Is having a wobbly bottom normal? Drill Vice...

[Dangle_kt]

Hopefully that title got your attention...

Well I bought a low profile drill vice for use on my Novamill (due to low Z travel) as it seemed one of the more compact machine vices without the very high price tag.

It arrived, and is meant to have a milled and ground base, but when I put it on my table, or any table for that matter it rocks from side to side as pressure is applied to different bits of the vice.

I can push one corner and it rocks that way, then press the other corner and it rocks that way - its not massive, maybe a few mm - but it makes it nearly useless.

Is that a normal feature of these types of vices?

I ask as I complained and the supplier contacted the manufacture (I wont name at the moment, but not a small name) and then sent me one direct - but when it arrived it too rocks (though not as much)

So the question, is it normal to have a wobbly bottom?

Thanks

[komatias]

Send them both back. The bottom of the vice must be flat. In some cases precision vices are hand scraped to acheive this.

Is the bottom is wobbly, I would hate to think what the surface between the jaws is like.

You sure you didn't buy a drill press vice?

[magicniner]

Even my drill press vices are nice and flat underneath, send 'em back!
A good milling vice is definitely one of those bits of equipment where the money is well spent and a less than good one will consistently affect work unless it's shortcomings are precisely identified and compensated for,

- Nick

[Dangle_kt]

Interesting - thanks guys I will call them.

Ref the vice, the reason I dont want to drop 500+ on one is I have such little Z height I wont be using for most jobs, as I plan on using alu fixture plates for most of the stuff (as I will be doing very small batches) so it sucks to drop so much on something that is there just for the odd adhoc job.

Yes its a drill press vice - wasn't aware that made a difference? Just wanted something low profile for a decent ££ - imagined it would at least have a flat bottom

[komatias]

Interesting - thanks guys I will call them.

Ref the vice, the reason I dont want to drop 500+ on one is I have such little Z height I wont be using for most jobs, as I plan on using alu fixture plates for most of the stuff (as I will be doing very small batches) so it sucks to drop so much on something that is there just for the odd adhoc job.

Yes its a drill press vice - wasn't aware that made a difference? Just wanted something low profile for a decent ££ - imagined it would at least have a flat bottom

I seem to remember one of the home machining books by the likes of Harold Hall or similar had a way of fixing the drillpress vises for light milling.

As with most drill press related items they are only meant to take forces in one direction. have a look at low profile milling vices on googles. You do not need to go to the expense of 500.

[Dangle_kt]

Thanks Komatias, I didn't know that... so the X and Y motion of the mill wont agree with the drill press vice? Thats interesting.

So much to learn :D

[cropwell]

As you have a low Z clearance, you might consider a two part milling vice. Arc do one but it is probably too big. Chronos also have the Vertex ones, which are smaller.

[njhussey]

Someone on here (routercnc I think) linked to a low profile vise that they use...the likes of rdgtools, arceurotrade etc. all stock them I believe...

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

[Dangle_kt]

little video I made of the issue as it explains it better than I can

https://youtu.be/iIlEiHpCyX0

[Neale]

Could, I suppose, bolt it down inverted to parallels on the router bed, using the vice jaws machined surface on the parallels. Then skim the bottom. Pound to a penny, though, that the casting warped after machining and both bottom and "vice jaw face" are similarly distorted.