Electric Magnetic Vice Build.

[Lilyota]

So I have been looking at these builds on YouTube and our microwave crapped the bed so I figured...."well..let's see"



Got what I needed out of it and went hunting for more.

One of the video's I watched informed me as to the power supply supply that I needed, so that's easy enough.


The epoxy is my biggest question.


What I'm finding is mostly table top epoxy and I am sure that would work....But is there a better suggestion.

I'll post pic's as things progress and share information.


Let's see where this goes.

 

[Java230]

No idea but following..... I love G Flex epoxy tho. Good stuff.

 

[MigGunslinger]

I built an electronic vice for my drill press out of 2 York AC clutch magnets. Bought a cheap 12v DC power supply on amazon and have it hooked up through a foot switch. For the drill press I just start drilling and kick the switch after the bit centers in the hole. If the piece is thin or the bit is large it can still spin on me but a hand on the workpiece in addition to the magnets is enough for most anything.

I also use it on the work bench for holding small flat pieces while stripping off mill scale and stuff, very useful for that.

I used fiberglass resin for the epoxy, I would not recommend that though because it cracked pretty violently while curing. I ended up just filling in the cracks with more resin and it eventually worked out.

it would be cool if you could mill the entire thing smooth when done potting with epoxy but I made do with a file.

For anyone not using a microwave transformer, they sell magnetic door lock kits on amazon that have pretty strong electromagnets for pretty cheap. I plan on recessing some of these in my fixture table built from old table saw tops so I do not have to move the drill press vice. I also looked into trailer brake magnets which look like a good option for a smaller vice.

 

[Lilyota]

I have given the flattening process a lot of thought. My plan for that is to build a fixture for my lathe and face it there.

 

[bgaidan]

What do these vises look like?


I have two big-ish magnetic chucks for a surface grinder. I'm keeping one of them for whenever I stumble in to a deal on a grinder but I've debated making some type of work holder I can leave on the bench....or now you have me thinking about something for the mill or drill press.

 

[arse_sidewards]

What do these vises look like?


I have two big-ish magnetic chucks for a surface grinder. I'm keeping one of them for whenever I stumble in to a deal on a grinder but I've debated making some type of work holder I can leave on the bench....or now you have me thinking about something for the mill or drill press.

Drill press is fine. You are tempting fate if you mill with a mag chuck. Might work for a production machine, light cuts, highly optimized, etc. etc. but is a recipe for inaccurate or flying parts for general shop use.

 

[MigGunslinger]

What do these vises look like?


I have two big-ish magnetic chucks for a surface grinder. I'm keeping one of them for whenever I stumble in to a deal on a grinder but I've debated making some type of work holder I can leave on the bench....or now you have me thinking about something for the mill or drill press.

The permanent magnet mag chucks would not work well for a drill press because I assume you do not want to drill into them. The york electromagnets I used take advantage of the open area in the center so I can drill through the piece and into the resin. I have used a regular drill press vice and used the magnet to hold that vice in place which only works OK, the bottom of the chinese vice I have does not have much meat to it. No experience with milling but it does not seem like a good idea.

I have seen beat up mag chucks used as a hold down for hand grinding or sanding and they work well for that. That also leaves the surface intact for the eventual surface grinder. Use would be like the below video.



If I remember I will grab a few pics and post it in this thread.

 

[2020AT4]

Drill press is fine. You are tempting fate if you mill with a mag chuck. Might work for a production machine, light cuts, highly optimized, etc. etc. but is a recipe for inaccurate or flying parts for general shop use.

Not only that, but you're going to wind up recutting every chip you make and magnetizing your cutter to the point it will just be a big spinning ball of chips.

 

[desertPOS]

Not only that, but you're going to wind up recutting every chip you make and magnetizing your cutter to the point it will just be a big spinning ball of chips.

That's what I was thinking - how's the magnetic vice on the drill press do with clearing chips? I've thought of trying to do something like this for general quick clamping on the fab table - what's happens if it's close to waist or pocket height and it grabs onto your phone? Any issues with cell phone hard drives getting wrecked?

 

[MigGunslinger]

That's what I was thinking - how's the magnetic vice on the drill press do with clearing chips? I've thought of trying to do something like this for general quick clamping on the fab table - what's happens if it's close to waist or pocket height and it grabs onto your phone? Any issues with cell phone hard drives getting wrecked?

The chips do gather on the drill bit. They are easily blown off with air or brushed off when I turn the magnet off. It is honestly not that big of a deal on a drill press doing one hole at a time.

An electromagnet of the size and power we are talking about is not like an MRI machine it is not going to grab things from across the room or even any farther than 1-2" from the magnet. That said they are strong enough that if your finger was between the magnet and workpiece you could definitely hurt yourself. I would not set a phone on it and turn the magnet on but the storage drive on phones are solid state not some kind of tiny magnetic plate drive that would get wiped.

This is the mag vice I built. As I said don't use fiberglass resin I just noticed that it is cracked again. I also potted an LED light into the resin so that I have a visual of when it is on.

I put the power supply in an ammo can and put a HF foot switch on top, it is built this way so I could take it off of the drill press and carry the whole thing outside to use on my fab table. Yes, it is a little awkward but not too bad.

 

[CarterKraft]

I built an electronic vice for my drill press out of 2 York AC clutch magnets. Bought a cheap 12v DC power supply on amazon and have it hooked up through a foot switch. For the drill press I just start drilling and kick the switch after the bit centers in the hole. If the piece is thin or the bit is large it can still spin on me but a hand on the workpiece in addition to the magnets is enough for most anything.

I also use it on the work bench for holding small flat pieces while stripping off mill scale and stuff, very useful for that.

I used fiberglass resin for the epoxy, I would not recommend that though because it cracked pretty violently while curing. I ended up just filling in the cracks with more resin and it eventually worked out.

it would be cool if you could mill the entire thing smooth when done potting with epoxy but I made do with a file.

For anyone not using a microwave transformer, they sell magnetic door lock kits on amazon that have pretty strong electromagnets for pretty cheap. I plan on recessing some of these in my fixture table built from old table saw tops so I do not have to move the drill press vice. I also looked into trailer brake magnets which look like a good option for a smaller vice.

Any suggestion on specs of the power supply? Amperage is really what I am curious about.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

I realize everyone has probably heard of magswitch, but I'll post it anyway.

You can get these like in pic below up to at least 400 lbs pull. Easy to mount with 4 mm metric screws I think. Fully mechanical, just rotate handle 180 to magnetize, same same as dial indicator bases. No electronics or power required.

Would be easy to mount upside down and gang 2 or more spaced out so you can drill inbetween. Would also be easy to make a handle that acts on several at the same time, could even use an electric solenoid to activate.

 

[MigGunslinger]

Any suggestion on specs of the power supply? Amperage is really what I am curious about.

The power supply is going to be based on the amperage that your electromagnet will draw, I connected one of the York magnets to a battery and used my clamp on ammeter to see how many amps. In this case the york Magnets pull around 5A each @ 12v DC. I oversized the power supply at 30 amps https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VWV5YCH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are buying a magnet just get the specs from the manufacturer.

 

[CarterKraft]

The power supply is going to be based on the amperage that your electromagnet will draw, I connected one of the York magnets to a battery and used my clamp on ammeter to see how many amps. In this case the york Magnets pull around 5A each @ 12v DC. I oversized the power supply at 30 amps https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VWV5YCH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are buying a magnet just get the specs from the manufacturer.

Right on with the amp draw measurement, I was curious as to how much you oversized to get a buffer.

I replaced a sanden compressor the other day and the coil leads were different so I swapped the coil and have a brand new coil in the scrap bin.
I had this thought of a magnetic chuck but in reality it will probably spend it's life on the shelf LOL.
I can get a ton of 24v coils from work that be just fine to use If I actually follow through with it.

 

[MigGunslinger]

Right on with the amp draw measurement, I was curious as to how much you oversized to get a buffer.

I replaced a sanden compressor the other day and the coil leads were different so I swapped the coil and have a brand new coil in the scrap bin.
I had this thought of a magnetic chuck but in reality it will probably spend it's life on the shelf LOL.
I can get a ton of 24v coils from work that be just fine to use If I actually follow through with it.

Yea, when buying chinese shit 3X the capacity you actually need seems about right.

I do not regret the time I put into mine and I flattened the whole thing by hand with a file.

 

[bgaidan]

Drill press is fine. You are tempting fate if you mill with a mag chuck. Might work for a production machine, light cuts, highly optimized, etc. etc. but is a recipe for inaccurate or flying parts for general shop use.

I'm thinking more to mount on the CNC mill for engraving and whatnot. It'd be perfect for sticking down thin steal parts or even making a steel jig to clamp down thing aluminum parts.

 

[2020AT4]

That's what I was thinking - how's the magnetic vice on the drill press do with clearing chips? I've thought of trying to do something like this for general quick clamping on the fab table - what's happens if it's close to waist or pocket height and it grabs onto your phone? Any issues with cell phone hard drives getting wrecked?

As mentioned above, for a drill press its probably OK.


As to the cellphone, Our apprentice runs our big 24x48" grinder all day with her phone in her hand and it doesnt seem to phase the phone.

 

[2020AT4]

The chips do gather on the drill bit. They are easily blown off with air or brushed off when I turn the magnet off. It is honestly not that big of a deal on a drill press doing one hole at a time.

An electromagnet of the size and power we are talking about is not like an MRI machine it is not going to grab things from across the room or even any farther than 1-2" from the magnet. That said they are strong enough that if your finger was between the magnet and workpiece you could definitely hurt yourself. I would not set a phone on it and turn the magnet on but the storage drive on phones are solid state not some kind of tiny magnetic plate drive that would get wiped.

This is the mag vice I built. As I said don't use fiberglass resin I just noticed that it is cracked again. I also potted an LED light into the resin so that I have a visual of when it is on.

I put the power supply in an ammo can and put a HF foot switch on top, it is built this way so I could take it off of the drill press and carry the whole thing outside to use on my fab table. Yes, it is a little awkward but not too bad.

Im guessing you did a monolithic pour with the epoxy based on the color and the cracks.

Too much polyester resin mixed in one batch will cause excess heat when setting. This can cause a fire or alternatly what you have a stressed piece that will continually crack.

Mostly an annoyance, but if you wanted to redo it, you could pour it in layers to help control the heat and cracking.

 

[2020AT4]

I'm thinking more to mount on the CNC mill for engraving and whatnot. It'd be perfect for sticking down thin steal parts or even making a steel jig to clamp down thing aluminum parts.

You most likely will need to make a bracket around the part you want to engrave.

The problem holding thin steel to a magnet is that the loops of the magnetic field pass right through the thin material and dont hold as well as they would on something thicker.

This also depends on the magnet as one with thin poles would hold thin work better than one with fatter poles.


As an example, this:

Would work better than this on thin work given equal amount of magnetic force.

 

[MigGunslinger]

Im guessing you did a monolithic pour with the epoxy based on the color and the cracks.

Too much polyester resin mixed in one batch will cause excess heat when setting. This can cause a fire or alternatly what you have a stressed piece that will continually crack.

Mostly an annoyance, but if you wanted to redo it, you could pour it in layers to help control the heat and cracking.

Correct on all counts, did some research afterwords. If I was to do it again it would be a different product and a layer technique.

This one works well enough that chipping out all of the resin would just be a pain in the ass for a cosmetic gain. The magnets are tack welded to the metal box so it would be a pain to get out. If it cracks in a way that messes with the flatness of the work surface I might consider it.