Columbian vise rehab part VI--handle
#8
A tropical storm is approaching as I sneak in some shop time to finish the Columbian woodworking vise rehab. Loyal readers will remember the picture of the pitiful orphan vise taken the day it arrived.


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The vise has been on quite a journey. Today's project was to give the little guy some balls--handle balls that is. I made two semicircular temporary vise jaws and clamped one of the balls in the drill press x-y table. Drilling was pretty uneventful. One ball will be glued in place and the other will be attached by a screw so it can be removed.


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A 3/4 hole was drilled into both balls. The second one also got a smaller (about 1/8) hole for the end screw.


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And of course, ball #2 needed a countersink for the screw head. TIP: Old braces are plentiful and inexpensive. Every woodworker should have several. I keep one handy with a permanently mounted countersink. When the occasion arises, all I have to do is pick up the brace and make the countersink. It saves lots of time.


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I glued the fixed end and drilled a pilot hole for the screw. Here is what appeared a little later.


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WooHoo! Project completed! Our little vise has gone from a tired looking orphan to a bright and hopeful shop tool with a new lease on its working life. Now it is ready to dress up someone's workshop. Thanks to all who watched the progress and cheered me on.
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Please visit my website
splintermaking.com
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#9
Nice!  What do you use for handle stock?  Did I miss the post where you mentioned that?
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#10
I ordered some 3/4" x 36" maple dowels from Woodcraft and ordered the 1 1/4" maple balls from an ebay seller.


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I measured the handles on various ww vises in my shop and 11" seemed to be the norm. This one looks a tad large to me, but of course can easily be shortened.
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Please visit my website
splintermaking.com
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#11
It's good that you revived the vise & gave it another lifetime.
They sure don't make them like that anymore, unless you pay an arm & a leg for them.
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#12
Any concerns about the width of the wood jaws on that size of single screw vise?  I know that is a robust unit, but with the wear on it from years of service, racking could be a result.  I should add that your workmanship is very nice!
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#13
(08-29-2016, 07:56 PM)Mike Brady Wrote: Any concerns about the width of the wood jaws on that size of single screw vise?  I know that is a robust unit, but with the wear on it from years of service, racking could be a result.  I should add that your workmanship is very nice!
You have a good point. It is difficult to engineer a product that serves all needs in all cases. The original designers sold the product without wooden jaws so that the owner could make exactly what he needed for his particular circumstances. That means that what I do here is based on conjecture. Here are some of my thoughts that guided the eventual design: 1)The vise is lightweight, with small guide rods and only a 6 inch face. I reasoned that it is best suited in a hobby workshop. 2)Although lightweight, the vise is strong and the guide rods are tight. It seemed to me that this vise is stronger than its small face might imply. 3)Hobby workshop means a variety of tasks. In this case, the wider jaws could come in handy. 4)Wider jaws make the vise easier to use. A common use for a side vise like this is holding a board for a crosscut. Wider jaws means the cutting takes place further from the handscrew and thus could lead to less interference. By less interference I mean that I usually hold the board with one hand and screw the handle with the other. Having hands close together is awkward. Wider jaws keep my hands a comfortable distance apart. 5)Esthetics. I think the vise looks better balanced with wider jaws. 6)Whatever. The ultimate user can modify the jaws as needed. At least I included enough material to allow maximum flexibility.

Sorry to be so long winded, but thinking about this stuff keeps my mind active. It is one reason I enjoy tool rehab so much.
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Please visit my website
splintermaking.com
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#14
Jim that vise turned out really, really nice, great job.


Steve
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