milling vise

[richard.nott]

have acquired a 6" milling vise made by Bridgeport (I assume it is called 6" because it measures 6" across). what i'd like to know is about obtaining a swivel base for it. does it have to be a Bridgeport brand or is their a generic one available for it. also would a person have enough use for it to go looking for one.
thanks for the help Richard

 

[jwcnc1911]

Check to make sure when you torque it that the front jaw does not raise. That's very common on those Bridgeport vises. It's prob not generic. I don't know of a Bridgeport vise that will fit a generic base, by that term I guess you mean an import Kurt knock off vise with swivel base. If it'll fit and fasten safely use it regardless of looks.

 

[neseng]

.....also would a person have enough use for it to go looking for one.

Hi Richard,

Over the years, I have bought 2 milling vices (around 6 inch width) with swivel bases and in both cases, I have removed them and NEVER used the bases. I fix my vices directly to the milling table for extra 'Z' axis height. Apart from that, the graduations are not terribly accurate and in most cases, you can usually get away with setting and clamping the vice at an angle on the milling table and clocking up your required angle using and angle block (or other device) fixed in the vice jaws. No doubt other forum members will have their own opinions on the matter.

Cheers, Norman.

 

[cfellows]

Hi Richard,

Over the years, I have bought 2 milling vices (around 6 inch width) with swivel bases and in both cases, I have removed them and NEVER used the bases. I fix my vices directly to the milling table for extra 'Z' axis height. Apart from that, the graduations are not terribly accurate and in most cases, you can usually get away with setting and clamping the vice at an angle on the milling table and clocking up your required angle using and angle block (or other device) fixed in the vice jaws. No doubt other forum members will have their own opinions on the matter.

Cheers, Norman.

I agree with Norman. Adding the swivel base takes up valuable Z axis height and it lessens the rigidity of the whole assembly. The few times I've needed to have the vise at an angle, I was able to clamp it up that way. Tis far better to fix a bar across the bottom of the vice to fit in the t-nut slots and line up the vise precisely parallel with the x-axis travel so you don't have to realign it every time you remove the vise and put it back.

Chuck

 

[aarggh]

Not happy with just a swivel vise while I was waiting on the shipment of my mill, I went one further and bought an expensive tilting swiveling vise! Cool I thought, expensive but a great vise! Untill I went to use it. Wish I hadn't. I've had no use at all from it, and it's been sulking in the corner for a year or so now. As others have pointed out, don't buy one. If you want a swivel action, buy a rotary table as you'll get heaps and heaps of use out of that, and if you want a tilt action, use a sine bar.

cheers, Ian

 

[tarawa]

I acquired a Bridgeport a few years ago and the 6" Bridgeport vise that came with it was mounted to an aftermarket swivel base. The base has a centering post and the vise was attached using t-nuts. Worked great, but raises the vise quite a bit. The swivel base was probably a flea market find, since ther is a magic marker price of $59.00 on it!

 

[schilpr]

Agreed with all earlier posters.

I have a vice with swivel and angle attachment and took them both of after trying to line them up straight and needing more z-axis space.

 

[richard.nott]

looks like i'm going to forgo the pleasure of a swivel base and save my money for a rotary index table when the time comes.
thanks for the help

 

[user 284]

Richard,
I hope you understand my thoughts, and it's certainly not being critical of yourself. Your question is pretty well impossible to answer correctly with the information given. What are YOU going to use the vice for. To use one for maybe building something like a roll cage on a race car for example, then having a way to easily pivot a mill vice to various angles might be very important. To probably most others here, it won't be. I will guess you aren't building roll cages or anything like them. But unless you do say what your doing or wanting to use it for, then you won't get the accurate answers your looking for.

A 6" vice normally means the capacity it will accept between the jaws once opened to it's maximum. Most vises sold in North America today are a copy of the Kurt vice and it's jaw design. The jaw width and opening are normally both 6".

Your vice, and it's built in accuracy are just as important as the tram on your mill. An inaccurate vise will replicate all of it's problems on every single part you machine with it unless you do or can compensate for those problems.

 

[rodw]

Richard, sounds like you have a project to do when you get your rotary table!

 

[aarggh]

I don't think anyone could ever regret getting a rotary table Richard. They're just so damn handy, and unlike tilting/swivelling vises, really trivial to setup and centre!

cheers, Ian

 

[richard.nott]

a little about myself why i'm seemingly asking a lot of beginner questions because that's what I am. I am a retiree who draws who draws retirement checks from the US Navy as and electrician, Goodyear as a journeyman fluid power mechanic and now medicare. since I've retired I've been teaching industrial maintenance at a local trade school when I found out I was able to take evening classes and pay for materials only. I decided that i'd been around machine shops most of my life and understood what was going on but didn't know how to do it. this is where i'm at this time doing the projects in class and obtaining machines as I go plus joining forums and downloading information for future use. as for my machines I have a 1964 13x40 southbend that was setting for 20 years before I got it, no more setting. this past winter I purchased this pile rust that had a locked up die filer under it, got it running but no name plate I should ask how to post pictures and maybe someone can tell me the brand. two weeks ago I obtained a 1966 Bridgeport mill that will need some help when I get it off the trailer and into the shop, it got left out side without a tarp. it's covered up now and should be ready to go this fall?? other than this I want to thank everyone for their help especially when I post more inquiries. Richard

 

[rodw]

Richard, for photos, set up an account at photobucket.com. It's free!

Create separate libraries for each project and upload your photos to it. Then, for a given photo, click on the image link and it will copy the text onto your clipboard. Then just paste the text that should start with into the thread you are typing. It think now the photobucket link also includes a [URL] tag as well.

I always down sample my photos before uploading to about 800x600 so they upload quickly. I used to use the free Irfanview to do this as it has a batch mode but now Adobe Lightroom. I put my photos in a project folder on my PC and make a folder called LoRes in it. Then I put the down sampled photos in it before uploading the lot tot Photobucket.

I am sure there will be a tutorial on how to do this in more detail somewhere on this forum.

 

[GWRdriver]

I'll throw in my vote too . . . I pulled the swivel base off and have never needed to use it in 30 years.

 

[Nightshift]

If you need more convincing Richard, I have a 48" Series 1 Bridgeport mill with a 6" and 8" mill vices, both with swivel bases. I don't recall moving either vice off it's 0 degree setting more than once or twice in years. And for that matter, I have rarely even put the 8" vice on the mill ... it's too big and heavy and will (very) easily make your fingernails go black (don't ask me how I know this).

The very odd time when I do need to swivel the vice, I can quickly and easily re-set the tram with a Pro-Tram tool I bought. Takes all of 2 minutes and your back in tram. If you do decide to add the vice swivel, I'd recommend you either buy or make one of these. They are awesome for tramming the head to the table too. Cheers, Bill

 

[hilij]

I agree with all the others I have had a swivel vice for the last sixteen years and I have never used it. Without out it you have more height and less weight to lift!!! I am in stationary engine collecting.