From: none@none.com99   
      
   On 5/26/2025 10:13 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:   
   > "Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:101251f$236uo$1@dont-email.me...   
   >   
   > On 5/26/2025 7:24 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:   
   >> "Snag"  wrote in message news:10106f7$1k4i2$1@dont-email.me...   
   >>   
   >>    Mine's a shop made 2 1/2" made from mystery steel . Realized when I   
   >> was about 75% complete the plans called for aluminum .   
   >   
   > I have an old Columbia or Columbian bench vise that came with a heavy   
   > steel work bench.  The guy who gave it to me long ago showed me some of   
   > the best soft jaws for it was either plywood or MDF cut the width of the   
   > jaws with with a notch cut to fit the square lower of the front jaw.   
   > Drop on and take off in a second.  For parts sensitive to marring, have   
   > one set of MDF drop ins with leather glued inside.   
   >   
   > ------------------------------------   
   >   
   > Cutoffs of oak hold up pretty well as jaw pads or rough parallels for   
   > milling and especially drilling. I tested a piece to 2000 PSI across the   
   > grain with only slight deformation, mostly erasing the saw marks, to   
   > qualify my shed rafter design for metal joist hangers. You may   
   > accumulate scrap aluminum the way I do scrap oak.   
   >   
   > The worst job I give soft jaws is clamping pipe fittings and the threads   
   > of stubborn bolts etc.   
   >   
   > When the neighbor who installed kitchen cabinets cleaned out his work   
   > truck in addition to oak I also acquired countertop scrap which made   
   > good milling vise jaw padding. The dull circular saw blades can be   
   > annealed, cut, worked, and rehardened enough to cut glass before tempering.   
   >   
      
      
   If he has Corian scraps it machines nicely and is pretty tough   
   plastic/resin.  Years ago one of the Ukrainan mold makers started out   
   learning on the CamBam forums.  He started out with drops, cutouts, and   
   off cuts of the Russian version of Corian.  I seem to recall his day job   
   back then was in a cabinet shop.  The exact details are hazy.   
      
   Around here the scraps, off cuts, and cutouts I find are all Marble,   
   quartz, or other stone.  I have a couple pieces I picked up at illegal   
   dump sites that I use for gluing down sand paper to "flatten" rough   
   work.  I prefer not to put sandpaper on my surface plate unless   
   absolutely necessary.   
      
   --   
   Bob La Londe   
   CNC Molds N Stuff   
      
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