Reducing the jaw lift of a Wilton 11674 Vise for use on a mill

[jjr2001]

Well we will attempt to improve upon our first Wilton 11674 vise mod and see if we can reduce the jaw lift even more.
Homemade Vise Lift Modification - HomemadeTools.net
While it will not replace the Kurt vise on any large mill it will make a very nice addition to the Mini Mill.
A Kurt or even Import milling vise dwarfs the mini mill and I have had good luck with my Wilton so far,
just wanted to make it act like a Kurt...( A light weight Kurt that is) My alternate method on the mini mill is
to use a 3" machinist vise that does not exhibit any up lift tendencies. (none that I noticed)

A base plate was needed in order use the clamping groove in the vise for the lock down feature:
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/i...punching-65904
Once this was installed the lock down clamps were made. Simple parts made of 1018 cold rolled.
10-32 cap screws were used throughout. A small recess was milled in the side of the main clamp blocks
to provide clearance for the vise base. (Vise jaw is not quite as wide as the base)
Clamp down action is accomplished with the top cap screw on the left and right hand clamps.
Yep, I know, not as convenient as the single screw Kurt but this vise is convenient to use on the mini mill
and I feel that a full size lock down vise is just too big for my little mill. Two pins in each clamp guide the foot and keep it from twisting. Loctite was used on the main clamping block to secure the pins.

I will be making some before and after tests on this setup tomorrow.


Another vise addition for the Wilton was this thread with the vise stop:
Homemade Milling Vise Stop - HomemadeTools.net
And of course the soft jaws:
http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-vise-soft-jaws-12

[DIYer]

Thanks jjr2001! We've added your Jaw Lift Reduction Method to our Vises category,
as well as to your builder page: jjr2001's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Jaw Lift Reduction Method by jjr2001

tags: vise, modification

[jjr2001]

Well it is not a Kurt but then it is just the right size for a little mini mill.

In a nut shell I tested the new vise setup on my mini mill and found that
in one inch of Y travel the jaw only lifts .0005". But it was a surprise at
the method of setting the vise for that result.

I thought the process would be to have both clamps loose, then cinch
down on the part with the lead screw...Tap the part down...and then tighten the
new left and right side clamps. Well that helped to reduce the lift from
.0025" to about .0015"...Not so good so I tried it without tapping down and
the results were about the same.

The ideal process for this system would be to simply tighten up the clamps until
they are quite snug but still allow the lead screw to push the moveable jaw. No
further adjusting of the clamps will be required as long as you stay in the
vicinity of the adjustment just made.
The slot in the vise base is just a bit high on one end so it gets too
stiff when the moveable jaw is at the rear.

So I thought what if I moved the jaw near the final closure point for the
part and then snugged down both clamps. That was it. I tightened them
so I could move the jaw but with a fair amount of torque required. (somewhat
like tighteng the gibs on the carriage or cross slide on the lathe)

I have found the clamps are adjustable to "snug" over at least a 1" range of jaw movement.
The real tightness happens at the rear of the travel and the clamps can be left
snug when in use over any 1 to 2 inch area of jaw movement in front of that.
For multiple parts or repeated clamping of the same part the new clamps
only have to be set once for the job and the lift is very low at .0005"...

I think it is a good mod which makes a fair vise into a very good vise for the mini mill.
Maybe make the clamp feet out of brass to give better sliding fit?
I am sure the method could be used on any drill press vise that has clamping slots on the side.
The vise can still be used on it's side if the base is removed and the clamps are removed from the vise.

If you try it let us know how it works out.

Cheers, JR

[Paul Alciatore]

Nice job, I love it. Looks like it could be done with many brands of vise.

And, of course, it started my thought processes for another project. Seems to me that a vise like that could be modified with a Kurt like device to draw the movable jaw down as it is tightened. Here comes more midnight oil.

[jjr2001]

Thanks Paul, this vise has been in place on my mini-mill since I modified it. I have not used my machinist screwless vise at all on this mill.
It holds within about .0015" without a final tightening of the "hold downs". I just keep them snug. I can reduce the lift by cinching them down to less than .001.
Not bad for a $60.00 vise that gives me more head room than the Kurt style. Just what we need for the mini mill.

Cheers, JR