Good Use for an HF Vise

I've got a little HF Vise and to be honest except for spring tension engraving I've found it to be pretty much useless. A couple weeks ago I found a use for it on my CNC mill. I bolted it down with a piece of .125 aluminum sheet under one edge and milled the flange of the vise nice and straight. Then I set it down and squared the table to that edge and milled the top of the flange flat. This forms a beautiful sharp 85 degree angle approximately about .250 above the surface of the table. Now when I want to make a mold I just butt the stock plate up against that and use a piece of aluminum angle with a piece of sheet under it as a leverage pressure clamp on the other edge of the piece of plate. Wow. The two working together seem to actually draw the work piece down against the surface of the table. It used to be when I surfaced a piece of stock I might have to take off .006 to as much as .009 before I could start working. I was always wondering that the mill stock was that irregular. The last half dozen pieces have taken less than .005 consistently and many could have gotten by with .003 or less to make them flat. I guess the stock rolling out of the mill was better than I thought.

So, to be quite frank, not only is an HF mill drill vise good for a door stop, with a few minor modifications it makes an exemplary one. LOL.

Reply to
Bob La Londe
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Anyone with a boat would instantly find a great use for an HF vise.

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Reply to
Ignoramus8473

No, they aren't heavy enough for that...

Reply to
cavelamb

Big stable boat on which doorstops are viable.

Reply to
J. Clarke

They would work on my boat, a 16' aluminum Lund. But for less, you can just buy regular anchors. I have scored two very nice vices at yard sales recently one for ten and one for fifteen. A four and a five incher. I WOULD use HF vises for anchors, but I don't want their quality rubbing off on anything on my boat. ;-)

Steve

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Reply to
Steve B

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