Review knife holding vise

[12345678910]

That’s a South African phone number, most international numbers look different like that and it’s very easy to tell what country by the first two digits, literally a one minute google search to see where the area code is for.

My google searches gave me nothing.

 

[JamesBro]

My google searches gave me nothing.

Try Bryce vice

 

[AVigil]

This is what I use for $40

 

[Natlek]

For me personally, I think I would rather spend my time making knives, instead of making vises or any other tool I can buy reasonably enough. That Bryce Vice looks like the cats whiskers.

Of course, everyone has the right to spend their money and time as they wish. But then i see many new knife maker come here asking question about grinders , milling machines ,drill press , heat treat ovens .................They spend lot of money and many of them disappear from here in short time ....when they realize that the /nice looking / tool does not make a knife.That 4000 $ worth grinder don t grind perfect bevels alone ..... Then I see grinders and other tools of Real big name knife makers ......assembled of pieces of steel here and there .....and they have full book of orders for next three years ......For me personally , I think I would spend half hour to make that vise which will cost one buck and do same job as that from 300 $ ............I don t think that if i spend that half hour working on knife I will finish 300 dollars worth knife ............

My best looking tool does everything i want ............maybe I need to improve it , to glue some leather on walnut ?

 

[DustinY]

Of course, everyone has the right to spend their money and time as they wish. But then i see many new knife maker come here asking question about grinders , milling machines ,drill press , heat treat ovens .................They spend lot of money and many of them disappear from here in short time ....when they realize that the /nice looking / tool does not make a knife.That 4000 $ worth grinder don t grind perfect bevels alone ..... Then I see grinders and other tools of Real big name knife makers ......assembled of pieces of steel here and there .....and they have full book of orders for next three years ......For me personally , I think I would spend half hour to make that vise which will cost one buck and do same job as that from 300 $ ............I don t think that if i spend that half hour working on knife I will finish 300 dollars worth knife ............

My best looking tool does everything i want ............maybe I need to improve it , to glue some leather on walnut ?

Interesting write up, and i 100% agree with what you said. I was that newbie at one point that purchased a TW-90 right off the back. 3000 and some change gone in a flash. I also tend to be on the "Buy once, cry once" side, as i've bought cheap, and had to buy multiple more times before i learned my lesson (knife scribe is a good one that i think of, bought a bunch that worked semi okay, then i just bit the bullet and got a height gauge that wasn't to spendy, but boy does it make making layout lines a breeze).

On your vice though, i got you beat in rotational and movement changes, and it seems you're fixed on the Z axis. I wonder over the life of making 1000 knives what the time saving difference factors into, especially given at the start i'm up 30 minutes I simply turn a knob, flip, move, angle, and you have to undo, and redo a vice each time.

Last note, the jaws on mine are padded with a rubber, i'll get better pictures and try to get a video of how lovely everything swivels, quite a tool honestly. That's part of the fun for me, good quality tools. Hopefully will be adding a surface grinder and mill soon.

 

[Natlek]

I

On your vice though, i got you beat in rotational and movement changes, and it seems you're fixed on the Z axis. I wonder over the life of making 1000 knives what the time saving difference factors into, especially given at the start i'm up 30 minutes I simply turn a knob, flip, move, angle, and you have to undo, and redo a vice each time.

Last note, the jaws on mine are padded with a rubber, i'll get better pictures and try to get a video of how lovely everything swivels, quite a tool honestly. That's part of the fun for me, good quality tools. Hopefully will be adding a surface grinder and mill soon.

My vice......... I don t remember when last time I used it .I make it when i was new in this hobby .... I learn to finish handles 99% on my grinders and disk sanders .Yes i have only one 360 degree axis movement .And I use one bolt to change position , not visible on pictures ..it is from back side .BUT that is all i need .If I want zillion other axis i would do that ..............but I will need maybe 15 additional minutes for that , time is money
Quality tools ...yes i like them to.In my real job/auto/bike service / I have best tools money can buy .BUT also I fabricated many tools .Why I should spend money on something I can make even I can afford to buy them ?
Never mind , we are off topic now.............i like that Bruce vice , look so cool

PS. my vice have springs on one jaw ...so it open automatically

 

[DustinY]

My vice......... I don t remember when last time I used it .I make it when i was new in this hobby .... I learn to finish handles 99% on my grinders and disk sanders .Yes i have only one 360 degree axis movement .And I use one bolt to change position , not visible on pictures ..it is from back side .BUT that is all i need .If I want zillion other axis i would do that ..............but I will need maybe 15 additional minutes for that , time is money
Quality tools ...yes i like them to.In my real job/auto/bike service / I have best tools money can buy .BUT also I fabricated many tools .Why I should spend money on something I can make even I can afford to buy them ?
Never mind , we are off topic now.............i like that Bruce vice , look so cool

PS. my vice have springs on one jaw ...so it open automatically

Ahh, hiding hidden features on us! The Bryce vice has spring loaded jaws too, excellent idea

 

[Natlek]

Ahh, hiding hidden features on us! The Bryce vice has spring loaded jaws too, excellent idea

Wait , is not over .....I have another ace up my sleeve and I can bet that you would like it Here is the reason why I used square tube Can that 300 $ vice do this

Ok , just to clear my position here ...I like tools , if they look cool better . There are tools we need but they will not improve quality of my work and tools which will help me to make better knife .Simple like that .This 300 $ vice or any other vice of this kind will not improve quality of my work so i don t see any reason to pay TOP price just for cool look

 

[Natlek]

Thanks for sharing, I've been wanting to get one, will soon!

Pics would be nice

I like it

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I have had many different knife vises. Some were homemade, Some were fancy machine shop gadgets and had levers to tighten in position, others were simple and made from PVC and bungee cord. All did the same task. The one I used for a long time before giving it to Steve was a double pipe sleeve type with billiard balls as the locking bolt grips. It was somewhat similar to the one in the post above.

The only advice I have to offer is that it needs to be mounted soit is sturdy and does not wiggle. A second good feature is either sufficient length to encase the entire blade, or some sort of safety shield so you can't accidentally poke yourself with the exposed tip behind the vise (don't ask how I know about this).

 

[Natlek]

I have had many different knife vises. Some were homemade, Some were fancy machine shop gadgets and had levers to tighten in position, others were simple and made from PVC and bungee cord. All did the same task. The one I used for a long time before giving it to Steve was a double pipe sleeve type with billiard balls as the locking bolt grips. It was somewhat similar to the one in the post above.

The only advice I have to offer is that it needs to be mounted soit is sturdy and does not wiggle. A second good feature is either sufficient length to encase the entire blade, or some sort of safety shield so you can't accidentally poke yourself with the exposed tip behind the vise (don't ask how I know about this).

I can't imagine any situation why I needed a vertical position on vice like this ? I accidentally noticed that in this big bronze bushing fit perfectly this ball bearing part ....If I want that vertical position i will need this big /cut off / bearing and to drill hole on end like on pictures so vice can rotate in vertical position to.Without vertical movement i m almost done with this new vice ? There was race for balls on this part so with that two bolt I can adjust free spinning 360 Degree around axis which i think is good for some task ,actually that is reason why i would make this knife vice .... looking better this time , DustinY

 

[Jrmysell]

I have one similar to Natlek that I made. It's just a vice with the double head (one flat, one for pipe) with a black metal pipe screwed to a flange that is then welded to square tubing. The vice head rotates 360 around the base and the head rotates 360. The pipe part can then also rotate 360 so I have all 3 axis covered for 360 degrees. drilled 2 holes in the top of the square tubing, welded a nut onto each hole (could have just tapped them, but a nut is thicker), and a bolt with a plastic handle goes into each one. Took a piece of micarta, cut in half for 2 pieces and glued a piece of leather to each and took another piece and left it long. The blade can be held by the 2 shorter pieces in the square tubing or the handle can go in and the longer piece sticks out for hand sanding the blade similar to Nick Wheeler's set up.

 

[Natlek]

I forget about my new knife vice