How to Square the Vise

Webster's defines vise as being any of various tools with two jaws for holding work that close usually by a screw, lever, or cam. On a milling machine, the vise is responsible for securely holding an object in place as operator runs a various assortment of milling cutters to drill, cut and gouge. Ensuring an accurate mill requires, first and foremost, the vise to be orientated correctly and level.

Milling machine
Machinist square
Wrench
Dial indicator
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Secure the vise if it is not yet mounted. Attach it to the bed of the machine by resting it in the T-slots and tightening the bolts with a wrench.
- 2
  Loosen the bolts just slightly with a wrench to allow the necessary adjustments to be made.
- 3
  Adjust the orientation of the vise by attaching a dial indicator to the spindle shaft and lowering it so that the indicator touches the bed and registers one half of a revolution. Reset the markings on the indicator to zero.
- 4
  Operating the cross feed, run the indicator across the bed to insure that the spindle is perpendicular to the bed. If the indicator stays at zero, the vise is squared.
- 5
  Keep aware of any readings other than zero, gently tapping the bed with a hammer until the reading is at zero.
- 6
  Recheck the alignment of the vise until the indicator can run over the bed and reads zero throughout.
- 7
  Carefully retighten the bolts, securing the vise to the bed.

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