Drill Press Vise Handle Mod Idea Help

[jeepinerdeep]

Folks, I've got 2 nice Wilton drill press vises, that have the same limitation. When fastened to the table of my drill press, there is no swing for the handle.

I am looking for any pics or advice of things you may have done.

I am looking to maybe get some help from a machinist friend to turn the fat end of the screw down and weld a hex over it. I use 3/4 and 11/16 wrenches regularly. Get over to more of a mill vise handle style or something similar.

Any hidden gems out there?

 

[tarbellb]

What about welding a socket to fit over the end and keep ratchet near by?

 

[whateg01]

Probably not what you want, but I hate moving the table so I have blocks of hard wood planed to a consistent thickness at the drill press that I stack to raise the vise up or down. My vises all have floppy handles so it's not really necessary but it does let me spin the handle when the vise it raised up

 

[ipgenie]

Looks close enough to the edge to just weld a nut on the end and have clearance for a wrench or ratchet. If you sell the vice someday, the nut can be cut off, handle replaced and returned basically back to stock if desired.

If you don't weld, you could even drill through a deep well socket that fits snug over the end, and bolt it on in place of the little handle then use a ratchet.

 

[PowerWagonBuilder]

Playing on the ideas above, it would be cool if a 3/8" square could be broached into the end of the screw there, then you can just sneak a ratchet in there any time you need it and remove it when you are done.

The Kurt style vises in my shop have either hexes or squares on the end with a hinged flop handle that goes with it that can slide right off.

 

[cvairwerks]

Take that slide handle off and make a new handle with a single step in it. The step should fit the hole for the slide handle. You then would have a handle you can slip into either side of the current screw. Yes, it would only give you 180 degrees of turning without repositioning, but once the jaws are snug, you won't be adding much more than that.

 

[dr_clyde]

Sell those and use the proceeds to buy a Cardinal Speed Vise.

If you really like those, cut the handle off and weld a 3/4" hex on the end and use the handle off a Kurt.

 

[RoninB4]

It seems that you're going to have limited choices that I can think of:

1) Mount vise on a sub plate or risers tall enough to get the swing of the cross handle
2) Alter the lead screw by welding, cutting a hex/square on the end to use a socket/wrench. You'll still be faced with a limited swing of the cross handle and may elect to cut it off.

Seems kinda too bad to alter a rather pristine looking Wilton if you don't have to. Another option would be to not clamp the vise to the table at all. I don't know your application that would require clamping to the table, I can't recall many instances where I felt it important to do that. Instead, I would bolt a single toe clamp to the table to block the vise from rotating if the drill bit grabbed. Lifting the vise off the table is not likely to occur if you're careful at break-through. Lifting out of the vise itself is a greater concern at break-through. For repetitive hole location a second block could be employed that stops/locates the vise in two directions. A small toolmakers clamp could even be set on the vise jaws themselves so that the workpiece would locate in the vise the same every time. By this you clamp the work in the vise where cross handle swing is possible, then slide the vise over until it stops against the blocks. Seems like a lot of trouble to unbolt from the table, re-position the vise, and bolt back down every time you have a new location. Sometimes, if the vise was long enough, I'd just rotate it around until it was dead stopped against the drill press column to prevent rotation. Even a 2x4 against the drill press column can provide an adequate stop against vise rotation. There are other solutions but I don't know your application and this post is already long enough. Ask questions if you want more. Hope this helped someone.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I've got 2 nice Wilton drill press vises, that have the same limitation. When fastened to the table of my drill press, there is no swing for the handle...

They should never be mounted to the drill press table. Instead, use Vise-Grip clamps to secure them when necessary.

But if you just MUST install them, against better judgement, then attach a female 3/8"-square-drive adapter so you can use a 3/8-drive tool to spin it.

 

[cvairwerks]

Seems kinda too bad to alter a rather pristine looking Wilton if you don't have to.

I wouldn't have any heartache over hacking one up. They're only $70 new, not like a new Kurt or Orange....

 

[RoninB4]

I wouldn't have any heartache over hacking one up. They're only $70 new, not like a new Kurt or Orange....

Didn't know the price of new with the outrageous prices for anything with a Wilton label. Maybe hack....err modifying one isn't such a bad option after all. I still don't care for clamping a vise to the table of a DP but that's just me.

 

[cvairwerks]

Didn't know the price of new with the outrageous prices for anything with a Wilton label. Maybe hack....err modifying one isn't such a bad option after all. I still don't care for clamping a vise to the table of a DP but that's just me.

I'll typically clamp one of my vises to the table when I'm doing a large number of identical pieces and need to use stops to locate them. Few a few items, I don't bother.

Price a new Orange lately?

 

[RoninB4]

I'll typically clamp one of my vises to the table when I'm doing a large number of identical pieces and need to use stops to locate them. Few a few items, I don't bother.

-Valid method you're using, I sometimes do that too when location tolerance is +/- .015. When you've been a toolmaker for decades it alters your brain to think differently and that's not always a good thing for me.

Price a new Orange lately?

-Not lately. I'd ask the going rate but that falls under the "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it" category.

Ok you got my curiosity up and I checked.......Ouch.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Unscrew or pull off one of the end balls...

 

[larry_g]

Folks, I've got 2 nice Wilton drill press vises, that have the same limitation. When fastened to the table of my drill press, there is no swing for the handle.

I am looking for any pics or advice of things you may have done.

I am looking to maybe get some help from a machinist friend to turn the fat end of the screw down and weld a hex over it. I use 3/4 and 11/16 wrenches regularly. Get over to more of a mill vise handle style or something similar.

Any hidden gems out there?

If that handle is short enough to spin while centered, like in the picture, then find a pipe that will slip over the round end and file/mill a couple of notches in it to engage the handle shaft. Now you have an extension that you can turn. put a handle on the pipe and your good. If the existing handle will not turn when centered then remove it and press in a roll pin to replace it.

If your feeling lucky then one of these may work, https://www.amazon.com/NXLXQ-Hydrau...ccessories/dp/B0DQ83BFR9?tag=atomicindus08-20

good luck

lg

 

[Ultradog MN]

Maybe look into a Floatlock or a Heinrich?

 

[Jswain]

Remove the current bar that is used as a handle. Grab a socket that fits over the end & drill a hole that you can use to pin(perhaps a roll pin) it to the lead screw.

Now you can use a ratchet, extension, tbar, spinner handle, whatever you want.

No modifications needed to be done to the vise(assuming one of the round balls unscrews), will look nice, and can be reverted.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

I went with the below solution. Machined some hex stock and alignment pin, welded on the end. Can use my saltus wrench I keep around for hold down clamps, spin it with my fingers or put the barbell back in. It was my first machining job, parts came out within .006" of target and .003" of each other, had a good time and got to learn something from a family member.

 

[RoninB4]

It was my first machining job, parts came out within .006" of target and .003" of each other, had a good time and got to learn something from a family member.

-Sounds like a win to me. Congratulations on a successful completion/solution to design/machining your first time. Kinda makes you wonder if more machinery could allow you to do other things doesn't it......(evil laugh)

 

[tarbellb]

Nice solution

Looks like a **** Ellis DP you got there?

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Nice solution

Looks like a **** Ellis DP you got there?

Yes sir, a second hand Ellis I picked up around the holidays. I have some larger pics in my main fab thread.