# Thin Bed Vise



## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I often need to clamp small parts on my CNC, and have been using my drill press table vise when possible. It is rather tall though, and with the limited Z clearance on my Probotix Meteor not ideal. I've drawn up and cut out parts to make this thin table vise using 1/2" (12mm) and 3/4" (18mm) baltic birch plywood. Seems to work fine other than for slippery vise jaw faces which I'm hoping some 100 grit sandpaper glue to their faces will remedy. 

I've uploaded the .CRV (V-Carve) file I used on vectric's forum if you are interested. Bolt holes are spaced to fit the t-track I've got on the bed of my Meteor. 4.5" center to center. 

Vectric Forum ? View topic - CNC Router Vise Plans

4D


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## Rogerdodge (Apr 24, 2014)

Tidy, that. Thanks for the post.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Where there's a will -- there's a way. Good going 4D.

HJ


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Nice one.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

honesttjohn said:


> Where there's a will -- there's a way. Good going 4D.
> 
> HJ


Thanks John! Yes, my way is the willway: Will it work?, then Yes it will! 
4D


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Clever!

I use sandpaper (but much finer grit) with double-stick tape on many of my home-made vises, it works like a charm and is easily replaceable.

Also, keep in mind that a press is just a vise with a protrusion, so home-made vises can dual-purpose as presses for some installations!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Nice job, 4D. Something similar would be handy on my little drill press.

Can you share a little detail of how you terminated the screw? Did you carve a groove to keep the jaw on the screw? Did you use a T-nut or something where the screw threads through?


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

TenGees said:


> Nice job, 4D. Something similar would be handy on my little drill press.
> 
> Can you share a little detail of how you terminated the screw? Did you carve a groove to keep the jaw on the screw? Did you use a T-nut or something where the screw threads through?


For the moment I simply drilled a 5/16" diameter hole through the back plate and tapped it with a 3/8-16 tap. If/when that fails I have a 3/8-16 t-nut I'll insert in the front side of that back plate. The other end that pushes on the jaw just slips into a shallow 3/8" hole where it presses against a steel 5/16" vertical post I installed. It doesn't pull the jaw back when loosing it, but the jaw is easy to move by hand when not tight against the all-thread. The brass screws from the bottom side hold all the plywood pieces together and keep them from spitting. Brass shouldn't put up any resistance if the CNC hits them by accident. 

I cut a couple of sample joints on my CNC using this vise this morning and other than needing to be better aligned with the CNC X axis it held the parts fine. 

And yes it should work on a drill press or any place else you need a thin vise. 

4D


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks for sharing. This looks like something I should make when I get some spare time. Spare Time ??


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

MEBCWD said:


> Spare Time ??


I always thought spare time was time reserved to go bowling. :wink: Never fond of wearing community shoes I generally put that time into playing in my shop. Something nice about turning random planks of wood into something useful. I got along fine before I had a CNC to play with. Yet I like the CNC for making real the impossible ideas I occasionally have. Old me did a long search for a thin vise I could just buy. New me stared at my old thick drill press vise and the stack of plywood scraps next to it and realized I could make my thin version with help from the very CNC it would be used on.

4D


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