# orienting the workpiece in the same direction



## hobby (Feb 16, 2013)

Hi guys,

here is a good tip if your finding your getting unparallel sides milled on a workpiece clamped on edge in a vice.

I was using my flycutter to mill down the bandsawed deges of a workpiece, 

I milled one side flat on the edge, then took it out of the vice and turned it upside down made sure it was tight against the parrallel tightened the vice and proceeded to mill this side smooth and flat also.

I took the workpiece out cleaned up all edges then using my surface plate and height guage I decided to make a quick check for a specific height.

I noticed that this 2 inch length of 1/4" thick workpiece had a 0.005" to 0.008" difference from one end to the other.

I did another mill job and still getting inconsistent meansurements.

Then I realized, if the piece has a taper, I need to machine it out by orienting the workpiece in the same direction when turning it over in the vice.

So I placed the workpiece in the vice and tightened it down, still using my flycutter, I milled the one side edge, then I placed a mark on the face of one end of the workpiece, now when I turned the work over to machine the other edge, I made sure I kept that mark on the same side of the vice as it was previously, I literally flipped the workpiece in the vice (making sure it was NOT turned end for end) this time.

Then I machined down this edge, made a height gauge check again, and the workpiece was at the same height from end to end, with no deviation, it made me realize I need to make sure I flip a workpiece keeping the same end in the same direction when machining the edges to make them parallel and at the same width across the length.

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## RonSkingley (Feb 17, 2013)

Many thanks for that.

This has happened to me, thankfully on a non-critical piece, so I didn't bother investigating.
Though it did still annoy me.
But like many things, now you've pointed it out, it's obvious. 

Thanks again.
Ron


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