The present invention relates to a extremely sturdy and versatile machinist's sine vise adapted to provide a strong, quick adjusting clamp with enhanced directional stability that is capable of allowing the user to achieve extremely narrow dimensional and angular tolerances on clamped work pieces. More particularly, to a robust sine vise designed to provide for a “chatter free” machining environment.
The level of accuracy and dimensional tolerance that can be achieved in the machining of a held workpiece by a rotating cutter is affected by several factors besides the capability of the machinist. Primarily these are: how tightly the workpiece can be held (clamping force) in the vise in all three dimensions; how much movement any vise component has relative to the other vise components (backlash); and how much movement the vise undergoes relative to the cutting tool's table when a cutting load is applied (chatter).
Traditionally vises have utilized a central screw housed in the vise body which is rotated to advance a linear jaw towards the vise body to clamp the workpiece. This does not transmit equal clamping force along the axial axis of the jaw, therein allowing side to side movement of the clamped workpiece. When the workpiece is not located completely at the bottom of the jaw, this screw design allows for a slight vertical tipping of the workpiece when the jaw is tightened. Movement of the jaw is slow, as it is dictated by the thread pitch of the central screw. Traditional vises have smooth faces on their jaw and the mating face on the vise body which makes clamping of cylindrical workpieces parallel to the axial axis of the vise difficult. Since the forces the rotating cutter transmits to the vise are substantial, the vise jaw must be stout thereby reducing the jaw opening. After setting a traditional sine vise body at a precise angle relative to the cutting tool table, the act of tightening the angle adjustment screws draws the jaw and vise body on a slight angle normal to the set angle. Traditional hinges between the vise body and base have axial backlash with respect to the hinge. If it does have a V cut depression along the axial axis of the jaw to hold cylindrical work pieces, non cylindrical work pieces may be damaged when clamped. Moreover, all of the aforementioned sources of movement in traditional sine vises act in unison to allow chatter, increase dimensional tolerances and decrease overall precision in the machining of work pieces.
Simply stated, the present sine vise overcomes all of the stated deficiencies of the traditional prior art through the use of the following features: a sawtooth ratchet quick clamping system; a rotating dual jaw with one V cut depression face; a set of extended opening jaw lips; dual side locking stays with counter rotating lock screws; a T shaped jaw clamping drawbar; a zero tolerance cylindrical hinge and a lipped vise base adapted for robust clamping to the cutting tool table with conventional T slot bolts and dogs.
Henceforth, the present invention, an improved sine vise would fulfill a long felt need in the fabrication industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems inherent in the prior art.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a precision sine vise that is able to overcome the workpiece holding problems of the prior art sine vises and provide increased proportional clamping force, reduced backlash and chatter. It has many of the advantages mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new and improved sine vise which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
In accordance with the invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved sine vise capable of rapid, even clamping of work pieces.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved sine vise capable of achieving a higher degree of precision when positioning a workpiece relative to a cutting tool.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved sine vise with a rotatable jaw capable of clamping cylindrical objects.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide for an improved sine vise with a dual set of clamping faces so as to enable an enhanced range of jaw opening.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an improved sine vise with a zero tolerance hinge and angle lock system.
The subject matter of the present invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, both the organization and method of operation, together with further advantages and objects thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like elements. Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
The improved precision sine vise 2 (
To ensure that the tightening of all mechanical fasteners 8 associated with the locking side stays 18 cannot tilt the vise body 4 relative to the base clamp plate 6 the mechanical fasteners 8 on one side have a right hand thread and the mechanical fasteners 8 on the other side have a left hand thread while all stay recesses 36 have the same handed thread configuration. In this manner, tightening of the mechanical fasteners 8 imparts an opposing, balanced torque on the vise body 4. This feature is critical when the vise 2 is used in an angled configuration (
In the sine vise configuration of FIGS. 5 & 7-9 it can be seen that vise body 4 is angled relative to base clamp plate 6 about the axial midpoint of roll hinge 14. Looking at
Also looking at the sine vise configuration of FIGS. 5 & 7-9 the gauge roll 22 can be seen residing in a gauge roll trough 60 (
Similar to the hinge pin 42 the roll gauge 22 is secured to the vise body 4 by mechanical fasteners passing through gauge roll orifices 68 and matingly engaging with vise body threaded recesses (recesses not illustrated).
All mechanical fasteners used in conjunction with the roll hinge 14 and gauge roll 22 are recessed with respect to their respective outer surfaces and the bottom of the base clamp plate 6.
The base clamp plate 6 can be seen in
The vise body 2 as seen in
Looking at
The moveable jaw 16 is tightened against the fixed jaw 82 or any intervening workpiece by the ratchet drawbar 20. Ratchet drawbar 20 has three components. It is made from a threaded capscrew 88 that rotationally fits through a capscrew bore 90 in clamp cylinder 92 and threading engages into rack engagement dog 94. Rack engagement dog 94 has two dog stubs 96 that are dimensionally sized for engagement with the two sawtooth racks 78.
In operation as a standard vise, the vise body 4 is bolted to the base clamp plate 6 and the stays 18 are tightened to frictionally engage the vise body 4 and the base clamp plate 6. Moveable jaw 16 is placed atop the vise body 4 such that sliding movement between these components is directed by vise body rabbets 72 and moveable jaw peripheral lips 74. Clamp cylinder 92 is frictionally engaged into clamp cylinder bore 86 of moveable jaw 16. The capscrew bore 90 is aligned with axial draw bar groove 84 such that capscrew 88 may be inserted through axial draw bar groove 84 and capscrew bore 90 so as to extend through moveable jaw 16 and down through central trough 76 of vise body 4. Rack engagement dog 94 is threadingly engaged with capscrew 88 such that the two dog stubs 96 are in close enough proximity to engage the two sawtooth racks 78 with a minimal amount of turns of the capscrew 88. Reversing these turns will allow the rack engagement dog 94 to swing free of the sawtooth racks 78 so as to allow rapid clamping adjustment and setup. The use of clamp cylinder 92 allows the clamping force to be transmitted equally in a linear fashion across the faces of the moveable jaw 16. This effectively maintains the planes of the moveable jaw 16 and the fixed jaw 82 parallel. Additionally, the angled engagement of the rack engagement dog 94 in the sawtooth racks 78 ensures that the jaw faces of the moveable jaw cannot tip upwards when a workpiece that does not reside along the full horizontal faces of the selected jaw combination, is clamped. Basically, the ratchet drawbar 20 exerts a downward angular pull on the moveable jaw 16 from the midpoint of the moveable jaw which allows the moveable jaw to slide uniformly without any lateral, axial or angular tilting. In this manner the moveable jaw 16 advances uniformly along the vise body 4, guided by the by vise body rabbets 72 and moveable jaw peripheral lips 74 such that the vertical planes of the moveable jaw faces and the fixed jaw faces remain parallel at all times.
In operation as a sine vise, the vise body 4 as above, is unbolted from the base clamp plate 6 and the stays 18 are loosened. The vise body 4 is angularly pivoted away from the base clamp plate 6 about the longitudinal axis of roll hinge 14 and gauge blocks 62 are positioned between the top deck 100 of the base clamp plate 6 and the gauge roll 22. (In the preferred embodiment this angle is limited to 50 degrees.) The stays 18 are tightened, the gauge blocks removed and the clamping procedure as set out above may be utilized to secure the workpiece in the jaws. Regardless of the vise configuration, with the ratchet drawbar 20 loosened sufficiently, the moveable jaw 16 may be rotated 180 degrees so that clamped workpieces will engage either the side of the moveable jaw with the conventional face 24 or the side of the moveable jaw with the V channel face 26. All faces are generally planar and when engaged will always reside parallel to the upper fixed jaw face and the lower fixed jaw face 28.
A plethora of additional bores, threaded or otherwise are illustrated on the moveable jaw 16, the vise body 4 and the base clamp plate 6. These are to facilitate the attachment of accessories collateral to and not the subject of this patent. It is understood and well known in the art which surfaces of the various vise components must reside parallel or perpendicular to one another and the cutting tool table to ensure precision use. Experimentation has shown that tolerances as tight as 0.0002 of an inch may be achieved with this device.
The above description will enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention. It also sets forth the best modes for carrying out this invention. There are numerous variations and modifications thereof that will also remain readily apparent to others skilled in the art, now that the general principles of the present invention have been disclosed. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.