big for some work, so I will hopefully be buying two smaller ones for the mill in the Vertex range. I do have the rotary table, and it is rock solid! I'm more than likely going to convert it to a "Divisionmaster" indexing table with the opensource code from:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/open_s...ndexer-45.html

If your in Melb, Standaco in Nunawading are really great to deal with, and they get the Vertex range in at good prices. Nice blokes too that know their stuff which helps.

cheers,
Ian

[bmurph]

What is your range of "perfect"?

I want to be within 2 thou over 4 inches

[aarggh]

here's what I did, I cut the vise screw to get one of the sides off my self centering vise, and put a 1 2 3 block on there. 2 precise sides should be enough, if I'm not mistaken.

Wouldn't the act of clamping material in the jaw move the blocks out of alignment, even slightly?

cheers,
Ian

[bebob1]

isnt the procedure to indicator in everything before milling? you can do reasonably well on an imprecise mill by indicatoring to make sure things are squared properly