Need a good X,Y cross axis vise

[toplessHO]

tried my luck with a 6 inch HF one.
I was not prepared for how HORRIBLE the Horrible Fright junk it was.

screw on X axis is bent so the only time its easy to use is the last 2 inches of travel.
the other side has so much slop that it will move 1/4 inch after you have set it.
I wasnt expecting a lot for the price but this thing was a waste of resources.

what is a good one to get without paying a Kings ransom.

 

[Packard V8]

what is a good one to get without paying a Kings ransom.

Good luck with that. Agree, the Chicom units I've tried are such crappage it's infuriating to try to use them.

The problem is, since Atlas/Craftsman/Delta, et al, ceased production, there just don't seem to be any currently available homeowner price-range X/Y table units available. There's the high-dollar industrial units from Palmgren, Fehlmann, Yuasa, et al, and Chicom ****.

Let us know if you find anything.

jack vines

 

[FishingMan]

I put a big palmgren spl? On a big drill press works good.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Ellis sells a big one (for like 20"+ drill presses).... at one time I googled it and found it elsewhere on the internet for cheaper. It is not made by Ellis.... But it will get you started on research

https://www.trick-tools.com/Ellis_D...SK2_5yiK8KSxvWdWXDC6KL9I-JJaFXFEaAqHHEALw_wcB

Or...
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gr...ACmobCBgU_vtwQPNQYloik4-vvcC4AAAaAn6GEALw_wcB

 

[toplessHO]

this is a vise Mohawk Dave not an X,Y table
tho one of those would be nice too

 

[1982fxr]

Wilton sells one that "looks" pretty nice, never seen it in person. I think it's around $200 though.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

this is a vise Mohawk Dave not an X,Y table
tho one of those would be nice too

Yea....you mount your vise to it.... getting a big xy vise all in one??? Big money...

 

[byoungblood]

Ellis sells a big one (for like 20"+ drill presses).... at one time I googled it and found it elsewhere on the internet for cheaper. It is not made by Ellis.... But it will get you started on research

https://www.trick-tools.com/Ellis_D...SK2_5yiK8KSxvWdWXDC6KL9I-JJaFXFEaAqHHEALw_wcB

Or...
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Gr...ACmobCBgU_vtwQPNQYloik4-vvcC4AAAaAn6GEALw_wcB

Any experience with either of those? Been looking to get something like that for my Powermatic 1150 and using standard (ie., fairly inexpensive) drill press vises to hold the work.

 

[Packard V8]

Those two are still Chicom manufacture.

The DP must be a floor model, as the cross slide plus a vise uses up all the height on a bench model.

A table lift becomes mandatory.

Some DP tables will actually sag under the weight of all that hardware.

DP chucks and bearings are not designed to accommodate side thrust. Once one has the cross slide and vise on a DP, definitely do not try to use it as a mill with milling cutter removing stock X/Y. Try a sideways cut and Very Bad Things will happen to you, the workpiece and the cutter.

jack vines

 

[Brandon_oma#692]

Those two are still Chicom manufacture.

The DP must be a floor model, as the cross slide plus a vise uses up all the height on a bench model.

A table lift becomes mandatory.

Some DP tables will actually sag under the weight of all that hardware.

DP chucks and bearings are not designed to accommodate side thrust. Once one has the cross slide and vise on a DP, definitely do not try to use it as a mill with milling cutter removing stock X/Y. Try a sideways cut and Very Bad Things will happen to you, the workpiece and the cutter.

jack vines

Hopping on the OP's thread here as I have been looking at these for some time.

What is a table lift?

I think one of these cross slide tables with a vise on top would be great for drilling a few holes evenly spaced in a straight line. marking and center punching hole locations might just be the way to go instead.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Jack Vines,

Yes, they are chicom.... Trying to find a high quality one has proved to be very difficult unless one is prepared to spend big money.

And you are correct about using on a very heavy drill press. My DP is a Solberga gear head that takes a tractor to move.... Sometimes I forget that not everybody has one of these.

And correct again... Do not mill on a DP. (Yea sure, there's a couple outliers, but for sake of conversation)... The XY table on a DP is mainly for lining up your hole.

 

[toplessHO]

Im doing plunge cuts with a milling bit.
yes to the table models being too small.

 

[shawhite]

But wouldn’t the table have to be trammed every time you lower or raise it. You would probably get better results just center punching and drilling.

 

[Packard V8]

I think one of these cross slide tables with a vise on top would be great for drilling a few holes evenly spaced in a straight line. marking and center punching hole locations might just be the way to go instead.

But wouldn’t the table have to be trammed every time you lower or raise it. You would probably get better results just center punching and drilling.

For true. Since most round column DPs and mills have no positive head location, each time the head or table is cranked up or down, it must be re-trammed to confirm the X/Y is parallel/perpendicular.

Im doing plunge cuts with a milling bit.

Yes, that's essentially drilling a hole using a mill cutter. As long as the force is vertically in line with the chuck and spindle, it's a DP. Sooner or later, most everyone thinks, "I need this sideways stock removal; I'll feed it really slow/careful/easy and the sideways cut should be OK just this one time."

jack vines

 

[tool_scrounge]

Im doing plunge cuts with a milling bit.
yes to the table models being too small.

Can you describe specifically what you are doing? I only ask as when I have used a mill bits in large lathe tailstocks it can vibrate and act like it has large side loads. Drills self center and do not have that issue.

 

[Joebass]

First off, as a machine shop fab owner, why do you want one? They likely are all the same imports, not sure about Palmgren. Second, if you're planning on milling with a drill press, don't. Unless you want the cutter spit out in your lap. Drill press spindles arent made for a side load, and morse taper is weak in that department anyways, especially with no draw bar. Third, it'd be alot more accurate to layout your hole pattern with a good Starett combination square, or even an import height gage.

 

[B.S.A. (ret.)]

I agree with shawhite and Joebass. A good layout with Dykem, scribed lines and centerpunching hole locations seem to me to be less of a hassle than tramming the vise every time you move the table.

 

[seber]

MSC sells a lot of variations pretty cheap. They all work well. You will wan to add your own vise.

 

[Maui]

OP, just to clarify is this what you are looking for?

Maui

 

[toplessHO]

somehow I suffered thru this...
I would be going good and the work would just jump a 1/4 inch from the slop in the vise.
I had some steel and some aluminum to do.
the aluminum was elongating a caliper mounting hole and the metal bracket need a notch cut on the ends.The coupons left show that I was spot on with my 1.5MM offset cut.
the Cheap AZZ Horrible Fright vise is boxed up and going back.
Advise to anyone is just say no.

 

[seanb02]

I purchased this one recently. Seems to be working well so far for what I do. I'm not doing any milling, it is just a vice for the drill press to get the piece of steel centered to drill an accurate hole. Feels good with minimal slop. Interestingly enough the price has gone up $20 since I purchased a couple weeks back. It's certainly not high end, but seems slightly better than the lower end under $100 ones are.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015NI2FC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[toplessHO]

paint it blue and it would look just like the Harbor Fright one.
Perhaps Capris attention to details is what sets it apart. But its almost $100 more.

 

[Legion Prime]

I purchased this one recently. Seems to be working well so far for what I do. I'm not doing any milling, it is just a vice for the drill press to get the piece of steel centered to drill an accurate hole. Feels good with minimal slop. Interestingly enough the price has gone up $20 since I purchased a couple weeks back. It's certainly not high end, but seems slightly better than the lower end under $100 ones are.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015NI2FC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That one looks identical aside from color, to the Grizzly one I was looking at. I was going to buy the Wilton 4" but after finding they're made in china I'm not paying Wilton prices for chinesium. The Grizzly was recommended to me, anyone else finding anything better without going deep into 3 figures?