Miniature drill press vise

[mklotz]

This is the first time I've commented on something on the site. This is utterly fantastic! I'm stuck with awe at your craftsmanship, even if it is only a 1/8 size awe! (That little pun was my segue

Did you need to use the lathe to turn the t-nuts on the table, and how in the hell did you hold them in place to drill them before you built the vice to hold them with?

Thanks for the kind words, Raven.

The T-slots on the table were made with a 1/8" endmill ground down to form a T-slot cutter of that (max) width. Take some 1/8" square brass, clamp in miniature machine vise, clamp mini-vise in mill vise on standard-size mill-drill, and machine top and sides of brass to form T-nut form. While still a single piece drill and tap 0-80 for hold-down screws. Slice nuts from brass stick and file sawed end slightly to smooth.

The process is almost identical to the way one would make full-size T-nuts, just a lot smaller.

The miniature machine vise is called a "precision toolmaker insert vise" in the Enco catalogue. You can see a picture here...

Enco - Guaranteed Lowest Prices on Machinery, Measuring Tools, Cutting Tools and Shop Supplies

(Third picture down on the page, item number = 328-0104.)