Small sine vise-recommendations?

If you can't independantly qualify it, how can you trust it?

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

I don't know about the sine vises but the $25 set of 10 pairs parallels I bought recently is not only matched but *accurate* to one vernier division on a 0.0001" mike.

The toolmaker's vise I got from Shars was within the flatness and squareness spec as best as I could tell with a surface plate, tenths indicator and precision square. Their sine vise looks very much like the vise I purchased.

To the extent that you can trust the people making the claim, you can trust their claim. That's a deliberately qualified statement.

The problem is Chinese quality can be all over the board. Now if you can measure (qualify it ) and the supplier is good about taking back what doesn't meet their advertised specs you might be able to inspect your way to a good one.

Are you using this for grinding applications or milling?

What kind of tolerances are you working to?

Wes

On Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:50:55 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Ned Simmons quickly quoth:

I picked up this one:

I believe the two tenths figures are specs from the mill which is actually making these beasties. The vise, laid on its side, sticks to the flat surface of my table saw, so I'm sure they're VERY flat, even at that (then $30) price.

-- Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ---- --Unknown

I picked up a new Chinese one on eBay for less than half the price of the ones that HF was selling 5 or 7 years ago. Looks good (no play, closes with no visible gaps etc), though I've not attempted to verify the accuracy yet. Can hardly buy a drill press vise at Home Depot for that. Would it matter much to you if it was 0.0005" rather than

0.0002"? Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Thanks for all the input guys, I don't have a tenths mic that measures in the range I'd need to properly check one, but it's encouraging the ones that were checked seemed to be in tolerance.

I'm comparing the two here for example (bottom of page):

*LTIP I just for the life of me can't see how the import can be only 20% the cost of the "name brand". I think the import would be adequate for the type of mill work I do (have to hold +/- a couple thou.) but I don't want to run into problems if I need to do something "real" close.

Think I'll look around for a gently used or surplus "domestic" unit as I just can't justify the big $$$ for something that I'll use occasionally. Failing that I guess I'll (reluctantly) go the import route...

Terry There will come a day when you'll curse the unnecessary vees cut into the solid and movable jaws of most commercially available vises. Ditto the huge undercut at the bottom of the solid jaw. You will also be fooled by the screw at an angle someday. Just when you have spent considerable time lining up a part in the vise you find that although the screw is tight it is has not really tightened on your part. You have absolutely no feel for how tight your part is being held. Gene

Terry Keeley wrote:

I ended up trading a buddy for his Atco 3", he wanted a new import vise so I said "OK" and picked him up the 4" "Groz" at Busy Bee (Canadian for Grizzly).

It says "Atco Pecision Tool Inc, Troy, MI" model 8V5-37, I can't find a company website and Thomas Register comes up empty, anybody know if they're still around?

Did/do they make good stuff?

or

This might be what you want. Roger

Thanks, the direct link is dead and although there's lots of listings for the Co. there's nothing on Thomas. Might have to try to call them Monday...

I checked this phone number and it got their answering machine, as it was Sunday. work+1 248 3622826

They are still in business. I bought two rotary grinding fixtures from them recently. The company was originally founded by a couple of guys that were working for Suburban Tool.

Thanks, sounds like I got sumpin good!