Drill vise questions and thoughts on vise

[Mustang67ford]

I have been doing some research as I have been trying to find a vise for my drill press. My press is an older Rockwell press like the one in this picture:

http://leeharps.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/36-Old-Drill-Press.jpg

The vise I purchase is this craftsman model #24083 as shown in this link:

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00924083000-1

The vise seemed pretty sturdy plus it allows drilling at an angel. Seemed like a good price at the $40 price range.

Now for my questions if anybody can help:

1. What do you think of the vise, good?
2. I am trying to figure out how to mount the vise. If you look at the press table, you will see the slots are the same as the vise; straight and long. When I mount the vise, do I line up the slots so the vise slots and table slots are parallel? Or, do I mount the vise so the slots are horizontal and vertical? I am thinking horizontal / vertical would give better flaxabity.
3. My last question, is where do I ge the t-nuts to use for mouting, sears does not carry any. My plan is to use the t-nuts with a hex bolt and keep a wrench at the press to loosen the bolts. Is this what you guys do or is there an easier method?

Any other advise would be helpful as well.

Thanks

 

[Outlawmws]

Your first pic is "Forbidden" so no clue what table you have. If your table is not a rotary table, bolting down the vise will not be too productive, as you need to be able to move the vise and the part in it to where the potential hole is lined up with the drill.

You need to be able to move the vise and quickly clamp it, so a pair or two of the vise Grip DP table clamps are probably a better bet.

 

[Davefr]

Ask yourself if you're really going to be doing angle drilling. If not I'd get a fixed drill press vise because you'll always know it's perpendicular to the spindle.

 

[A_Pmech]

A vise of the type Dave FR posted is the most versatile for most drill press work. It can be used on it's base, on end, on it's side, and upside-down for sawing round stock on a vertical bandsaw.

When it is necessary to drill an angled hole, tilt the table. Most all homeowner and maintenance drill presses have a tilting table. While not very rigid, they can be useful in such circumstances.

 

[Dustin Echoes]

If you're not doing a whole lot of angle drilling, consider a drill press vise with X-Y axis. It saves a lot of unbolting and moving your vise around.

 

[Mustang67ford]

Sorry for the bad link. Here is a link to a pic of a drill press that looks like mine. Mine looks a little bit.

http://www.semiww.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11274

I don't foresee drilling many holes at angles, but I thought is was a very good feature if I ever needed to use it.

I would like a x-y axis vise, but nobody around me had any for sell besides HF and they were expensive junk. I couldn't imagine what a quality vise would cost.

As for mounting, when I set the vise on the table, the slots don't line up in either direction. In order to line up, I have to have the vise rotated at an angle, almost 45-degree. Will be able to put 1 bolt in each table slot and appears it would have sufficient adjustment. I don't think it would take much to align the vise, just loosen each bolt a half turn, tweak the vise, and tighten. I could be wrong though.

Also, unerring my table, there is a channel below the slots which looks like a bolt would lock in place. However, I am thinking that's not the purpose, and if torquing the bolt, the nut may try to rotate and crack the table as it looks to be cast.

Please keep the opinions coming, thanks.

 

[Mustang67ford]

Ended up getting the vise that will angle. As for mounting, I took one of those long allthread nuts, cut in half, drilled and tapped. Works great fits right in the groove of the drill press top. Because of the hex shape, allows it to tighter in the grove.

 

[dumper]

I have that exact CMan angle vise- it came with the drill press I bought on cl. It has a pin on the side to lock the vise at 90 degrees, so no need to worry about any movement from horizontal. The vise works fine. If I had no vise and had to buy one, I would get the standard non-adjustable vise as in Davefr's post. I have yet to angle drill anything...at least intentionally!