Drill Press Vice?

[school of mines]

I'm putting a new stock on my 1870 trapdoor. I need to drill the tang screw hole which will insert into the trigger guard assembly. I've been looking for a drill press vise, but can seem to find one that has a deep enough throat. Anybody got any recommendations?

[theperfessor]

How about a couple of 2 x 6s and some C clamps? Use the 6" side as your vise jaws, do what you have to do to get a secure grip on your stock (padding, relieving, etc.) and clamp it together with the C clamps with the bottom of the wood sitting on a flat surface. Then set it on your drill press and clamp it in place if necessary before you drill it. I'm not familiar with the hole layout on a Trapdoor. I have drilled odd shaped and long items by making temporary vises out of squared up lumber and C clamps and hanging the piece off the edge of my table to get it at correct angle and under drill head. Sometimes I brace up from floor with wood blocks so all the part weight is on ground.

[school of mines]

That's probably the best option I have since I can't find the vise I am looking for. I have to be very precise or I'll make a mess of things! Thanks for the input!

[theperfessor]

It all comes down to patience. Take all the time you need to get things set up properly and accurately. Drilling the hole is the easy, quick part. It's all in the set up. Back when I was a professional machinist I spent the better part of an 8 hour shift setting up a big part in order to drill and ream two holes that only took about 15 minute to do. But they had to be in the right place.

You can do it.

[FrankG]

If you know the exact pin point where you want the hole to enter and exit , heres what I do for lock bolts and tang bolts on muzzleloaders. I took about a 4" x 1/4" bolt and made a point on the starting threads and cleaned it up till a nut would thread back on then with big washers I fastened it to drill press table . I put the drill bit I was going to use in chuck of drill press and aligned it tip to tip with the bolt I mounted in drill press table allowing room for stock in between the two point for enough travel of downward stroke of drill press quill. Go slow and clean chips from hole and it will come out right on the bolt point centered.

I also made a "C" affair with a bushing for different size drill bits for use with a hand drill that works on same principal .

[robroy]

What the Professor says has merit. I haven't done it that way but have using a C shaped jig and threaded bushing as FrankG suggests. That jig does have a point on one side and a hole on the other. If I can I'll get a picture posted.

[Char-Gar]

The Palmgren angle adjustable drill price vise that has 2.25 inch jaws and is 1.25 inch deep has been the standard gunsmith vise for several generations. It is fairly expensive, but there are Asian clones for much less money.

Rarely do I have to drill a gun part that can't be held with that vise, one way or another. One a few occasions I have clamped the piece directly to the table with some sort of Rube Goldberg devise cobbled up for the task.