Drill press vice ???

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I've got a simple 12" floor drill press.  I have the 4" machine vise that came with it.  I've ditched the bolts and use a C-clamp and drill press locking pliers to clamp the vise down.The problem is that it's a PIA to get the vise, work, and table where I want them.  I'm wondering if a cross-slide vise is worth the investment?I have been doing a lot of countersinking in wood lately building shelves, so I just set it up for production which isn't a big deal.  But when I'm whipping something together, it would be nice to have easier adjustment.What do you guys use?
Reply:I've got a "quick release" I've had for years. I think one of my sons got it for me. If you look you'll see I milled a shoulder on the jaws to hold flat stock even. Attached Images
Reply:The vise never being in the right spot is just something you learn to live with.  Unless you are willing to spend $$$ for an X Y table, you eventually learn to clamp the piece in the vise, move the vise where you need it, and clamp the vise in place.On the old Cast Iron machines, you could blot a vise in place on the table, and locate it by moving the table arm and rotating the table, but that feature was lost with the New & Improved machines.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:80% of the time I don't clamp my vise. I just hold it with a gloved hand. It depends on the drill size I am using.
Reply:I rarely use a vise on the drill press & when I do it is usually for drilling metal;  for that I have a tilting drill press vise but for drilling wood I usually keep a sacrificial  rectangular piece of particle board bolted to the table & then use a Tru-Grip linear tool guide as a fence.  This is especially handy for drilling a row of holes at a uniform distance from the edge, as in adjustable shelving.  And of course, you can use it as a skil saw guide;  I use the 24 inch (26 in. actual size) mostly at the drill press & the 50 inch for sawing 4 x 8 sheets of plywood.Like this: Attached Images
Reply:Dang Cutter, you have the high tech stuff. I have to use a piece of square tubing and C clamps.
Reply:IMHO This is the best drill dress vise on the planet.http://www.eaglerockonline.com/WAHLSTROM/M189.htmor thishttp://www.eaglerockonline.com/WAHLSTROM/M189a.htmfor the ultimate vise setup add the 3-TS or 4-TS from herehttp://www.heinrichco.com/gpvise.htmThis can be expensive setup if bought new, the Heinrich vise can be found on Ebay, for the Float-lock you may need to pay full price.
Reply:Originally posted by Paychk IMHO This is the best drill dress vise on the planet.http://www.eaglerockonline.com/WAHLSTROM/M189.htmor thishttp://www.eaglerockonline.com/WAHLSTROM/M189a.htm
Reply:No problem, used one of those way back in junior high shop class.  Took 30 years to find it, but I did.
Reply:Rusted,You've got the right idea.  I started with a machinist's vise and used it once.  I hated it.  For 40 bucks you can buy a cross slide vise and you will never regret it.  I love mine.  It's basically an X, Y table on the cheap.  You can dial everything in spot on!
Reply:ohh just go buy a bridgeport and be done with it.  Ron ShopFloorTalk Millermatic 350P, M-25, M-40 gunsDynasty 300DX, Coolmate 3, Crafter CS-310 TorchTrailblazer 302, 12RC, WC-2430A spoolgunSpectrum 2050Thermal Arc Plasma Welder PS-3000/WC-100B
Reply:Originally posted by Shade Tree Welder ohh just go buy a bridgeport and be done with it.
Reply:I bought a cheap cross-slide vise from Northern Tool.  It was worth what I paid for it (just barely).  The slide mechanism is sloppy, the worm drives are pitiful, etc.  That said, it's been clamped to my drill press since I got it and I don't plan to take it off anytime soon.  It's so nice to clamp the workpiece in the vise and then just dial in where you want the workpiece to be.  It's also great for drilling holes in a straight line; it doesn't matter how the piece is clamped, just lock one axis of movement and dial in the other.whodatIs it really worth getting that worked up over?
Reply:Originally posted by Mike W 80% of the time I don't clamp my vise. I just hold it with a gloved hand. It depends on the drill size I am using.
Reply:I use an old screw type vise, better to use one than risk losing a finger or worse. I have had my glove get caught on the peice I was holding (luckily the glove came off!) It only takes a couple of seconds longer to clamp it down. I only do hobby stuff for myself so I don't need the fancy stuff, would be nice but a lot of it is out of my price range (got kids) they get most of the xtra money, of course some of you know that. By the way this is a pic of my latest project needed a place to put the cooler! hahaha.Why buy when you can build
Reply:Originally Posted by morpheusI do the same as Mike, I have a 6" or so HF x-y cross-slide vise that just sits on the drilling table and I'll slide it to wherever is necessary and just hold it with a gloved hand. But as you well know anything is always possible to happen ... in fact it's happened TWICE ... yep, a big drill bit caught and threw the cross-slide vise onto the floor !  Shop safety is must ... I've been working on the optimal location of one bolt to hold it down so that I can pivot it around somewhat and not have the thing maime me.
Reply:RUSTED,when you drill brass, you need to releive thecutting edge on the drill. the reason, a regulardrill tends to grab when drilling brass. you haveto grind the cutting edge back at an angle ofabout 10 degress, and this will prevent it fromcutting too aggressively. wish i could post a picture of this, as i have some drills in my boxthat i have ground this way. hope you canunderstand what i am trying to say.good luck with your projects.wlbrown
Reply:Originally Posted by wlbrownRUSTED,when you drill brass, you need to releive thecutting edge on the drill. the reason, a regulardrill tends to grab when drilling brass. you haveto grind the cutting edge back at an angle ofabout 10 degress, and this will prevent it fromcutting too aggressively. wish i could post a picture of this, as i have some drills in my boxthat i have ground this way. hope you canunderstand what i am trying to say.good luck with your projects.wlbrown
Reply:If one uses a loose vise or bare object to be drill I recommend the left hand rule.  Always hold the item so that it sticks out to the left.  When it grabs it will swing away from you and hit the drillpress column.  I also use a stop bolt which is just a bolt sticking up on the drill press table on the left side.
Reply:Originally Posted by JimKI don't recommend using just your gloves to hold materials in a drill press as I have had bad results from that. I have a large three phase drill press in my shop and a smaller drill press, I really like a vice that has buttress threads. I wont tell a fellow what to do, but if the material in the drill press gets loose it can cause you some problems.  JimK