philip in china Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 (edited) I have a drill press. It has a table which can be swung out of the way and also a base either of which can be used to place work on when drilling. A couple of years ago I bought a drill vice but never got round to unpacking it. I have now decided to fit the vice to the drill press. It seems to be stupid holding work by hand when I have got the correct tool! Question 1. Do I attach the vice to the base or to the table? Question 2. The base and the table each have slots cut to take a vice. These run from front to back. They don't mate up with any holes in the vice. The slots in the vice would allow for left and right movement. What should I do? I had thought about cutting a piece of plate wider than the vice and welding or tapping some studs to it so as to allow the maximium amount of travel (which actually isn't a lot) and then welding studs on the bottom to fit into the slots on the press so as to give back and forward adjustment. I would like to get this done fairly soon as I shall have a course starting in there soon. Edited February 10, 2009 by philip in china typos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasaino Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 personally I would attach it to the platform but it all depends on the work you are doing. Im not going to tell you to start messing with your tools. but I know I would alter the vice before the drill press, and it sounds like you have a theory to run with, so good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 (edited) Can't you turn the vise until the holes line up? The jaws don't have to be parallel with the base or platform. Your vise should be mounted at the level needed for the job you are working on. That would determine where it's mounted. I like to have my vise in a position where the travel of the quill is no more than it needs to be to get the hole drilled, which means the vise may be moved up or down between jobs. Hopefully, you should be able to use your vise without any permanent modification to either tool. If you cannot get holes to line up, make an interface plate that can be used between the surfaces. Use studs for the vise and T-bolts for the platform (and base). Edited February 9, 2009 by djhammerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 A picture may help clarify. You should be able to mount the vice in many different ways to suit the piece you are drilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 seems like I've had a drill press all my life ...right now I have six vises. its not very often that I bolt one down the weight alone works...just be careful when the bit starts break through as the work will catch and start to spin I know this is not the safe way but it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I second what jimbob said, I just leave my vises loose and either hold them still by hand or use visegrips to hold in place, that way you can move them as you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 just be careful when the bit starts break through as the work will catch and start to spin I know this is not the safe way but it works And I used to do it that way too. It is not really fun when the workpiece and vice try beat the hell out of the poor drill press and the operator. And it is funny how the off-switch can become so complicated.:o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
element Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 For your first question, yes holding it with your hands work but i only do this when im drilling a small hole ex 1/8 inch, Say 3/4 inch or more then i use c-clamps or visegrips like tech413 sayd. And thats with a small home shop drill press, If i had an industrial one i would never take chances holding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 You might get away with holding the work by hand for years but all it takes is once to lose a finger or worse. Try explaining THAT to mom and dad! You can use "C" clamps to hold the vise or the work. I do the former when I'm drilling several pieces the same in a run or small pieces and the latter when doing singletons or oversized pieces. Don't teach the students bad and or dangerous habits. The other (than the obvious) benefit of this is YOU end up making safety a habit of your own. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Make a couple of L shaped clamps, the inside length of the base of the L to be the same height as the thickness of the vise base, the other side of the L being long enough to have a slot or hole cut through to enable a nut and bolt to pass through, and use these as clamps to secure the vice to the table. If that makes sense? For smaller items I secure a bar across rear of the table to prevent the workpiece spinning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Anvilfire has two articles on drill-press furniture, including workholding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 don't get wrong here I have all the hold down furniture ..the special nuts that fit in the groove on the underside of the drill table it juist takes more time to set it up than to drill one hole the vise I use weights about 15 lb with a big handle to hols on to ...the important thing is when you feel the bit breaking through is to back off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 I am an idiot. I freely admit it. I will bolt the vice to a piece of plate and use vice grips! I have a similar piece of plate with a piece of angle welded on it to take pipe or round bar. I can just make another the same. Sorry to have troubled anybody and thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
element Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Not asking and getting your hand or someones elses torn apart would of been idiot in my opinion, Were all here to help each other because most of us dont know everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have one that only fits 2 points of attachment I use wing nuts so I can put it on and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Not an idiot thing at all. All of us take shortcuts on occasion, some live by the shortcut though all to often not too long. Anyway, stuff like this is good to bring up now and then, first for those who don't know because they're new or have never heard and then to remind those of us who do this stuff all the time and sometimes become lax. The important thing is we do things as safely as we can. Glad you brought it up. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I used to just hold the pieces in my hand, but after a visit to the emergency room, I now *always* use a mechanical hold-down. For most drilling I position the hole in the drill-press table under the bit, and use a drill-press hold-down made by Vise-Grips that fits in the holes on the table. I also have a couple of the adjustable type vises that allow you to drill at the flat or an angle. I don't remember having any difficulties lining up its mounting holes with openings in the drill-press table. I am not an expert, but using bolts to mount the drill-press-vise to slots and/or holes in the table seems to be what the slots were designed for. While it looks like it might move within the slot while drilling, I have always found that bolting the vise or hold-down into a slot was secure depending on how tight the nuts were. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 OK I did it. I made a couple of L bolts although just one seems enough. It holds one corner and that gives me almost unlimited adjustment but when I cinch her down with a 19mm spanner she is solid. If it saves 1 nasty cut it is well worth it. Whilst digging around in stuff I brought out here in 2007 I also found a bottle of linseed oil so have put a very thin smear on my hammer handles. Fixed the handle on Sean's son's vice and rewedged and redressed a 2.5lb hammer head so am feeling smugly virtuous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MELumpkin Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Philip in China Fix your self some tooling for holding work on your drill table. If you have T-slots then get some bolts that fit. Make some hold down dogs from steel bar stock about 1/2" x 1-1/2" x 4" with 1 hole, to fit your t-bolts, about 1-1/4" from the end. The offset is to apply more force on one end. Now you can use one bolt in the vice hole and position it so you can get a hold down dog somewhere else on the vice base. Use some shim under the long end of the dog to level with the vice base, and tighten. If you cannot get the vice in a position to get the second bolt then use some bar stock and a dog clamp opposit the hold down t-bolt to keep the work from spinning . Never try to hold your work by hand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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