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Wilton Drill Press Vise Minimum Lift Mod
While the Kurt vise is awesome it is kinda big for the mini mill. The Wilton drill press vise on the other hand is just the right size for the mini mill. Problem is jaw lift. Not any more! While this does not remove all of the lift it reduces it to .001" or so. Not good enough for all milling but good enough for most. When I need perfect I use a machinist vise.
The fix is simple. Remove the "shoe" on the bottom of the moveable jaw and replace it with a monster sized one.
I have done this on two Wiltons and the results have been very good. Not as good as a Kurt but better than stock by a lot. I use blue locktite on the bolts holding the shoe in place and just get them tight enough that I have some resistance. Makes the lead screw a bit harder to turn but not too much. You can always touch up the setting as everything wears in.
Cheers, JR
2 Attachment(s)
Mini Lathe Tail Stock Clamp Upgrade
Paul, I was amazed when I tried my new clamp on the tail stock as you mentioned. The new one is twice as thick,twice as long, a little wider and rough finished, I also drilled clearance holes for access to the tail stock adjustment screws. The alignment is instant and the clamping is quite strong. One added benefit is easier alignment when placing the tail stock on the lathe bed. Before that square clamp would always rotate and would not fit properly without rotating it a couple of times.
Thanks for the great idea. If anyone wants to do this mod be aware that the mounting hole and clearance holes for the adjustment screws are not centered on the mini lathe tail stock. They are offset a bit but easy enough to get the hole right on with a few measurements of the lathe bed and tail stock itself.
Cheers, JR