I'll be honest, I was just going to play around with your design and see what I could come up with without having to weld anything, as I have no setup or skill in that department, but depending on the final price, I'd be up for one of the knife vices.
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Knife vise interest? Video added
- Thread starter NickWheeler
- Start date
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- May 18, 2009
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- 1,831
Thanks guys.
First off, I wanted to make sure everybody understands I'm not looking to get an absolute commitment from anyone (especially without having a price calculated!), just gauging interest to see if it's something to pursue.
Secondly, what exactly is everybody talking about with the sanding rest? Are we talking about just the "dagger profile" sanding support with drill/tapped holes for support screws? One that would be clamped in a vise? Or the whole she-bang...? Meaning the universal base that bolts to the bench and accepts all the gizmos?
If anybody is thinking of the whole she-bang, I gotta say... I can't really see that being feasible. Just my expense for the plate and schedule 80 pipe would be more than half of you guys would probably want to pay for the finished product,.... LOL
There are already a couple universal knife vises out on the market that most folks think are too expensive, and I can tell you mine would have to cost more than those do. :foot:
Part of the beauty of the handle working vise that's in my OP, is that you use it with a bench vise, so it doesn't require its own real estate plot in your shop.
FWIW- I'm waiting on a couple other steel shops to get back to me so I can figure out what any of this stuff would cost.
Thanks guys!
I just want the dagger platform with drilled/tapped holes...no base.
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2005
- Messages
- 321
Thanks guys.
First off, I wanted to make sure everybody understands I'm not looking to get an absolute commitment from anyone (especially without having a price calculated!), just gauging interest to see if it's something to pursue.
Secondly, what exactly is everybody talking about with the sanding rest? Are we talking about just the "dagger profile" sanding support with drill/tapped holes for support screws? One that would be clamped in a vise? Or the whole she-bang...? Meaning the universal base that bolts to the bench and accepts all the gizmos?
If anybody is thinking of the whole she-bang, I gotta say... I can't really see that being feasible. Just my expense for the plate and schedule 80 pipe would be more than half of you guys would probably want to pay for the finished product,
Part of the beauty of the handle working vise that's in my OP, is that you use it with a bench vise, so it doesn't require its own real estate plot in your shop.
FWIW- I'm waiting on a couple other steel shops to get back to me so I can figure out what any of this stuff would cost.
Thanks guys!
BTW Nick, I think it's really cool that you are doing this, or at least entertaining the idea. Not sure if everyone that is posting (or reading this thread) recognizes it, but I am sure Nick doesn't stand to make tons of $ on this. I didn't see anyone mention it yet , but I think he's more doing it out of a service to the custom knife community, and his way of helping another out. I know we aren't talking costs here, but his time spent making these will be a fraction of what he could make if he spent that time building a custom knife. Doing us a solid... Again, pretty cool and we appreciate it. :thumbup:
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- Aug 27, 2004
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I totally agree. Mr. Wheeler has always been very up-front sharing his knowledge and techniques with other makers. I salute him. One of the "Good-Guys" for sure.
Robert
- Joined
- Dec 3, 1999
- Messages
- 9,437
I don't know what you guys are talking about... these things are going to pay for a second Ferrari...
I threw this video together to explain what my knife vise is. It's a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but I think it will clear up the mud a little bit.
[video=youtube;JpxE9Uu2Svw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxE9Uu2Svw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
I threw this video together to explain what my knife vise is. It's a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but I think it will clear up the mud a little bit.
[video=youtube;JpxE9Uu2Svw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxE9Uu2Svw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
- Messages
- 385
Thanks for the video Nick. I'm in for sure!
Makes me feel better that we both have the same HF vise. When I used it today I wasn't thinking "I need a better vise",
I was thinking " it's good enough for Nick, must be good enough for me"
Makes me feel better that we both have the same HF vise. When I used it today I wasn't thinking "I need a better vise",
I was thinking " it's good enough for Nick, must be good enough for me"
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- Aug 12, 2013
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- 78
E mail sent bro
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- Sep 29, 2009
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- 1,614
Nick just curious I know sometimes a pipe in a standard jaw of a vice can potentially "push down" so to speak if you were to clamp it say lengthwise in the jaws and then get to work. Which I'm assuming what the pipe vice jaws work so well if you have them. Do you see this as being a problem at all if you used it in a standard vice? I like it btw.
Instead of a nut to tighten the blade down have you considered using a device like a bicycle hub quick release. Is that what you mean by a rotating locking lever. They can be incredibly strong and should not be to hard to source economically especially since weight is not a concern.
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- Jun 15, 2006
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- 853
I may be interested in one.
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- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
No... A bicycle quick release skewer is threaded on one end, and cams over on the end after it's been put through the wheel hub. (At least all the ones I've ever been around) I can't think of a way that would work for this...
This is an adjustable clamping/locking lever. I have these on quite a few things in my shop-
Fletch- Are you talking about crushing the pipe? With my 6" Wilton (which is 10 times the vise most folks are gonna have) you could probably crush it some if you really wanted to... but not under normal use.
The rotating head vise is definitely the optimal vise. I keep an eye out for them on CL, because the older ones are built better. The shop that I bought one of my mills and my lathe from had a 30+ year old rotating head vise that was made by Olympia... it had 6" wide jaws, and was nearly as heavily built as my Wilton. I begged the guy to sell it to me, but he never got back to me about it. He probably sold it to the scrap yard.
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I'd be willing to get in on this too! 1 of everything base and gizmos and gadgets!
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- Sep 29, 2009
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Sorry no maybe not really clear, I was referring more to a standard jaw being able to hold it without it wiggling up or down. In other words if you put the clamp horizontal in a standard jaw vice and pushed down on it, is it prone to moving? Sometimes a square jaw on a pipe doesn't grab a whole lot of surface area.
Just as in idea for how you tighten the jaws on the vice I have one I got from Rudy Joly a while back he took a piece of threaded rod and bent it at a 90 degree angle to make a handle this way the you can thread right into the nut and have a built in handle. Although I've seen a lot where he has a "T" handle in them. I hope I'm not infringing on him at all on that. But I really like the idea of how much more you change the position of yours and the different angles you can work at.
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- Dec 3, 1999
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- 9,437
Hi guys-
I was just telling Bob K. that I really didn't expect too much of a response to this... so you guys kind'a threw me for a loop, LOL.
So... I am going to be making some (just don't have an exact time frame yet).
Right now my plan is to make some that are the same size as the one in the video, and also some that will hold a bigger blade. The bigger version would be more of a "one size fits all" type of affair, but will have to cost more and be bigger than many folks would need. It's goofy how much cost difference there is between 2" and 2-1/2" square tubing. :foot:
I want to build some with a bolt, and some with the adjustable lever bolts... as that will help with cost too. I'll just keep them all the same thread size.
So at this point, I've just got a few hang-ups before I can really get on this--- got a couple knives that have to get done first, having a couple issues with the welder, and need to get the rest of the steel. But hopefully I can get through those things fairly soon.
Now back to the questions-
Fletch- sorry, you wrote your post plenty clear, I just misread it. As long as you get a good bite on the fixture with your vise, it won't go anywhere. The first version of this knife fixture I ever saw was one that knife maker Tiny Spencer (RIP) had in his shop in Astoria, OR. He used his with a cheapy 4" bench vise. But I'll be the first to admit that a rotating head vise is the easiest way to lock one of these down with absolute security.
As far as the bolt goes--- A piece of all-thread bent into an L, or a welded T-bolt will certainly work for tightening things down, BUTI don't like it for this application...
The reason being: there are going to be times when you tighten it down, and it IS going to be right in your way. That's why I just use a simple bolt in mine... it's never in my way. One of my older versions had a sliding handle in the bolt (just like a handle in a vise or C-clamp) but the handle was still in my way half of the time.
Something I wanted to add to all of this since people have been talking about the base with all the interchangeable attachments--- I made that as a TIG welding project when I got sent back to school. I really didn't have any desire to have a vise like that, because I have always been so happy with the simple knife vise/fixture in combination with the rotating head vise. But it made for a good class project because there were quite a few weld requirements.
The biggest drawback to a knife vise with a base like that, is you can rotate things in the horizontal and vertical planes, but not anything in between. And it's the in-between where I do most of my hand work!
If a guy wants a complete knife vise with a base like that, then the one that Canadian knife maker/machinist Bob Patrick makes is as nice as they come. His vises are TIG welded and have pool balls for handles. Here's a video of Bob discussing his vise--- it is top of the line.
[video=youtube;q4bgDrB_1gQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bgDrB_1gQ[/video]
I was just telling Bob K. that I really didn't expect too much of a response to this... so you guys kind'a threw me for a loop, LOL.
So... I am going to be making some (just don't have an exact time frame yet
).Right now my plan is to make some that are the same size as the one in the video, and also some that will hold a bigger blade. The bigger version would be more of a "one size fits all" type of affair, but will have to cost more and be bigger than many folks would need. It's goofy how much cost difference there is between 2" and 2-1/2" square tubing. :foot:
I want to build some with a bolt, and some with the adjustable lever bolts... as that will help with cost too. I'll just keep them all the same thread size.
So at this point, I've just got a few hang-ups before I can really get on this--- got a couple knives that have to get done first, having a couple issues with the welder, and need to get the rest of the steel. But hopefully I can get through those things fairly soon.
Now back to the questions-
Fletch- sorry, you wrote your post plenty clear, I just misread it. As long as you get a good bite on the fixture with your vise, it won't go anywhere. The first version of this knife fixture I ever saw was one that knife maker Tiny Spencer (RIP) had in his shop in Astoria, OR. He used his with a cheapy 4" bench vise. But I'll be the first to admit that a rotating head vise is the easiest way to lock one of these down with absolute security.
As far as the bolt goes--- A piece of all-thread bent into an L, or a welded T-bolt will certainly work for tightening things down, BUTI don't like it for this application...
The reason being: there are going to be times when you tighten it down, and it IS going to be right in your way. That's why I just use a simple bolt in mine... it's never in my way. One of my older versions had a sliding handle in the bolt (just like a handle in a vise or C-clamp) but the handle was still in my way half of the time.
Something I wanted to add to all of this since people have been talking about the base with all the interchangeable attachments--- I made that as a TIG welding project when I got sent back to school. I really didn't have any desire to have a vise like that, because I have always been so happy with the simple knife vise/fixture in combination with the rotating head vise. But it made for a good class project because there were quite a few weld requirements.
The biggest drawback to a knife vise with a base like that, is you can rotate things in the horizontal and vertical planes, but not anything in between. And it's the in-between where I do most of my hand work!
If a guy wants a complete knife vise with a base like that, then the one that Canadian knife maker/machinist Bob Patrick makes is as nice as they come. His vises are TIG welded and have pool balls for handles. Here's a video of Bob discussing his vise--- it is top of the line.
[video=youtube;q4bgDrB_1gQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bgDrB_1gQ[/video]
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2013
- Messages
- 183
Nick, did you end up taking orders on the knife vise? I like the use of a pipe to put in the tablr vise over any system I've seen..........I'd certainly be interested.
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2011
- Messages
- 6
Little late to the party but I would be interested in pretty much knife making gadget you were offering.