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I purchased the Glacern 4" vise for my G0704 in December, it is a very nice vise and I am very happy with it. I would defiantly buy it again. It is a great fit for the machine. I am glad I went with the 4" and not something bigger.
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Based on the helpful feedback I got here a few weeks ago I've got a G0704 headed my way soon (scheduled to arrive in Bellingham on the 6th April from what they tell me. Headed to me in Seattle shortly after that. I hope).
Since a good vise is probably one of the most used tools on the mill, and at the heart of producing good accurate work, I figured I'd try to get something decent.
Poking through the archives, it looks like quite a few people like the Glacern 4" and I notice that some have modified it in order to reclaim some Y travel back by machining off the rear flange casting.
Is this kind of modification typical of what needs to be done to most milling vises on the G0704, or are there perhaps other models to consider that don't require this mod?
Those of you who use the Glacern 4" vise, would you recommend it?
Based on pictures I've seen, a 4" vise seems like the largest that one could reasonably fit on the G0704's table. Do people here using this machine agree with that?
Any vise advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Alistair.
I purchased the Glacern 4" vise for my G0704 in December, it is a very nice vise and I am very happy with it. I would defiantly buy it again. It is a great fit for the machine. I am glad I went with the 4" and not something bigger.
I use a 4" and it is a pretty good fit.
I use the "CNC" style vise so you don't have the flange - no modding required
Mine is like this one. I think I got mine for about $90 bucks...
4" PRECISION CNC MACHINE VISE NEW 10/31/11 | eBay
The tolerances seems reasonable - I haven't had any problems with mine at least.
I know Hoss has used a 5" on his G0704. He has a video of it out there IIRC. I would say that would be about as big as you would want to go.
Good luck,
Doug
There's a few of us running 5" vises on the G0704/BF20 machines. Some running the Shars 5" vise and some running the 5" Glacern. I think most agree that the 5" vises are kind of pushing the limit. They will cost you some Y-travel unless you do what mrcodewiz did. They are usable though. Here's a link to some pictures from another thread that show a 5" Shars on a G0704. I hope he doesn't mind me posting the link.
I guess I will convert my G0704 too
Keep in mind he cut off the back of his vise and mounted it in a manner that prevents the vise from hanging off the back of the table and limiting his Y travel. If he had mounted using the table slots it would hang off the front of the table less, but would then hang off the back of the table some. Regardless, it gives you some idea of what a 5" looks like on there. I'll try to remember to take a picture of mine tonight when I get home. Perhaps someone else will chime in before that though. Ideally, I'd like to have both the 5" vise as well as 4". I wish Glacern made a 4" or 5" premium vise, I'd be all over it.
-Kevin
does it hold the work down on the parallels when tightened?...also very important for me does it have locating key on the bottom?Originally Posted by dugpits
Is there a CNC style vise like that 4" that has slots for hold down bolts similar to the ones on the 6" Glacern CNC vise? I've only seen that feature on the 6" vises, but it seems nice to use a little on-table space as possible.
Alistair: I'm pretty sure that this is the vise that you've used on my G3102 (if it isn't this exact one it is very close):
LittleMachineShop.com - Vise, 4" Precision Milling, Heavy
I never thought about taking off the rear lip, that seems like a nice way to get some Y travel back. I'll probably do that next time I'm having Y issues. It is easier to stomach on a $130 vise than a $260 one.
Shars appears to sell it without the swivel base for around $90:
shars.com - 4x418x114quot Lock Down Precision Milling Machine Vise
I haven't run into many situations where I'd prefer larger than 4". I think I'd rather have two 4" vises than a 5" for holding long work.
Sounds like a 4" will cover most of my bases and the Glacern seems to have a good reputation.
Not the cheapest option but looks to be well made and accurate. I'll have to see if I can justify it.
Thanks for the responses.
Alistair.
Locating key - yes. If I recall I think it may have to be modified to fit the G0704 t-slots. I attached some pics from when I first got mine.
If using it in the Y (like in the picture) direction and you want to use the locating keys, you will have to either lose a little Y on the back, or if you are using the full width it will be hard to reach the front of the part.
As far as holding down on the parallels - it does ... ok. It does far better than some really "cheap" vises that lift terribly. We use some high dollar vises at work, and a lot of times you can still get the parallels out from the part after tightening.
It is a good size for the G0704 class mill. Easy to handle. You could fit two on the table for multiple setups or long parts if needed.
-Doug
I can't see how you could run a standard 4" vice without either cutting away the trough or living with the Y axis travel loss. If you use clamping kit step blocks then you could likely move it forward a good deal but if you moved it far enough forward to keep all your travel you would then not be able to reach the front of the part in the jaws if it was close to the maximum opening size. I live with a little loss in travel but I can reach all 4" of whatever I clamp in the vise. There is also the option to mount the vice lengthwise to the X axis but that comes with it's own limitations.
CNC: Making incorrect parts and breaking stuff, faster and with greater precision.
Sounds like you already decided on the 4", but I'll post these pics for reference. This is a 5" shars vise on my G0704. It does hang off quite a bit in the front as you can see. It hangs off 5.25" in the front and 1.25" in the rear. This is with no modifications and mounted using locating keys. Looking at it in these pics, I'm actually starting to feel like it's a bit too big.
-Kevin
There are hundreds if not thousands of G0704's floating around...Shars and other companys should take notice and start to build useful stuff for these machines IMMHO
Dugpits,
I have the same vise for my 704...works great
I love How there is no flange on the back or sides, of the vise and that I can use it on it's sides as well.
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