XY Vise multipurposing

[dlminehart]

I've picked up an XY Vise to use with my HF mortiser, and have seen some instructions on how to modify and attach it for this purpose (e.g., moving a handle from right to left side, turning the mortiser around and mounting it on a platform high enough to offset the additional height of the vise).

I'm wondering whether anyone has worked out a way of setting the vise up so it can quickly and easily be moved between the drill press and mortiser. Seems like it should work, but thought I'd see if anyone else had given it a try.

[Workman]

David, I have the same question! I use a 6" x-y on my drill press all the time, at times even with milling bits to cut some of those weird curved mortises. Would love to use the x-y on the mortiser - have seen something (maybe from Pappy? or Popeye?) - but I can't find it. I'm sure there are others out there that would like to see this again. Please post - with pictures!

[Greg Jones]

Personally, I just bought a second vise-one set up permanently on the mortiser, the other is set up to be a quick on/off vise for my drill press. For the relatively small cost of the 4" vise at Harbor Freight, I'd rather leave the mortiser set up all the time. The 4" model is plenty big enough for the mortiser and I would expect that a 6" is taller, which means that there would be additional challenges getting the head of the mortiser high enough to compensate.

I have the Delta mortiser and I set mine up a little differently that what some people have done. The Delta comes with a spacer block to raise the head for taller boards. I bolted the mortiser directly to the existing table, and bought an additional spacer and longer bolts to overcome the height of the vise.You need to flip the Y-axis of the vice and drill/tap holes so the vice handle and adjustment crank are facing out. I also flipped the X-axis (no drilling/taping required) so that I can crank the adjustment with my left hand while keeping my right hand on the mortiser handle.

On my drill press, I use a Woodpeckers table that is mounted to the Delta table by drilling and tapping the factory table. For heavy drilling tasks, I mounted the vice to a board and it attaches to the factory table with the same bolts. For a light job where I need the vice, I can use the two clamps on the Woodpeckers table to hold the vice secure. As with the mortiser vice, the handles have been flipped. Easy on, easy off and it works well. Here it is resting on the press table.



Here is the mortiser.

[eddy merckx]

I'm wondering whether anyone has worked out a way of setting the vise up so it can quickly and easily be moved between the drill press and mortiser. Seems like it should work, but thought I'd see if anyone else had given it a try.

I had a tough job getting my XY vice in exactly the right spot on the HF mortiser, so I decided to just buy a second one for the drill press. I got a 6" XY vice for the DP. It gets a lot of use drilling smaller of odd shaped bits. It's also robust enough to support a DP table, so it doesn't have to be removed for drilling flat stock. I just screwed a wide cleat onto the base of the DP table so it can be clamped. On and off in a few seconds.

Eddy

[dlminehart]

Vise to DP

I had a tough job getting my XY vice in exactly the right spot on the HF mortiser, so I decided to just buy a second one for the drill press. I got a 6" XY vice for the DP. It gets a lot of use drilling smaller of odd shaped bits. It's also robust enough to support a DP table, so it doesn't have to be removed for drilling flat stock. I just screwed a wide cleat onto the base of the DP table so it can be clamped. On and off in a few seconds.

Eddy

Great idea, Eddy, about getting the larger vise and screwing the DP table to it!

[Garasaki]

I haven't done it yet, but I planned to do similar to Eddy - it seems like being able to make minor adjustments to the table location by using the xy vice would be really handy - rather then having to make such minor adjustments to piece on the DP table.