With regard to the X Y axis vice I spent quite a while modifying mine adjusting to take out all slop in the movements including adjustments to the gibbs for the sliding parts, packing the main shaft movements etc. Lucked onto a pair of cast jaws with a horizontal vee right through the jaws and a couple of vertical vees they apparently went off like a lead balloon years ago and I found mine jobbed out by a dissallusioned wholesaler. Since then in the past in America they are being made by another company and from memory on another site and sold as two single purchases I published the details, location and price will when I can try to back track as I find they were able to be fitted like a glove to my vice. My vice is bolted to a dedicated drill stand since over the years I find that repetitive tasks such as drilling blanks are easy breezy with immediate access and can be done in batches. As a sparky in a former life I threw away the Taiwanese motor fitting a 1 hp single phase motor to the drill and continuous stop start with a 1 hp motor if it hits on the high part of the cycle generates a high current momentarily so I leave the motor run I have never changed the fairly fast speed since then and have drilled up to 2 to three hundred blanks in a batch. Once again please disregard my methods with safety in mind I was taught to be cautious.
Its been perishing cold in my shop so I,ve spent a lot of time at the computer yesterday bought an fan driven steel enclosed element heater for the workshop the first time I have found a safe method to heat where I would like to work.
Kind regards Peter.