What’s the smallest part I could hold in the milling vise on the Bridgeport? Could I machine within a 1" or 2" cube?
Thanks!
ChrisA cube of nearly any size is doable. It is only thin material that really becomes a problem with the milling vice, and even then there are workarounds.
The turner’s cube I did in brass was a 0.75" cube that was squared up on the vice in the bridgeport.
Walter’s cube in a cube in a cube is awesome and is on display in the Creative Arts room … started out as the demo piece on how the square up the BP. Go have a look.
I think this is a fantastic example of how to square stock, and complements what we have on the Wiki for training:
http://www.machinistblog.com/how-to-square-up-stock-on-a-mill/
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This is a great video showing how to square up a piece of material. However, this video clearly has already had the vice squared up with the bed. It is one of the important steps needed and shown how to do in the Bridgeport training since the vice is frequently taken off/moved here at DMS.
Thanks for link - great review.
One could argue that tramming the mill needs to be done before squaring the vice to the bed. Gotta assume some initial conditions. 
Yeh, I covered tramming in the pilot episode of the class, but have since dropped it. It really is too much to expect a novice to be able to tram the mill; however, squaring a vice is something even a novice can do at least to a reasonable degree.
and on the wiki: OVS | Video Detail
what this covers:
Machine Shop 4 Milling Machine 1
1 Milling Machine 1 Layout & Use; what the different parts do
2 Quill Feed Allows you to move tool up and down
3 Axis Handfeed Feed/Crank on Axis with Dials to adjust the Bed
4 Gibb Locks Holds/Locks Bed to Saddle & Saddle to Knee and Knee to Body of Machine Locking Ring Adjustments
5 Power Feed Attached to one or more of the Axes Forward/Reverse Knob and Variable Speeed Control
6 Digital Readouts Measure position of Axes to 0.001" or in mm
7 Milling Machine Set-Up Squaring the Head Square=Z-zxis of head [Quill] is perpendicular to axis of Bed
8 Squaring the Vise Adjusting the vice so back [stationary] jaw of vice is parallel to bed Machine Safety, Protocol, & Shop Safety
9 Milling Machine Accessories & Workholding Techniques Milling Machine Tools Drill Chuck-drilling & reaming Boreing Head-more precise cutting to 0.0002" Fly Cutter-used to square up a part [4 teeth and 1 single tooth] End Mill-shank type milling cutter Collett Chucks-holds End Mills Saws-used to make deep narrow slots-installed on an arbor Reamers-used to smooth out inside of drilled holes Edge Finder & Center Finder-used to locate punches or holes on a milled part Boreing Tool-Used on a shank head to bore holes