Making Soft Jaws for a vice

[Ageless]

Has anyone made soft jaws out of aluminum for a milling machine vice?
If so, how thick where the jaws? Where they trued up while on the vice?
Does anyone have plans for this project?
I have a 5" Kurt style vice which I would like to convert to an soft style of jaws
for a demanding project.

 

[Maryak]

Ageless,

A quick and dirty fix is to buy a 12" length of 2"x2" Aluminium angle, cut it in half and sit it over the top of the steel jaws.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[vlmarshall]

Make 'em as thick as your stock will allow, and you'll have room to face off your current pocket and re-use the jaws for another job.

My favorite way to make jaws for the 6" Kurt, is to counterbore the bolt holes from both sides of each jaw, for extra usability. If you make the jaws fairly short, you can center the bolt holes top-to-bottom as well, and flip the jaws upside-down for more usefulness.

If your project is REALLY demanding, consider making steel jaws, so your parts don't mash the pockets out of shape, and also adding a pair of dowel pins, pressed into one jaw, slip fit in the other, and long enough to stay engaged when the vise is opened.

 

[zeeprogrammer]

I have this on my list of 'tools to make' too (in part because of that guy that just replied) so I'm interested in what people say.

Any more advice? Anyone have pictures? I've also heard it's useful to cut a small ledge along the top of the jaws...sort of giving you a built-in parallel...good for working small parts.