Thread: Engineering Vices nearly completed at school

I had to word the title carefuly as the wags among you would have had far too much fun with it.
Any the cherubs have fabricated their vice components for the most part.I have linked a quality assurance and quality control unit with the fabrication and assembly steps so the terms have real meaning.

The engagement is there as I now have to kick em outa the shed to stop for lunch rather than watch for them sneaking out early.

A couple of units -as usual- have found out you don't rush the last portion-the welding- and stuffed up 25 -30 hrs of fabrication.:

Well thats what they think at the moment-but, I know the mig welds can be tidied up - but I think I'll let them stew over the break. But I did tell them to practice the welds on scrap of the same configuaration and size.

You will notice the tacks, not at the end of the weld bead, but in the middle or corners. They have been told why, but hey! its not sinking in too well. Some more learning, the hard way coming up!

The vice is very similiar to a Dawn fabbed 100mm vice -ours is 120mm and has m/steel jaws instead of of hardened and a spindle of 16mm rolled thread instead of 7/8" x 4 tpi Acme thread.

Dawns costs around $300, ours probably has $50 in it.

Note the drawing has mistakes all through it and thats why I have avoided posting it and the kids were working off the white board.

Grahame

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

I had to word the title carefuly as the wags among you would have had far too much fun with it.

Chicken.


Very cool work.

I know the rolled threads are smoother and harder wearing than conventional cut threads, are there any other advantages particularly in relation to the Acme thread?

I would think that threaded rod was used mainly because of price and ready availability,you also have to either be able to make or source the correct nut.
Maybe a little to advanced for students ( it would in my opinion be a turning exercise suited to a 3rd/4th yr apprentice).

Grahame,
Coming along nicely, just one thing I don't like and I know its not likely to be an issue. The insert into the C channel that carries the spindle, why don't you bring it out of the C channel so it goes the full width across the front? That way the welds wont need to carry all the load.

Stuart(who has a thing about welds carrying loads when they dont have to)

Originally Posted by pipeclay

I would think that threaded rod was used mainly because of price and ready availability,you also have to either be able to make or source the correct nut.
Maybe a little to advanced for students ( it would in my opinion be a turning exercise suited to a 3rd/4th yr apprentice).

Spot on Pipeclay
I had put some thought into cutting an acme thread.

A. It was truly beyond some of the less talented kids

B.It would have made the job lathe itensive-which gave rise to potentially more lathe failures that would cause the project to run over deadlines and have some kids not complete the project.

C.The better kids that want to, can later on source materials for the acme spindle and the hardened jaw.

D.Tooling its a pita now,the new boss sources cheat zhit crap tooling from a chinkenese reseller.He won't buy off the local guy who supported us by bringing out the rep to demonstrate the use of carbide tooling.Now that we buy nothing from him I am embarrassed to ask.

Hi Stustoys,

Even with my guys welding I have no problems with that as the welding is vee prepped.The reason is I am attempting to get as many varied welding joints as I can.
I am always telling the about overwelding as causes more problems than failed welds.
I have to set up the demo for the doubting thomases where I will weld a 25mm fillet and lift a ton weight off the ground.

They will turn the10mm vice tommy bar into a pretzel long before the weld would fail.

I am told was designed so that it would fail .

Grahame

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

The reason is I am attempting to get as many varied welding joints as I can.

Fair enough.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

I am told was designed so that it would fail .

Dawn claim that about the handles on the cast vices. I assume it applies to their built up ones. I'm pretty sure I saw it on the web page somewhere.
Stuart

Looks good Grahame...

Hi Grahame,
You must be a really good teacher and make it interesting enough to have turned these kids around, that they are now willing to work on their job without worrying about the breaks/time, Well done

Just one thing I am wondering with the vice is, why don't the gussets go up to support the jaws? I would have thought it would be a lot stronger and resist any flexing.

Other than that great job and keep up the great work. We need more teachers like you in our schools.
I remember a couple of industrial arts teachers we had in high school that would let a mate and me in the wood work and metal work rooms through lunch times so we could work on our jobs, they would just come out of the staff room every now and then to check on us. It beat sitting around the school grounds doing nothing.

Dave

GC,

Good on ya mate. At least the kids will have something decent to take home.

When I did my training, I made a nice 3" cast iron vice. Got 10 out of 10 for it, and it was later nicked. Was I p.ssed off!

How are the kids going with the pocket scriber project?

Ken

Originally Posted by Dave J

I remember a couple of industrial arts teachers we had in high school that would let a mate and me in the wood work and metal work rooms through lunch times so we could work on our jobs, they would just come out of the staff room every now and then to check on us. It beat sitting around the school grounds doing nothing.

The teacher we had "would let some of his favorite students into the metal work room during lunch times as long has we worked on his jobs". He had a part time business making custom made trailers - to give him his dues he did donate one trailer a year to the annual school fete and it was raffled off to raise money for the school. He was a good teacher but did not stand for anyone that mucked about and they often copped a steel ruler to the back of the legs.

One of those teachers used to cane you if you mucked up to much. He was about 5ft nothing and used to stand on a chair because the young blokes where to tall.
I got 6 with the cane off the deputy on the first day of high school for fighting and the second day for going out of the grounds to buy lunch at the fish and chip shop. Never got it again after that, I guess I wised up to not getting caught. LOL

Dave

ROFL Dave..

Originally Posted by Dave J

guess I wised up to not getting caught. LOL

Took ya a while to wake up to the fact that if ya dont get caught ya cant get into trouble?
gee I learnt that real quick....