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Best arrangement for clamping on drill press?

Trboatworks

Diamond
Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Location
Maryland- USA
Forgive me for the beginners question but....

Now that I have a real drill press in the shop I am looking to purchase a decent vise of some sort and was wondering what the approaches are for getting a flexible setup.

The drill press is the 24" gear head Feeler S600B- a clone of the Arboga.

The press has a T slot square table set on a turret so it rotates plus the arc available by swinging around the column.
I end up needing the table for sheet goods, plus the normal run of heavy bar and plate.

What are the dodges to clamp things down to hit center without having to shift the vise position for every hole?
I thought about a two axis vise of some sort but it doesn't look like they have the balls for heavy drilling?
Just get a decent size drill press vise with the slots and hang a wrench by the machine?

Or maybe to put this another way..
Best drill press vise to buy?

Thanks
 
What are the dodges to clamp things down to hit center without having to shift the vise position for every hole?
I thought about a two axis vise of some sort but it doesn't look like they have the balls for heavy drilling?
.....
Best drill press vise to buy?

Thanks

If it were me...

6" Kurt vise would be mighty handy. Lots of them around at a reasonable price, lots of accessories available.

The 2 axis all-in-one vises are indeed cheap or too lightweight for what you want, IMO. Palmgren (just for instance), decent quality, but not heavy enough for that DP.

Troyke makes two axis tables available in a variety of sizes, has for decades and they're available in the used market at affordable prices. Not something you'd like to lift on and off the drill press, more like put it on and keep it on, add or remove the vise as needed.
 
Forgive me for the beginners question but....

Now that I have a real drill press in the shop I am looking to purchase a decent vise of some sort and was wondering what the approaches are for getting a flexible setup.

The drill press is the 24" gear head Feeler S600B- a clone of the Arboga.

The press has a T slot square table set on a turret so it rotates plus the arc available by swinging around the column.
I end up needing the table for sheet goods, plus the normal run of heavy bar and plate.

What are the dodges to clamp things down to hit center without having to shift the vise position for every hole?
I thought about a two axis vise of some sort but it doesn't look like they have the balls for heavy drilling?
Just get a decent size drill press vise with the slots and hang a wrench by the machine?

Or maybe to put this another way..
Best drill press vise to buy?

Thanks

Lassy Tools-Products-SLIDE-LOX SLIDING X/Y SAFETY VISES
 
Thanks- the first thing I had to drill was a piece of 9/16” chain plate.
I dutifully dragged the mill vise over to drill it then dragged it back over to the mill.
I am looking at the Wilton 8” vise just now.

Wilton 8 Inch Low Profile Drill Press Vise 11748

Honestly “low profile” isn’t floating my boat if I want to drop some V blocks in to drill round stock of any diameter but maybe that does not refer to jaw depth- the Wilton site is crap- no dimensions on the gear..
 
The Wilton is a bit lighter than a Kurt/Kurt style. Approx same jaw height. Taller jaws for the Kurt are widely available, prob more so than the Wilton, but I see the attraction of a lighter vise if it's going to be off and on the DP table a lot.

Not much help, am I? :D
 
The Wilton is a bit lighter than a Kurt/Kurt style. Approx same jaw height. Taller jaws for the Kurt are widely available, prob more so than the Wilton, but I see the attraction of a lighter vise if it's going to be off and on the DP table a lot.

Not much help, am I? :D

That 8” Wilton is listed at 50 pounds- probably more than I want to shift lots but I could just put a cart by the drill press and not too bad.

Kurt might be the way to go.
I am not any kind of production shop- just all kinds of oddball few parts projects.
 
On a drill press it’s more important to hold the work down than to keep it from moving side to side. As the drill breaks through the back side it tries to pull the work up and grab. So think hold downs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tom would you take the Heinrich gear over the Wilton vises ?

Comparing them- the Wilton is a clone?

In a heart beat. 1), the Heinrich is cam action which means that its quick to set and once set, the cam action holds it tight. 2) The rails and accurate construction means no sloppiness of the jaws. 3) Replaceable jaws. I frequently make custom jaws for production, steel, aluminum whatever. It is tight enough that if I let is sit for awhile with soluble coolant, the water evaporates and makes the jaw hard to move on the rails. A little bit of oil, coolant or whatever and its back to good as new. For your application with wood, probably a little Johnsons Paste Wax would keep it smooth as silk.

Tom
 
Currently available two-axis vises suck. Anything under $500 is just garbage. You could shop-make a half-assed two-axis vise and it would be superior to what you can buy. I keep trying to get the high school shop where I help out to get rid of theirs, in favor of more professional clamping gear, but they don't want students to have to learn to set up parts, so it's a "convenience".

I do a lot of work on my drill press (a Jet 20") and use a variety of work holding techniques.

1) 2.5 to 3" drill press vise to hold smaller stuff, either loose on the table or with the body of the vise strap-clamped to the DP table. It's pretty quick to loosen a T-bolt clamp nut a half-turn, center the next center pop under the drill by moving the vise, then retighten the clamp nut.

I like cam-action vises very much, and prefer that style when I need a DP vise with 5" or 6" jaws. For the DP specifically, what's even better is the "float" vise already mentioned, with cam-action clamping and a reaction arm to protect against grabbing and spinning the whole thing.

2) Somewhat larger work supported on multiple 123 blocks, strap clamped to the DP table over the blocks.

3) Sheet work clamped on top of a sacrificial 1x wooden board. Again, loosen one or two nuts, reposition the work, retighten the nuts.

For sheet work that doesn't fit on the DP table, you have to get creative. I've drilled holes in the corners of a 30x60" 3/4" steel plate by supporting it mostly off the table using a crane and several pipe stands, with the part over the table supported on 123 blocks and clamped.

4) Improvised drilling fixtures made from 123 blocks, spacers (including adjustable parallels), and occasionally 5C collet blocks, all clamped to the DP table. Usually I set up something like that when I have a modest number of parts to make with fairly tight tolerances on hole positioning.

If it sounds like I get a lot of use of my T-nut/stud/washer/nut clamping kit and 123 blocks at the drill press, it's because I really do.
 
If you have the budget these Kopal clamps are the hot setup for a T slotted table. Mitee Bite has taken the line over. They have replaced strap clamps everywhere we can fit them.
s-l400.jpg

If you have drill press vise you still need to clamp the vise to the table, these are fast and secure.
I have a Heinrich type, not sure if genuine, and don't really care for it, it never seems to clamp tight enough.

I have a couple 3" Eron DP vises, they get used all over the shop including on the bandsaw and on the welding bench, and usually get used on the DP also for very small stuff, other wise material is clamped directly on the DP table.
 
If the table itself rotates and rotates around the column you can put any part of the table under the column, so an X-Y table is unnecessary. Sounds cumbersome, but it's not bad once you've done it a few times.

On my drill press the primary work holder is a 3" drill press vise, loose. (Maybe it's a grinder vise? It has plain flat sides, ground square you the bottom. No obvious clamping points. ) I usually keep a bolt strategically fastened in a t-slot to help stop the vise if it spins.
 
I modified a couple of vise grip clamps to ride in the t slots`for the hold down side of things then a backing bar bolted to the table to stop rotation. trying to use a 2 axis table.. may as well put it in the mill. I do have a large vise on mine that i can slide out of the way but just sits on the table, then i put clamps on that, if its to small of item with to big of hole to just drill. usually just hand hold the vise, lots of items are just drilled free hand up against a backing bar up to about 1/2 hole. of course I have lifted a couple of fingernails too
 
Thanks- the first thing I had to drill was a piece of 9/16” chain plate.
I dutifully dragged the mill vise over to drill it then dragged it back over to the mill.
I am looking at the Wilton 8” vise just now.

Wilton 8 Inch Low Profile Drill Press Vise 11748

Honestly “low profile” isn’t floating my boat if I want to drop some V blocks in to drill round stock of any diameter but maybe that does not refer to jaw depth- the Wilton site is crap- no dimensions on the gear..

Chinese crap.
Buy a Float-lock or similar.
 
Well as it appears you folk have been more than generous with me on this question given how many threads there are for "best drill press vise"..

Well I read a few and got something I didn't understand- most seem to be "floating" the vise on the table and just tossing a single dog on when they go to drill or sufficing with a arm back to column or the like.
With floating the vise the whole problem of finding drill locations fast goes away eh- just push the vise around till on the money..
I wasn't thinking this was a go with a gear head as I was imagining the machine has enough torque to simply lift the vise but.... perhaps not.
I think the Feeler is rated for 1-1/2" in steel.
I get to that large and I will just bolt the work down.

In any case- I have a couple of options in the shop now.
I needed to improve the vise on the mill.

A D40 and D60:

Screen Shot 2021-09-29 at 6.11.08 AM.jpg

The D60 goes on the mill so the D40 with the speed handle for a stopgap on the drill press.
Honestly as nice as a vice as this is it doesn't seem right for drill press work.

I am looking at the Heinrich and Cardinal and I guess I will sell off the D40 in time.

Cardinal vise guys- that damn bed- seems built to drill idiot marks into and gives a nod to the Heinrich for a clear space between the rails.
The Cardinal- I like being able to flop the thing over on its side.

The Cardinal is a goodly bit more expensive than the Heinrich but appears less costly to build.
Odd..


Thanks all
 
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