This document discusses various methods for work holding on milling machines. It describes milling vises, soft jaws, parallels, and work stops as basic styles of work holding. It provides examples of different types of jaws, such as hardened jaws, standard jaws, step jaws, and jaws with built-in work stops. It also discusses uses of soft jaws, parallels, parallel keepers, and different styles of work stops, including vise mounted, table mounted, and clamp on styles. Finally, it mentions other work holding methods like 5-C collet holders, angle blocks, and V-blocks.

1. Work Holding
On The Milling Machine

2. On the milling machine there are many
different styles of work holding, from milling
vises to specially designed fixtures that are
made for one operation.
Because there are so many different styles of
work holding, this Learning Object will only
show a few of the basic styles of work holding
and work stops

3. The Milling Machine Vise

4. Styles Of Jaws For The Vise
Hardened Jaws are jaws that
have been hardened
Standard jaws (like in the
previous slide) need to have
parallels used with them
Step jaws like those shown
here, have a step in the jaw
so you don’t need parallels,
making it easy to change
parts without having to worry
about parallels moving
Hardened step jaws

5. Jaws can also have
work stops built in to
them, like these Kurt
Groove Lock jaws. They
have work stops that
can be easily be
adjusted by loosening
the screws on the top of
the stop, moving the
stop to it’s desired
position and tightening
the screws

6. Soft Jaws
Soft jaws are made
from mild steel,
aluminum, plastic or
some other type of
soft material
Soft jaws can be
machined to hold
odd shapes,
particularly round
materialSoft Jaws

7. Soft jaws can easily be
machined to hold round
stock or other shapes
Soft jaws also are less
likely to damage the
work part because of
the softer material they
are made from
Soft jaws can be used
with parallels to better
control the height

8. Parallels
When using standard
hardened jaws it is
important to use
parallels
It usually works better
to use thinner parallels
(like the ones pictured
here) than wide ones
(ones wider than ¼”)
because the work part
usually seats better with
thinner parallels
1/8” Wide Parallels

9. Parallels
There are times when ultra
thin parallels are needed
because of holes that need
to be drilled very close to the
jaws. With these parallels
you can drill very close to the
jaws without drilling into the
parallels
These should not be used
for all machining. Because
they are so thin, they are not
very durable, and therefore
they should be used only
when needed
Ultra Thin Parallels
1/32” Wide

10. Parallels
When using Parallels in
a production run it can
be helpful to use a
Parallel Keeper.
This is spring loaded
devise used to hold the
parallels in place when
changing parts
When a Parallel Keeper
is not available, Die
Springs can be used
Parallel Keeper

11. Work Stops
Whether you are doing one
part or hundreds of parts it
can be very helpful to use
work stops.
When making many parts it
helps keep the parts
consistent
When making one or just a
few parts it helps to keep
your ZERO consistent,
therefore saving time so you
don’t have to keep edge
finding every time you rotate
your part
The work stop shown is the
KURT Groove Lock work
stop

12. Work Stops
Clamp on work stops,
like the one shown on
the right, are quick and
easy to install
Caution should be used
when using this type of
work stop, because of
it’s higher profile it
shouldn’t be used when
milling thinner materials
for fear of hitting the
work stop, which is
made of hardened steel
Clamp On Work Stop

13. Work Stops
Table mounted work
stops can be very
useful when working
on pieces of material
that protrude
beyond the jaws
 Example: 8” long
piece of material in a
6” vise, with one inch
of material overhang
Table Mounted Work Stop

14. Work Stops
A vise mounted
work stop works well
when you need a
lower profile work
stop Vise Work Stop

15. Miscellaneous Work Holding
5-C Collet Holder
A 5-C Collet holder
is used for holding
round material
It is used for milling
square or hex flats

16. Miscellaneous Work Holding
5-C Collet Holder
The 5-C Holder is used
by rotating the block
after each cut is made,
without removing the
round stock from the
holder
A vise work stop is
needed to keep the
holder in a consistent
position when rotating

17. Miscellaneous Work Holding
Angle Blocks
Angle blocks are
used when milling
angles
Parallels may be
needed to raise the
angle blocks to a
good working height

18. Miscellaneous Work Holding
Angle Blocks
They work very well
when milling angles,
such as on V-blocks

19. Miscellaneous Work Holding
V-Blocks
V-Blocks can be
used when holding
larger diameters of
round material,
when 5-C Collet
Holders and Soft
Jaws may not work

20. The End