MetalworkingFun Forum

Mounted this little vice to a piece of plate that I can hold in the saw vice.
Works great now for cutting small pieces with the blade right against the jaws.

Nice idea, how is it fastened to the plate? Screws up into it from the bottom? How square is it to the blade?

Drilled and tapped the bottom of the vice for 4 1/4 inch bolts. Its as square as you set the bandsaw vice. Im assuming the top of the bandsaw vice jaws are parallel to the base (probably a poor assumption) but close enough for the depth of cut you'd be making.

Nice job all around Ken! My press looks very similar to yours.

Sorry for not being around this past weekend. First weekend off of the new year and it is feeling great!.........not too mention much needed, the move was a killer!!

Hired another full timer so if all goes as planned I won't be working any more weekends this year!!


That's the plan anyways..........


The Cnc Room is filling up! My son Andrew (25) on the right running the Haas VF-2SS, and my daughter Danielle (23) running the Haas VF-0 on the left.

Whom ever has the longest cycle time also runs the Okuma (foreground on the left) but I hope to now get in more work for that machine to consider another hire perhaps later this year.




Best Regards,
Russ

Greg,

I realize this is a little late for this advice, but perhaps it can save others the frustration of trying to cut small stock in the bandsaw.

Your vise fixture plate is a great idea though, well done!


What we do when cutting small diameter stock in the bandsaw, (whether it be rounds, or flats) is to place a flat (perhaps a .500" x 2" ) on its side against the solid jaw, then put the stock to be cut against that. Pull the flat bar against the saw blade, lift your saw to pull out your small stock just high enough to do so and your flat bar will always stay against the saw blade.

Clamp the stock and cutoff. The small stock is now fully supported right up to the sawblade.

No more bent stock from hanging out past the jaws and the saw blade grabbing it!

Plus, you can saw right through it now lickety split!

We use this method for stock as small as .125" dia. stainless rod and it works great.

Best Regards,
Russ

This was more for cutting short stock Russ. Had a scrap of brass about an inch square and needed it 1/2 thick, it could be done using your method but you need two pieces of flat for jaws and a spacer at the far end to keep the jaws square. This pops in and out in seconds and seams safer for the tiny stuff.

Ahhh......gotcha! Makes perfect sense! And again.....great idea with your fixture plate and vise.

We have the luxury of having an older combo horizontal/vertical bandsaw that we just keep set up in the vertical position. I made a steel table for it and we just clamp a piece of stock to it to serve as a fence for cutting stuff like you describe.

Best Regards,
Russ

My old 4 x 6 has been delegated to that service as well. I just don't have the patience to push on a 1x1 block of brass as it wears through with a dull blade. Would at some point like to turn the guides to line up with the wheel (like a normal bandsaw) and get more throat depth.

A lot going on to day
Ken, how is the broach held?
And 111 inches of snow that's Nelson, - Lord Horatio Nelson.

DaveH

Dave, you should visit our upper peninsula here in Michigan. I just checked the annual snowfall for Houghton and it's at 228" inches for the year with 46" currently on the ground. The all time record was 390" in 1978.

The area where our cabin is located is at a measly 100", but the main East West highway along the shore (80 miles) has been closed a number of times because it's been snowing faster than they can clear it. We were planning to go up later this month, but we may not be able to get to the cabin. We have family up there to check it out, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Tom