Centering Dovetail Vises Versus Traditional Self-Centering Vises

By: Lonnie Miller, Chief Engineer, AMROK/Advanced Machine & Engineering

Traditional self-centering vises provide great precision for drilling, tapping, boring, and finishing applications by securing workpieces’ position as they are machined. Compared to standard vises, you will not need to find a new reference point every time you change the size of the part that you are machining. However, when compared to centering dovetail vises (CDV), traditional self-centering devices are lacking in certain areas. 

In terms of dovetail workholding, centering dovetail vises offer a variety of benefits:

Centering Dovetail Vises Save Time with 5-Sided Machining

The design of CDVs makes 5-sided machining possible and enables multiple parts to be held by separate jaws and machined on a single centering dovetail vise. They provide time savings by eliminating:

• The change-over of jaws to hold different parts.
• Additional components needed to clamp and locate parts. 
• Adjusting of stop to locate parts.

Smaller jaw widths enable operators to densely pack parts onto a tombstone, which reduces their overall cycle time.

Centering Dovetail Vises Provide Ease of Use with High-Accuracy Locating

CDVs are easy to setup through the use of centerline or outside locating holes. They center the part with an accuracy of less than .001” depending on the locating hole size machined in the part prepping operation.

The locating pin design allows all parts to be clamped and located the same way. This allows operators to easily load and unload part with virtually no training. Additional jaws can be added quickly, and if the CDVs can be quickly disassembled if maintenance is required.

Centering Dovetail Vises Reduce Scrap with Secure Holding

The angled jaws of centering dovetail vises hold parts more securely than the flat jaws of traditional self-centering vises. They also eliminate distortion in machined parts due to clamping forces. Machined parts can be removed and precisely reloaded with CDVs.

Vertical or Horizontal Machining with Standard 2” Grid System Mounting

CDV assemblies are available in a variety of sizes and jaw styles to clamp and hold parts of all sizes. They can be mounted on a tombstone or machine pallet directly for horizontal or vertical machining.

All vises are designed to fit on the industry standard 2” center-to-center hole pattern using precision screws and ½-13 SHCS. This grid system mounting allows for between-center mounting, on-center mounting, bridgeport mounting, and T-slot mounting--making it easy to use CDV on a horizontal or vertical machining center.

Learn more about centering dovetail vises here.

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