Dawn 75 Drill Press Vice - Help Needed

I picked up an Australian Dawn 75mm machine or drill press vice today in amazing condition - not one hole drilled it it:o. The only thing is it has been modified to be air activated. Still for the price I paid compared to what the new Australian made ones go for I am happy. I am going to change it back to screw activated.

My thoughts are to tap the existing hole and use larger than standard diameter threaded rod, make a bush and put in some thinner diameter rod (maybe from a scissor jack) or make up a plate simlar to the one that was fitted with the air ram and mount a nut or whatever diameter I want in front of the original hole.

What would you do? Also does anyone have the same vice they could post some pictures up of the screw mechanisim please.

Also the jaws are ground flat and polished, a lot to ask but does anyone have the ability and inclination to put a serration and a vertical notch on them for me?

My Dawn offset vice came free but without jaws. I managed to locate some replacement jaws but on discussing this with one of the techs at work he suggested just using mild steel to make up some jaws and although I was reluctant at first it has proved to be well worth it and have planned to do the same on my DP vice. The plain flat mild steel provides a good grip without marking work and if they get mashed they can easily be replaced and if you want a notch it then you can easily file or mill one in yourself. Yes I know that serrations can be covered with something else but built in soft jaws make it one less thing to muck around with. I have hardened serrated jaws on another vice and am forever looking for the soft jaw covers for that one as well, I'm thinking of making a set of permanent brass jaws on that one. I use my 400 mm wide WW vice with the leather faces in it to hold ally and brass which is does well.

Good idea, I will consider it, though I don't mind using soft jaws so will likey go hardened serrations if I can get it done. I am sure that the Douglas would be able to do it but I am not expert enough to set it up to miss a run or two so it does not shave the whole lot. Maybe I can just stand there and lift up the flapper head for every second cut, will have a play on some flat bar when I get a chance.

Just trying to work out what I can use this air ram for or what I can sell it for at the moment. It would make a great automatic door opener on the chook pen if I could set up timed solenoids for each inlet.

I have a vice that looks similar to yours. I'll try and take a pic of mine tonight but I wont be home until late so theres a good chance I'll forget. So dont hesitate to remind me if no one else posts pics.
With your jaw serations, piece of cake to do in a shaper which I assume you have when you talk about "Douglas". Set the table (shaper vice) at the required angle, cut the first groove to full depth with how ever many strokes of the ram it takes, then crank table across required distance for the next groove (take note of how far you move the table by what ever means suits you. set up a dial gauge if you want real accuracy) repeat until the whol jaw is done. Dont use the power feed.

regards
bollie7

Photos would be great and thanks for the tips re the shaper setup and not using the power feed. I have only ever used that so will have a play and see what I can manage on some scrap.

My Dawn vice is a 100 but it looks similar to yours, though quite dirty atm. I haven't used it for a while and it took me a while to find it.
The thread (I only measured it with a rule) looks like its imperial at 13/16"dia X 5 tpi, square.
I didn't have time to pull it apart last night to take a picture, but in case you are wondering how the spindle attaches to the moving jaw, the end of the spindle is turned down where it goes into the back of the jaw. There is a groove machined into the turned down section and a screw down through the top of the jaw. The end of the screw goes into the groove. I'm sure you know that anyway. :)
Hope this has been of some help.

regards
bollie7

Thanks Bollie, my jaw is tapped underneath in an offset to centre position for a grub screw to screw up into the spindle. I have been looking at some 10x2mm ACME thread for it and matching nut I could turn down from the UK but will see what I can find locally first.

First step towards putting serations in the jaws with the douglas today, I flattened the tops on my 125mm engineers vice I am cleaning up as they were covered in weld build up and grinder marks to the point they were about 5mm higher across the centre. I figure it was a good test to see if I could shave the hardened jaws. Not really related to the DP vice other than I also painted it today, but I shot some Dulux Epoxy Enamel in Indian Red over the vice. Definitely shinier than original Dawn but a pretty good colour match for off the shelf.

The Douglas in action........... I love this machine:U

http://youtu.be/E_ktCW02puA

Something very relaxing and mesmerizing about a shaper. I spent a fair bit of time on one when I was a 1st year apprentice. Mind you, back then, after a month of cutting bevels on the edge of 12mm plates about 600 long (weld preps for the boilermake apprentices) I was entirely over shapers for a while. lol
bollie7

I agree, memerizing, archaic, basic yet so cool.

Found a scissor jack on roadside chuckout on the way home Monday, free acme thread:2tsup:

Turned down the nut today and brazed it in place before turning down the threaded shaft to allow a 10mm thread to be put on it for a handle. I am going to put a large diameter knurled ally handle on it so easy to hold and twist. Bit of fine tuning tomorrow and I should have it usable.

Nice work.
I especially like the re purposing of the wheel jack acme thread.
Grahame

Finished it off today, pretty happy with the result for $35:D

First time using a knurler for 30 years, came up pretty good, nice to hold, rough enough to get tension on for most things and a hole through to tighten with a bar if needed.