Toolroom Vise V Block

[@danarrington2224]

For all of you young manufacturers out there. This really is how things were machined back in the day. If you needed to drill holes you would dykem the part and layout out the cross hairs on a surface plate using a height gage. Then you would take a center punch and hammer and punch all the hole locations. This type of process was still fairly common well into the 90's. Obviously there are better, faster ways to process a part now BUT there is no better way to learn and appreciate what it takes to be a master craftsman. Great videos Ox!!

[@madebythevise]

It's my first time dealing with a milling machine these days, and it's so much fun. There's so much to learn from watching you work, and I'm motivated!~^^

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

Countersinking the threaded holes is one of those pure gold tips that I would never have thought of in a million years. Likewise the idea of tapping the insides of the vise bolts.

[@StefanGotteswinter]

I like it - Not the biggest fan of the reliefcut on the back, but I like the rest a lot! Thanks Tom!

[@simonp347]

I was thinking exactly the same thing! Why lose rigity where there could be. Might even snap at the bottom of the v if someone got too heavy handed

[@SuperAWaC]

i reckon the relief would be fine for most situations, but for the purposes of lightening a pocket probably would have been superior.

[@thestonethatthebuilderrefu5231]

I was about to make some smart ass comment about haters on KZbin that never even been in a machine shop. Then I noticed the name and thought isn't that the guy I see on this old tony videos all the time?

[@xmachine7003]

I like your work also Stefan. I watched your grinder video for carbide. Well done.

[@donjohnston9554]

Nice nice. I agree with Stefan (cause I want him to put out another vid) 😁. I do have a question though about the releifs. How would you know the MAX relief to put in before you might be worried about distortion? Thx for all ur vids. 👌🇨🇦

[@ccrider5398]

I liked your use of the shop brush held against the blade of the band saw on the angled cut.

[@bcbloc02]

Very cool idea! Workholding is 90% of my machining life it seems.

[@mamoshimamoshian9078]

Oh Brother If I just had a Bandsaw like that :) My saw is a joke and when ever I have to cut something I cry the day before because I know creasy hard its going to get :) I have learned a lot from you over the years and lots of respect. Thank you for sharing and keep it up....

[@freemanfreed1581]

why i ignored this guy for some weeks when finding videos on machining is even strange to me. thanks man ..... may be if you are here on the comment section i need videos on helical gear cutting and curves on rotary table....

[@yosmith1]

even watching you do layout, it reminded me of the simplest techniques that are totally lost on most folks that didn't go through proper pencil and paper drafting or machining.

[@niltonpolydoro1]

Thanks for sharing with us Tom. Very nice project. Congratulations from Brazil.

[@glennstasse5698]

I wouldn’t have guessed there was anything new to add to V blocks. How naive I was! Always a pleasure to watch Tom’s work! ,

[@Trent-tr2nx]

Your mill work is always a joy to watch.

[@patheron7812]

I enjoyed the setups and fixtures. I sure would have liked to see the finishing after heat treating.

[@larrycollar1322]

Sharing your work with us is very much appreciated. Learn something new and useful every time you remove some metal and make something.

[@markfulmer8501]

thanks Tom- i like the idea of drilling and tapping the screws that hold the vise jaws on as well as the rest of the video

[@morey77777]

I'm not a normal commenter, but I want to let you know that I really appreciate all of your knowledge. I am grateful that you are willing to share it, and put in the work to record and put it on KZbin. You are definitely the most knowledgeable machinist on this platform. Thanks again.

[@bid6413]

Thanks Tom. Always fun and educational. Good to see you back

[@hdheuejhzbsnnaj]

I like that little trick with the larger diameter drill on the upper portion of a tapped hole. I've always done it with a chamfer tool, but you end up with a much bigger diameter that way. Cheers, Tom. Always appreciate your videos, and the time it takes to make them!

[@garywills5682]

Every shop i ever worked in i ended up making vee block for a mill vise . Just to keep trhings moving and not wasting time in constant set ups or bluing . My shop teacher in vokie believed in fixtures n jigs. It stuck if i saw we did more then 10 or 12 . I got my head in tooling mode. The more you make them the easier and quicker the tooling came together. Thanks

[@phildcrow]

Thanks, Tom. I always learn from your videos.

[@andymouse]

Im enjoying watching you work...cheers.

[@James-fs4rn]

Thanks for sharing Tom! Always enjoy watching the master at work.

[@larrysmall3521]

The relief in the back would be a good place for Tom to stamp his name and the date before he heat treats it.

[@jomgelborn]

relief there is stupid. It just allows the thing to flex when clamped.

[@geoffkeeler5106]

Agree with the assessment of the smell of Dykem. Another great smell is Hoppes Number 9 gun cleaning solution, highly recommend sniffing!

[@whatdoyouthinktodd]

I love the SMELL of Kroil!

[@chrisstephens6673]

I love smell of bacon frying but i guess that falls outside the workshop parameters. 😆

[@adambohm4367]

Jet a

[@brucewilliams6292]

@@adambohm4367 It smells like victory!

[@brucewilliams6292]

@@adambohm4367 It smells like victory!

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

I like it ( the tapped holes in the jaw cap screws ) Nice job on the vee block , Cheers .

[@howder1951]

Great project Tom, great tapping tips, I thought you had it covered with the first drill, but the second one really needed an explanation (for me anyhow!). Cheers and looking forward to completion and application!

[@mattm7535]

Tom, I like how you always try to show the old/less expensive option along with the new/arm & leg way. Its great to see what the differences are and what features and abilities you add in your designs. Cheers

[@OldtimeIronman]

Always a pleasure to follow your thought process and see it happen in steel. Damn yet another thing I gotta make LOL

[@TheRealFOSFOR]

A fine fixture for sure. Tho the relief cut, as many has said is probably pointless and more of a problem in the future. The back surface is either way being ground flat and it could even be lapped to extreme flatness so it would probably not rock one bit, and the stiffness would be superior.

[@johnbirkholz994]

I'm currently apprenticing in stamping tool and die and work almost exclusively with A2 and D2. Being told that they don't make those nice pretty Abom style chips when drilled is one thing, but seeing you get the same ugly, flaky, stringy chips that I do gives me some hope. Watching your channel has helped me learn leaps and bounds faster than I would have at work alone, thank you for what you do!

[@a.bakker64]

Love the choice of material. Looking forward to the next video.

[@henrikfenneberg6449]

Every video you put up is a treat. 😊

[@larryshaw6517]

I always learn stuff in your videos. Thanks

[@Keith_Ward]

Nice work Tom, love all the ideas.

[@kenwilliams9518]

Tom I watched this and really enjoyed. I think I would call it an "m" block. thanks

[@fabianthorne6831]

Great video Tom,thanks for sharing your good knowledge with us,I really appreciate and respect it,coming from one of your subscriber in Trinidad and Tobago,a Caribbean country.God bless you.

[@z06doc86]

Glad to see you back. Love your work!

[@brianevans1946]

Love the wooden decks on your mill table.. so classy and old school.

[@htral]

Band saw blades are cheaper than end-mills for material removal! -- Cool trick to keep blade from flexing away on angled surface cut.

[@johnbirkholz994]

I saw that ninja brush anti-deflection maneuver as well, it's the little tidbits like that you can never get in a classroom.

[@axa.axa.]

@@johnbirkholz994 that's what the back of my chip brush is for. Don't need a classroom or KZbin, it's common sense

[@benappleyard8391]

If I could tap holes half as fast as that I’d be happy, that takes some serious practice! Nice work as always 👍🏼

[@TomZelickman]

Looks like a great project to do for my personal tools... Can always use another v-block and that's a really nice design. Thanks for sharing!

[@OldIronMachineWorks]

Tom, Great 1st part of the video. But unfortunately I have to pause the video and go to work. Looking forward to the rest 😀

[@isabellaman2545]

Very nice tool Tom. Love the tapped vice jaw fasteners

[@kylezellmann6811]

“Square with the world” is one of my favorite sayings! Make a t-shirt and I’ll buy it. Something like, “I’m a machinist” ; “I’m square with the world” ; 😀

[@unknownapprentice625]

Luv the mini pallet in the saw!!!!

[@deemstyle]

At 31:10 you're using a milky fluid with the drill, but then later when expanding the holes you are using cutting oil. Can you comment on 1) what that fluid is, and maybe more importantly 2) when you choose to use one vs the other? Always love your project videos; thanks for sharing!!

[@kylezellmann6811]

Great video Tom

[@delstone1919]

Thanks Tom, a good useful video again, and a tool/fixture I am sure I will be making for myself.

[@johnbodmer5645]

Really nice tool. Tom. I am going to have to copy it.

[@doloresstone2142]

My husband watched this video and he wanted to know how to get the PDF of this project. Thank you.

[@LambertZero]

Why would you relieve the back surface? It just kinda seems counterintuitive to me. Now you're clamping against thin air, and it's gonna flex a little, probably not by much, but still. Could you comment on that a little? Thanks.

[@zumbazumba1]

Only reason why i guess is to reduce the surface contact you need to make 2 parts fit together.Like stool with 4 legs will rock a bit on most surfaces ,if you have 3 legs it will not rock on anything. Maybe im using wrong terms ,english is not my main language. You could leave a strip in the middle and get the same effect without getting any flex .

[@oxtoolco]

Relief cut on the back prevents any rocking of the plate. The vee block I have been using for this previously has a similar relief cut. You indicate after clamping so any movement is cancelled out. Cheers. Tom

[@LambertZero]

@@oxtoolco Yeah, that's true, I didn't think about it. Thanks for your explanation and your videos. They really taught me a lot.

[@ericjenness2337]

I completely agree, the relief on the back is a terrible idea. It's going to spring. Ox tool said you indicate after tightened the vise, which is true. But... You better tighten the vise to the exact same torque if you load another part.

[@ericjenness2337]

You can also prevent any rocking, by grinding it flat. I thought the vee block was great until, I seen the relief.

[@jamesreed6121]

As always another interesting project. I'm thinking I might do make one for myself. Also I think I'll modify the screws holding the vise jaws as you did there. The ability to add plates to quickly mount project in the vise at 30, 45 and maybe 60 degree angles is pretty awesome. Thanks a bunch. BTW, I look forward to seeing you at Chuck Bomarito's meet and greet this coming Saturday.

[@Cooliemasteroz]

You have some good ideas incorporated into you V blocks and your workmanship is excellent. Now are you ready to make another one because believe it or not there’s room for improvement. Everyone makes their V blocks with 45 degree angles but I make them with 30 degree angles. This way you can hold larger diameters in your vice and under your mill there also will me more room. Also while assembling or disassembling mechanical parts where physical exertion is needed you will find that things are a lot more stable and safe on the work bench due to a lower centre of gravity without making them wider than standard as you have done. I guarantee that if you do this you will be glad that you did.

[@MCEngineeringInc]

Neat block! Great tip to counter-bore the threads.

[@ericrichards5862]

Thanks Tom, Will you make a video the grinding of this tool?

[@wktodd]

Nice, but.. won't the back relief allow the fixture to flex and change the ref position with vice pressure?

[@johns208]

I'm worried that back relief will cause the entire block to crack in two. A2 is pretty tough, but hardened stuff doesn't like being flexed.

[@CatNolara]

That's something I was worried about as well while watching

[@vettepicking]

Yeah doesn't make sense. A flexible vblock?

[@highpwr]

@@johns208 Ummm... And how is this any different than every one of those other hardened v-blocks sitting on the mill table, that are all factory 'relieved' on the bottom of every block as well?

[@johns208]

@@highpwr this relief is quite a lot wider... leverage

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great video hopefully I can get ambitious enough to copy these V blocks.

[@paulhunt598]

Tom, Delightful to watch you work. I need DRO on my mill. I am not smart or skilled enough to keep track of dials, or indicators to keep up with all of the moves work like this project requires. The old eyes don't read scales easily anymore. Again, I enjoy watching you work.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Nice idea Tom.

[@kevinstallard7437]

Excellent video! Thanks Tom.

[@rickhynes1357]

I see a fair amount of comments on the back relief. I'm fine with that . If you're doing a 100 parts and you only want to dial in the 1st you can simply Gauge block the center to minimize deflection. I think Tom was focused on maintaining the timing of the part from one operation to another. Nevertheless another interesting and educational video from a master toolmaker.

[@ydonl]

Seems like a vertical stop of some kind might be handy. Optional attachment. LOVE that bandsaw...

[@ftownroe]

Great video as always Tom but I am trying to find the PDF plan so i can steal your excellent idea.

[@nectouxpierre4634]

Nice work Tom! The carbide endmill work great on this A2. I really love your V jaws for the Kurt! Thanks

[@robertbutler8004]

It is sad to say that watching grass grow is more entertaining than watching this video.

[@InverJaze]

Nice Tom. The thing about what you do is make a superior job of it.

[@michaelrosenlof1084]

Excellent as always-Thanks Tom

[@TheTsunamijuan]

@oxtoolco Man I really appreciate you sharing all your knowledge and techniques with us. I always find it interesting how different people and professionals approach the tasks infront of them. Not to mention the additional knowledge of experience that they bring to the table. You along with some of the other big youtube machining greats, have been a big inspiration to me. After a number of years watching you guys, I am finally in the process of purchasing my first machines.

[@ALSomthin]

Nice tool ! I like the fact it is very adaptable in its use. Dont worry they wont ever change layout dye from its laquer base. I like the spray for large areas also the bandsaw ckampling fixture. Lots of echo in the audio might try hanging up a piece or two of strandboard or thick curtain on chains up towards the ceiling to break that up a bit.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Enjoyed...Nice project. Thanks Tom

[@TonyHammitt]

When you get it done, can you clamp something in it and then run an indicator along the back of the relief to show us what the deflection ends up being? I'm betting it's not going to be a whole lot

[@markwilliamson1582]

Hay Tom, if you now have got 2 of them, you could use the 2 reamed holes for sliding them along some good rod for an extending V Block, and the 3 boults could be used for locking screws, just a thought buddy, Lovely job on them, I like the idea of screwing them in to the vice jaw boults, 👍🏻😉

[@PaulSteMarie]

That back relief as you're filing it around 28:11 looks almost scalloped. What's causing that? Is it just an illusion of the light, or perhaps the end mill is flexing issue moving and or the mill is slightly out of tram? I've had similar issue on parts, but my mill is a tiny little Taig, and I've always just assumed it was a tram or rigidity issue.

[@63256325N]

Nicely done! Thanks for the video.

[@railfan439]

Thanks for the video, Tom. See you at the Bar-Z. Jon

[@billdlv]

Looks good Tom, lots of good ideas there.

[@felixcosty]

Thanks for the video. The two large holes could be used to extend the V block, make another block and two rods and now you have an extra tall V block. You could use the two rods as a rest or for clamp a very odd shaped part. Have a day

[@TabletopMachineShop]

I've often though about using a precision angle block to square up stock. If you had some kind of square-ish stock you could use a precision angle block to reference it vertically, face it, and repeat 2 more times. Thoughts?

[@ianviljoen9036]

...need vblocks to make vblock...darnit. Enjoyed the video, thanks!

[@MaxWattage]

Dang that was some high RPM machine tapping there at the end, and into A2 tool-steel too.

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

Great content. I found lots of nuggets

[@nikond90ful1]

Thanks for the video Tom.

[@kazimierzperek2253]

Good work. 👍

[@johnwallace9002]

When I made mine I put a row of pin holes down the V-groove to hold short pieces in the groove and I made it the same height as the vice jaws.

[@wrstew1272]

Who is the manufacturer of those spiffy tweezers? I definitely need a pair or three! Always wanted to be a machinist, but couldn’t figure out how to get the required five years experience, now I am getting the finer points for study at a comfortable rate. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@robmckennie4203]

i wonder if you couldn't add a couple of pins to those angled jaws to make accurate alignment a snap, tap one down to the vice, tighten, snug the other one and push the pins together, then pull them apart and tigthen

[@johncarey9400]

Great idea! Thanks Tom! Is the PDF available?

[@crossbowhunter9118]

@oxtoolco At video time 18:55 what size cutter Is that? Is it a endmill? Also when u were using that bigger end mill what size is that? What speed were you running that bigger end mill at?

[@PaulSteMarie]

That's a heck of a big piece of A2 you're working with! Where do you buy it at reasonable prices??? As far as the holes go (29:23), won't those help avoid warpage and cracking during heat treat?

[@mog5858]

thanks for sharing keep up the good work.

[@KravchenkoAudioPerth]

I'll be making something like this for sure. Thanks Tom.

[@ЮрийВатолин-я3щ]

Золотые руки. Светлая голова! Храни Вас , Господи!

[@TheWrate]

Great video Tom. I'm curious about why two different drill chucks. It looks like an Albrecht chuck was used to drill and counterbore the mounting holes but for the holes in the body you used a different chuck. Was it because the drill size for the second holes was too large for the first chuck?

[@mrjacob8836]

Those Albrecht chucks are self-tightening when drilling and if you run a larger drill with higher load it can be a real pain to remove by hand.. Learned that one the hard way!

[@christinaedwards5617]

What where is the rest that ended way to fast. Seriously thank you Tom that was amazing as usual. I’ll have to patiently wait for the grinding video

[@jeffanderson1653]

It's August of 2021. Has he made the grinding video?

[@JamesChurchill3]

Hi Tom, nice work. What is the small endmill holder shown at 18:26 on the vice, and used shortly afterwards? It looks like a collet extension, would be handy for my mill as it has no quill and the spindle nose is quite wide which makes it tricky to get down into some tight spots.

[@davidmohr4530]

Really enjoyed the video. Serious noob here, and would like to get the PDF. Please direct me as to how I may get it. Thank you and looking forward to the second half.

[@Engineerd3d]

I love it. Order of operations comes to mind. Thank you for sharing. Also where can I get an ox sticker for my shop?

[@dizzolve]

sweet clever tool Tommy

[@davescreations7793]

Tom can I get a pdf of the v block thanks

[@BorisSpark]

What cutting oil do you use?