Choose a vise that will handle the work you do. You don't need a 3" vise if the
parts you make are a half inch long. While you can usually put small parts in a
large vise, it is more convenient to use an appropriate-size vise.
Vise jaws are often too deep for the work. In general, you want the top of the
workpiece to extend above the top of the vise jaws. To fill the gap from the
bottom of the workpiece to the "ways" of the vise, you use parallels. Parallels
are strips of metal that have been carefully ground so that the top and bottom
edges are parallel with very tight tolerances. They usually come in matched
pairs. Place one parallel adjacent to each jaw in the vise and place the
workpiece so it rests on the parallels.
Clamping Kits and Accessories
Clamping kits and their accessories, including 1-2-3 blocks, are the "Erector
Sets" of work holding. Use the various pieces of the clamping kit as you see fit
to hold workpieces to the mini mill's table.
In many cases, you need to lift the workpiece off the table, either because the
mill spindle won't reach it or because of a projection on the bottom of the
workpiece. 1-2-3 blocks are precision ground to be flat and parallel. Use them
as spacers to lift the workpiece. You can also use them as an angle plate by
bolting a workpiece to the side of the 1-2-3 block and then clamping the 1-2-3
block to the mill table.
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