The Toolmaker’s Vice was modeled in SolidWorks with a focus on precision, manufacturability, and simplicity. Each component including the base, movable jaw, leadscrew, and dowel pins was designed to be fully machinable using standard shop tools. Key design elements such as the slot for jaw travel, counterbored holes, and threaded inserts were modeled with real world tool sizes in mind to ensure an accurate fit after machining. The exploded view shown here highlights how all the parts assemble together into a compact, functional unit that balances strength, ease of operation, and clean design.

The drawings shown include the part details and final assembly of the Toolmaker’s Vice, created in SolidWorks using standard engineering drawing practices. Each component was dimensioned precisely to ensure proper fit and alignment during machining and assembly. The exploded view clearly illustrates how all parts come together, making it easy to visualize the motion of the movable jaw and the function of the leadscrew. GD&T has been applied to define key features such as parallelism, perpendicularity, and flatness, ensuring the vice maintains high accuracy and consistency after machining.

This animation demonstrates the full assembly of the Toolmaker’s Vice in SolidWorks. The video showcases how each machined component fits together, highlighting the motion of the movable jaw and leadscrew mechanism. It was used to verify proper part alignment and clearances before beginning physical machining. 

This stage of the project focused on machining the main base and moving jaw of the toolmaker’s vice from raw aluminum stock. The milling process provided valuable hands-on experience in precision machining techniques, including properly locking the X, Y, and Z axes to maintain accuracy during cuts. To ensure all machining locations were clearly defined, removable blue ink was applied to the workpiece to mark cutting paths and hole positions. The milling operations were carried out using the machine’s automatic feed controls, allowing for consistent cutting speeds and smoother surface finishes — techniques that helped refine precision and confidence in operating shop equipment. 

Machining the screw rod involved using the lathe to achieve precise dimensions and smooth surface finishes critical to the vice’s operation. The process required careful control of tool feeds and speeds to ensure accurate step transitions and thread compatibility. Tap and die tools were then used to create the threaded features, with external threads on the screw rod using the die and internal threads within the main base using the tap. This hands on work provided valuable experience in both turning and threading, emphasizing precision, alignment, and proper tool setup to ensure smooth functionality of the finished assembly.