Indexable jaw universal vise

• US 6,032,940 A
• Filed: 03/12/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kurt Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kurt Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Wolfe, Ingo E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, LEE D
• Application Number:
  US08/815,214
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 269/279, 269/271, 269/259, 269/258, 269/261, 269/247, 269/43, 269/46, 269/136, 269/154, 269/289
• US Class Current: 269/279
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 1/2405 Construction of the jaws
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 1/2436 around a vertical axis B25B1/2447 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 1/2447 to put one of the jaw faces in a position opposite to the second jaw
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 1/2484 Supports

Abstract

A universal vise that has a movable and a fixed jaw that can be indexed at 90° increments to provide for four separate work clamping surfaces on each jaw. The vise includes a vise screw driving a nut that drives the movable jaw in each of four indexed positions of the movable jaw. The nut provides a down pressure load on the movable jaw with a very low profile. The indexable jaws permit the vise to be adapted to hold four different types of products or workpieces. The movable vise jaw is guided with keys that protrude above the plane of the guideway surfaces of the vise, so that the nut can have a shield rib that completely fills the space between the guideway surfaces to prevent chips from building up in a recess between the rails formed with present vise jaw nuts. The movable jaw and the fixed jaw do not protrude toward the base of the vise beyond the plane of the guideway surfaces on the vise rails. The movable jaw is held on the nut with a detent latch that permits changing of the jaw position when desired.

Claims

1. A machine vise having a base member with a longitudinal axis, and a pair of rails defining an elongated slot that extends along the longitudinal axis, a first jaw and a second jaw mounted on said base and supported on upper surfaces of the rails, the upper surfaces being coplanar and at least said second jaw being movable in directions toward and away from the first jaw between a jaw closed position with the second jaw adjacent the first jaw and a jaw open position with the second jaw spaced from the first jaw by a distance;

a nut mounted in the slot for moving the second jaw upon actuation of the nut, said nut having a rib member that fits in the slot and extends to fill the slot to a level substantially equal to the upper surfaces of the rails, the rib being of length to extend the entire distance between the first and second jaws with the first and second jaws in the jaw open position, the first and second jaws being supported on the upper surfaces of the rails and positioned entirely above a plane lying on the upper surfaces of said rails, said nut having a head, said second law being coupled to said nut by a hook member on the head of said nut, which extends above the plane of the upper surfaces of the rails, said second jaw having a recess for receiving the head of said nut, a jaw loading member comprising a flange on the second jaw having an internal conical surface mating with a part conical surface moving with the hook member for carrying load from said hook member to said second jaw selectively at one of a plurality of separate positions of the second jaw.

2. A machine vise having a base member with a longitudinal axis, and a pair of rails defining an elongated slot that extends along the longitudinal axis, a first jaw and a second jaw mounted on said base and supported on upper surfaces of the rails, the upper surfaces being coplanar and said second jaw being movable in directions toward and away from the first jaw between a jaw closed position with the second jaw adjacent the first jaw and a jaw open position with the second jaw spaced from the first jaw by a distance, a nut mounted in the slot for moving the second jaw upon actuation of the nut, said nut having a rib member that fits in the slot and extends to fill the slot to a level substantially equal to the upper surfaces of the rails, the rib being of length to extend the entire distance between the first and second jaws with the first and second jaws in the jaw open position the first and second jaws being supported on the upper surfaces of the rails and positioned entirely above a plane lying on the upper surfaces of said rails, said first jaw being fixed to said vise base and spanning the slot, a pair of guide blocks mounted on said vise base, and extending upwardly from the surfaces of the rails to engage slots in said first jaw, said first jaw being secured with fasteners relative to the vise base.

3. An indexable movable jaw for a machine vise comprising a movable jaw having a plurality of outer side workpiece clamping surfaces bounding the movable jaw and the side clamping surfaces being spaced from a central axis, said movable jaw having top and bottom surfaces joining the side surfaces, a recess formed on the bottom surface and bounded by a circular flange enclosed within the outer side surfaces bounding the movable jaw, a load receiving element carried by the movable jaw and open to the recess and accessible from the bottom of the movable jaw for engagement by a drive element insertable into the recess from the bottom, the drive element being oriented to provide for a load on the load receiving element and selectively acting to move each of the side clamping surfaces toward a fixed jaw in separate indexable positions about the central axis, guides for guiding the movable jaw in each of the separate positions as the movable jaw is moved to clamp a workpiece, and a spring detent between the drive element and the movable jaw to urge the drive element to engage the load receiving element.

4. The jaw of claim 3, wherein said machine vise has support surface portions that lie on a plane, said movable jaw lying entirely on a side of said plane opposite a bottom of the vise.

5. The jaw of claim 3, wherein the drive element comprises a drive member for the movable jaw within the recess and the load receiving element including an annular surface surrounding the recess and loadable by the drive element to move the movable jaw toward a fixed jaw at selected annular positions of the movable jaw.

6. The jaw of claim 5, wherein the annular surface is conical and is engageable with a conical surface formed on the drive element to permit rotation of the movable jaw about the drive element.

7. The jaw of claim 5, wherein the movable jaw has a length from a side surface loaded by the drive element to an opposite side surface, the drive element loading the movable jaw at a location not substantially more than one-fourth of the length of the movable jaw from the side surface loaded.

8. The jaw of claim 3, wherein said recess is formed to leave a thickness of the range of three-fourths of an inch of material between the recess and the top surface of the jaw.

9. The jaw of claim 3, wherein there are four separate load receiving elements, each comprising a pin mounted in a separate bore extending parallel to each of the side surfaces, the bores intersecting a portion of the recess.

10. The jaw of claim 3, wherein the movable jaw has a bottom surface for guiding movement on a vise, a recess in the bottom surface, the recess having an annular groove on an inner end to form an annular shoulder comprising a part of the load receiving element and facing toward the top surface, and the load receiving element further including a mating part annular flange supported on the annular shoulder and having a portion extending across a chord of the recess and accessible to be engaged by the drive element.

11. The jaw of claim 3, wherein the load receiving element has a loading surface for engagement by the drive element, the loading surface being at a non orthogonal angle relative to the bottom surface of the movable jaw.

12. A vise body and nut assembly comprising a base, a pair of rails extending longitudinally along said base and being spaced apart to form a slot, said rails having upper surfaces that lie on a common plane and form support surfaces for a vise jaw, a jaw nut positioned on said body and movable between said rails, a head portion on the nut projecting above the plane, a movable jaw having a recess to receive the head portion with the movable jaw resting on the upper surfaces, a hook member on one end of the head portion, and a load carrying member on the interior of the recess including at least a first part conical upwardly facing surface engaging a complimentary mating part conical surface on the hook member overlying the first part conical surface for transferring forces from the nut to the movable jaw in at least a plurality of annular position of the movable jaw, the part conical surfaces permitting rotation of the movable jaw with the part conical surfaces overlapping.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the load carrying member comprises an annular flange having a substantially continuous conical surface portion around the recess and formed around a center axis, the hook member part conical surface mating with the substantially continuous conical surface portion.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the vise body includes a fixed jaw mounted on the rails adjacent an end thereof, the fixed jaw having mounting members to permit indexing the fixed jaw to a plurality of positions, each with a different clamping surface facing the movable jaw, the mounting members including capscrews countersunk from a top surface of the fixed jaw by an amount at least equal to the distance from a top surface of the movable jaw to the recess in the movable jaw.

15. A machine vise having a base member with a longitudinal axis, and a pair of rails defining an elongated slot that extends along the longitudinal axis, a first jaw and a second jaw mounted on said base and supported on upper surfaces of the rails, the upper surfaces being coplanar and at least one of said jaws being movable in directions toward and away from the other jaw;

a nut mounted in the slot for moving the at least one jaw upon actuation of the nut, said nut having a rib member that fits in the slot and extends to fill the slot to a level substantially equal to the upper surfaces of the rails, and having guide surfaces guided along sides of said slot; and

a key on the nut and protruding upwardly from the vise base beyond a plane lying on the upper surfaces of the rails, said second jaw being the at least one jaw and being a movable jaw coupled for driving movement to said nut and having a recess for receiving the key on said nut.

16. The vise of claim 15, wherein the at least one jaw is a movable and has a plurality of recesses for receiving the key on the nut at different locations angularly spaced from each other, the movable jaw and nut being coupleable for driving movement at each of said different locations.