Issues with Making a Screwless Vise

[Teenage_Machinist]

I am planning to make my own screwless toolmaker's vise for my mini mill (really nice because it won't stick out) based on Ishamura's design at http://homepage3.nifty.com/amigos/index-e.html.

How ever, I have some issues.

First, it would be nice to be able to grind it, but with my limited budget and lack of a grinder that is just not possible.

Second, I would like to harden it but since it is a block of steel or cast iron about 3x1x5 inches and my equipment is a small bernzomatic torch, that does not seem feasable. I am not allowed to and cannot afford a furnace, and the idea is to have the cost end up being less than 50 dollars for a commercial vise. I am thinking of heating it in a pile of charcoal in bricks with a pair of bellows.

Third, I still do not know what material to use. Speedymetals apparently has ductile iron if you call and ask for it, but it seems expensive. THey plain-old have cast gray iron, and of course steel. Or then there is alloy steel, and tool steel, both very expensive. What is a good material that is not too hard to machine with my lack of carbide milling cutters?

[derekm]

the only things that really need grinding or hardening are the jaw plates. You can buy ground flat stock in various sizes in small quantities for a reasonable price.

[Teenage_Machinist]

I guess my mill is pretty good if it is trammed, but grinding would be good. The real question is, just how good. And what about hardenin?

[b2u44]

I strongly recommend that you just follow the instructions at the webpage that you provided. You should be able to achieve satisfactory precision if you are careful when setting up each machining operation. I do not think you should heat-treat the vise for two reasons: first is that I don't think you have sufficient heat-treating facilities, and second is that heat-treating notoriously leads to warpage. If you heat-treated the vise, it would be necessary to surface-grind the vise to retain any accuracy. Therefore, I recommend that for now, you just follow the website's instructions and not worry about grinding or heat-treating.


As far as material choice goes:
12L14 steel is very easy to machine with HSS cutters.

[J. R. Williams]

Go for cast iron as it is easy to machine and plenty strong for a mini mill. A good machining exercise. I have a small 1-1/2 inch cast iron vise made by Palmgren that has held up well for over 20 years.

JRW

[SGW]

If you want something really nice, you could use pre-hardened 4142 ground stock (MSC, and others, sell it). It machines well, as long as you don't try to hurry it any, and it ought to be plenty durable. The only drawback I see is the cost of the stuff -- it's fairly expensive.

[lazlo]

The vise bodies are not normally hardened -- Kurt, Record, Wilton USA vises et al are made from ductile cast iron. The jaws are hardened.

The little screwless toolmaker's vises are made from hardened tool steel, but that's because they're normally used on a magnetic chuck on a surface grinder, so they're ground square on all sides. For a milling setup, that's completely unnecessary.

Derek had a great idea -- use hardened ground flat stock for the jaws, which you can get at any machinery distributor including Enco (free shipping). Then all you have to do is cut/mill it to length and drill and countersink the mounting holes.

[oldtiffie]

Bump!!!

I mustn't let this thread just fade away.

It just so happens that I have two of these sorts of vices - made in China - one from the US and one from here.

I was going to start a new thread and lo and behold - it was done for me. The Mr. Ishimura link (I am a great fan of his!!) as well as some of the posts here set the scene rather nicely.

I will see if I can get the posts started (again?) in the next day or so.

[Just Bob Again]

Why, unless just for the practice? CDCO sells a 3-inch screwless vise for $50. Hardened and ground to 2 tenths, four inch capacity.

[Teenage_Machinist]

"$50"? LittleMachineshop beats that price.

But not by much. First, 50 dollars is a bit much money to spend on something I can make myself. I have more time than money, mainly due to a lack of money. Did you say ductile or cast iron?