Geared head drill press?

[John T]

I don't bolt my vices

I don’t either usually out of laziness.

However I do always position the tightening handle up against the post.

So if it binds up,
it doesn’t spin the whole vice out of control



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Munkul]

So i picked up a Chinese 4 milling vise for $95.

Have not purchased XY table yet just doing one thing at a time see how it works etc.

Curious though, guys who use a vise like this on a drill press how do you center your work under the bit/tool? Seems like it would be rather tedious to change it for every part you do unless you’re doing one part over and over.

I have a Bison vice on an XY table on my own pillar drill, and right next to it is my brother's drill with a free vice identical to yours, I sold him the vice when I got my Bison vice. I'd already chucked out the swivel base though, it was pointless IMO.

We run mine for bigger jobs, or annular cutting where you want things held firm, and his one with a free vice for lighter jobs, we just slide it around to suit the work and hold it by the end.

[thegary]

The vise you have is for a milling machine or a drill press with an X,Y, table it is next to worthless without an X,Y adjustment. Here is the kind of vise you want for a regular drill press. https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARS-6-Qui...MAAOSw~QVeM0e1

They make a few variations of it and sizes but this type is the fastest to use and holds the work quite well. I have a 6" similar to the one in the link but I would prefer the T handle on the one in the link for pulling open the vise. Mine is a little stiff and only has a ball handle and sometimes when my hand is oily ( like most of the time when I am drilling holes) it slips off the handle. The T handle would eliminate that.

[Munkul]

The Shars design is nice, but looks a bit difficult to hold certain pieces flat. At least with a mill vice you can slip some parallels in with a drop of oil, and they won't go anywhere.

[M J D]

The vise you have is for a milling machine or a drill press with an X,Y, table it is next to worthless without an X,Y adjustment. Here is the kind of vise you want for a regular drill press. https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARS-6-Qui...MAAOSw~QVeM0e1

They make a few variations of it and sizes but this type is the fastest to use and holds the work quite well. I have a 6" similar to the one in the link but I would prefer the T handle on the one in the link for pulling open the vise. Mine is a little stiff and only has a ball handle and sometimes when my hand is oily ( like most of the time when I am drilling holes) it slips off the handle. The T handle would eliminate that.

Never been a big fan of those cam acting vises, seems to loose it's clamping force over a relatively short time.

[thegary]

The Shars design is nice, but looks a bit difficult to hold certain pieces flat. At least with a mill vice you can slip some parallels in with a drop of oil, and they won't go anywhere.

There is a small step in the jaws so a piece of flat stock is just set down on top of the step and snugged by bumping the T handle , then you use the cam lock lever to finish tightening it in place for drilling. Flat stock is held just fine in it.

[thegary]

Never been a big fan of those cam acting vises, seems to loose it's clamping force over a relatively short time.

The only times I have had any problem is if I did not snug it enough before using the cam lock lever. There are times I drill holes on flat stock out to the side beyond the jaws a couple inches and still have no problem with it holding. I would not try drilling a 3/4" hole out past the jaws but 3/8 is no problem.

This style of vise has been around a long time. I used them 40 years ago at the first place I ever worked. Back then there was patent on the design so they were big money even back then , like $350 . They do save a lot of time if your drilling a lot of holes and for under $100 now its a no brainer.

[thegary]

After looking at the Shars vise a little closer I am not sure it has the step in the jaw on both sides. If it doesn't I would not buy it. There are a lot of brands selling them now , the Shars was just the first one I saw so that is why I posted it .

[Meltedmetal]

The vise you have is for a milling machine or a drill press with an X,Y, table it is next to worthless without an X,Y adjustment. Here is the kind of vise you want for a regular drill press. https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARS-6-Qui...MAAOSw~QVeM0e1

They make a few variations of it and sizes but this type is the fastest to use and holds the work quite well. I have a 6" similar to the one in the link but I would prefer the T handle on the one in the link for pulling open the vise. Mine is a little stiff and only has a ball handle and sometimes when my hand is oily ( like most of the time when I am drilling holes) it slips off the handle. The T handle would eliminate that.

Call me confused. It's a nice vice but how does it solve the lack of an X-Y table to bring things into alignment for accurate drilling?

I have a cheap one like this that works okay for what I do.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Cross-Sli...7909ad1c278353

[thegary]

Call me confused. It's a nice vice but how does it solve the lack of an X-Y table to bring things into alignment for accurate drilling?

I have a cheap one like this that works okay for what I do.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Cross-Sli...7909ad1c278353

it doesn't , and never said it did. It is a drill press vise to be used like a drill press is used. Brookynbravest purchased a vise designed to be used with a movable x,y table or mill. The vise you show is what would be needed if he wanted x,y movemnet without buying a table. The draw back is that there is very little movement to be had but for small stuff it would probably work ok.

[farmersammm]

I use a chepo HF drill press vise (around $20ish). It has to be moved every time, no biggy. To center it, I turned a point that can be chucked in the press. Lay a ruler across the jaws, once the piece is in the vise, and lower the point so it touches the midpoint on the ruler measurement. Fairly easy, and straightforward. I don't count on a drill press for dead nutz accuracy.

[farmersammm]

in the alternative, just lay the ruler across the jaws, with nothing in the jaws, and again place the point at the midpoint of the anticipated size stock you're gonna be drilling.

[Meltedmetal]

it doesn't , and never said it did. It is a drill press vise to be used like a drill press is used. Brookynbravest purchased a vise designed to be used with a movable x,y table or mill. The vise you show is what would be needed if he wanted x,y movemnet without buying a table. The draw back is that there is very little movement to be had but for small stuff it would probably work ok.

Oh okay, I thought you were implying something that weren't and that there was some methodology I was unaware of. Always good to learn something new. I like the type I linked to (mine is a little bigger) because it allows me to keep the vice bolted down(fewer smashed fingers) and adjust the vice under the drill bit to bring whatever to the layout punch mark without loosening bolts and sliding the vice around. Not really super accurate either but for me it works. It depends on the level of accuracy required, if I needed better accuracy I'd probably move on over to the bridgeport.

[Munkul]

What?!
Sam are you telling me that you swap a dead centre into the chuck to line work up and THEN fit a drill in??

How hard can it be?
1. centre pop the workpiece
2. put work in vice
3. move vice to roughly under drill point
4. start drill up. Peck the workpiece and move vice until the drill doesn't bend.
5. drill the work

None of this faffing around with centres... like you say, a drill press is only semi precision...

[BrooklynBravest]

Worth noting, aside from some repetitive drilling I do from time to time, I was using the machine as a pipe notcher which worked extremely well with the downfall being my vise setup. This was prior to purchasing the mill vise above.

Yes, i could purchase a pipe notcher. But it would collect dust for how often I do it and I would rather put the money towards light milling tools.

Also, i did end up snapping that $35 annular cutter. I didn’t have a 1” hole saw on hand and paid the price... It actually broke trying to get the slug out rather than during cutting.

And worth noting as a follow up, I have been very satisfied with my purchase of this machine. It really has worked great. Using the keyless chuck can be a little iffy sometimes bits will slip just because it overpowers the holding ability but I expected that with bigger shank drills.

[thegary]

Worth noting, aside from some repetitive drilling I do from time to time, I was using the machine as a pipe notcher which worked extremely well with the downfall being my vise setup. This was prior to purchasing the mill vise above.

Yes, i could purchase a pipe notcher. But it would collect dust for how often I do it and I would rather put the money towards light milling tools.

Also, i did end up snapping that $35 annular cutter. I didn’t have a 1” hole saw on hand and paid the price... It actually broke trying to get the slug out rather than during cutting.

And worth noting as a follow up, I have been very satisfied with my purchase of this machine. It really has worked great. Using the keyless chuck can be a little iffy sometimes bits will slip just because it overpowers the holding ability but I expected that with bigger shank drills.

Just an FYI; Milwaukee steel hawg bits work very well for coping pipe and tube. The draw back to them is that they need a special holder. They are carbide tipped and the cutting part is only about 3/16 around the diameter so they leave a larger center slug like a hole saw does. I purchase all mine including the arbor off of ebay at drastically less than retail prices. It just takes a while to find the deals. Now that I am retired I am contemplating selling my collection of hawg cutters and holders. I have not come to terms with it yet though . They are so handy that I hat to sell them but I have to stop doing jobs some time. Keep an eye on the for sale forum in the next few months . stuff I decide to sell , I put on WW first if they are small enough to ship reasonably.

[Lis2323]

Worth noting, aside from some repetitive drilling I do from time to time, I was using the machine as a pipe notcher which worked extremely well with the downfall being my vise setup. This was prior to purchasing the mill vise above.

Yes, i could purchase a pipe notcher. But it would collect dust for how often I do it and I would rather put the money towards light milling tools.

Also, i did end up snapping that $35 annular cutter. I didn’t have a 1” hole saw on hand and paid the price... It actually broke trying to get the slug out rather than during cutting.

And worth noting as a follow up, I have been very satisfied with my purchase of this machine. It really has worked great. Using the keyless chuck can be a little iffy sometimes bits will slip just because it overpowers the holding ability but I expected that with bigger shank drills.

This is just an observation and not meant to be picky but perhaps the coping setup would have been more rigid if the cut was closer to the vise.

[BrooklynBravest]

This is just an observation and not meant to be picky but perhaps the coping setup would have been more rigid if the cut was closer to the vise.

Without a doubt it would have but that vise also just lacks the leverage on the screw to get it tight enough as well.

Gave it a go with the milling vise today and an actual hole saw it was great.

I used a piece of flat stock and the rotation of the table at both the column and pivot point under the table to align the cutter.

That 3/4” shank/arbor ran me $9 plus shipping. Worth every penny.

[farmersammm]

What?!
Sam are you telling me that you swap a dead centre into the chuck to line work up and THEN fit a drill in??

How hard can it be?
1. centre pop the workpiece
2. put work in vice
3. move vice to roughly under drill point
4. start drill up. Peck the workpiece and move vice until the drill doesn't bend.
5. drill the work

None of this faffing around with centres... like you say, a drill press is only semi precision...

Uh......yeah, I do

Use a coax on the mill to find center, then drill.

The stuff to the right of the workpiece is a stop jig. Did a bunch of these, so a stop was handy

Then the ruler method (nothing in the vise) to find center from the fixed jaw. Then pop your pieces in, and drill.

Accuracy is limited by the runout on the drill, so it pays to find center pretty accurately. At least you're in the ballpark.

Ruler method again on the mill this time. These don't have to be dead nutz.

[farmersammm]

Quick glue-ups, and they're done.



Granted, it wasn't SpaceX stuff, but I sorta like it to be pretty good. After all........once it's coated with about 10yrs worth of rust, it's archival

The pure sensual beauty of 7018 is the Siren song of the ages. It's what we chase. Whosie Whatsis, in the Odyssey, had his men lash him to the mast so's he could savor the voices.

[Welder Dave]

Is that porosity in the crater?

[thegary]

Is that porosity in the crater?

I think it is.

[farmersammm]

Could very well be. Lot of mass to heat with a short weld done probably with 3/32 AC rod. AC will produce some porosity, even when you run it tight. Never used to, but started doing so when they shifted production to using imported components. Lincoln has change somewhat. BUT....you still won't get that smooth of a surface with DC rod on most machines with relatively simple rectifier setups.

These date back to sometime in 2008(?). Entire thing was AC rod. Used to use it for everything that was "in position".

Used to run very nice.

I still favor AC for short stitch welds where a lot of restrikes are necessary. I can't even ponder what a PITA it would be to tack a metal deck down on a trailer with regular 7018. I don't have the patience for all the crap ya gotta go thru on restrikes.

I remember using it a lot on the draw bender, but can't locate the pics. It was the go-to because of the easy strike on short weld runs

[farmersammm]

Found the draw bender welds.

I really try to tout this stuff for short welds. Limited restrike problems, and limited spatter when working next to crucial surfaces.

To add insurance, it's wise to coat critical surfaces with anti spatter.......same stuff the MIG guys use on their nozzles.

With AC, I don't have to go through all that tapping/scratching to light up. It saves me from possibly straying into the machined shaft surface.

Another good thing with AC. Limited dig. If you're in a situation where you don't want to dig a trench, or put huge amounts of heat into a piece......AC is your go-to. Keeping heat balanced on the shaft was mondo important.

[BrooklynBravest]

The moment you’ve all been waiting for...

I purchased the XY table from shars. Vise from eBay.

No issue at all using the spindle lock/fine adjustment for the end mills but i didn’t do anything to the XY table out of the box so it’s got a good deal of slop in it and unless i moved very slow it will chatter.

It did work ultimately though so there’s potential. I don’t see myself doing actual fine tolerance work, more along the lines of dykem and scribe lines by eye.