Trying to build a knife vise...

Ron Raducanu

Ron Raducanu

Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
4,792
Hello all!
Brand new to this forum and knife making, so forgive some potentially silly newbie questions.

I'm trying to build the knife vise in this YT, but can't find the piping or wood dowel anywhere. I've only looked at local hardware stores and the big box stores and no one sells the metal piping nor the wood dowels. Any idea where I can find these materials? Thanks for any help!

 
I do not mean for this to come across rude. If you don’t know where to find metal piping or a wooden dowel do you have the tools/experience to cut and tap metal? Two slabs of wood and a vise can work as a vise as well. There was a thread not long ago on diy knife vises if you do some searching.
 
ChristoDart said:
...do you have the tools/experience to cut and tap metal?
Click to expand...

Yes, I do. I am new to knife making, but not to working with steel and wood. I've never had a reason to search out these particular materials. Most of what I've needed in the past is available in big box stores or my local Mom and Pop hardware store. I was actually thinking about use PVC piping, but realized that with the wear and tear of what I need the piping for, it would likely crack quite quickly.

Do you happen to have any advice on where I can find these materials?
 
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Ron Raducanu said:
Hello all!
Brand new to this forum and knife making, so forgive some potentially silly newbie questions.

I'm trying to build the knife vise in this YT, but can't find the piping or wood dowel anywhere. I've only looked at local hardware stores and the big box stores and no one sells the metal piping nor the wood dowels. Any idea where I can find these materials? Thanks for any help!

Click to expand...


awRRGX0.png
 
You can visit your local steel scrap yard and you might luck out. Otherwise you can always order from ebay. I find square tubing easier for knife vise than round pipe. With square tube you only need rectangle blocks of wood rather than trying to work up round pieces of wood. The vise works the same with either.

Since you work with wood 'n metal, I'm expecting you have a way to weld the metal? Use Natlek's drawing on how to attach the square tube to a rear bracket for rotating.
 
Ken H> said:
You can visit your local steel scrap yard and you might luck out. Otherwise you can always order from ebay. I find square tubing easier for knife vise than round pipe. With square tube you only need rectangle blocks of wood rather than trying to work up round pieces of wood. The vise works the same with either.

Since you work with wood 'n metal, I'm expecting you have a way to weld the metal? Use Natlek's drawing on how to attach the square tube to a rear bracket for rotating.
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Thanks!

Hmmm...square might be the way to go. Way easier to find. I suck at welding. One of my goals with all this is to improve on that. I'm more used to cutting, tapping, using nuts and bolts and fasteners. Welding is a significant weak point.
 
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A quick search on scrap and metal yards near Cherry Hill, NJ reveals some options. I've always found my local metal suppliers to be cheaper than online sources.

Edit to say regarding welding, you just gotta do it. I'm terrible at it but my welds do hold. Just took a few tries to get there. It's easy to learn welding but hard to be good at it!
 
I use square tube on the outside and round for the inner. That way I can clamp it to my workbench.
Inside the round are two planks that I roughly ground to shape
 
N.W. Gean said:
A quick search on scrap and metal yards near Cherry Hill, NJ reveals some options. I've always found my local metal suppliers to be cheaper than online sources.

Edit to say regarding welding, you just gotta do it. I'm terrible at it but my welds do hold. Just took a few tries to get there. It's easy to learn welding but hard to be good at it!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear you about the welding. I called 4 scrap yards before posting, and they all said they deal mostly with auto parts. Not so much industrial. I'm going to start looking in the Philly area a bit more as there is a navy yard there. Still looking to see if there are any others around.
 
These are my very simple knife vises. They are meant to be used in a pipe vise which allows for working on knives in just about any imaginable orientation. This is the best setup for me as I can store the knife vises when not in use and just use the pipe vise for general work. Hey, no welding jokes! I'm no professional welder.

The first one is for smaller knives. It's just a simple steel tube with some wood blocks shaped to fit the tube. Notice the small screw at the far end to keep the blocks from turning inside the tube.

9BzcJFj.jpg


nCaDuwc.jpg


eLLaHdW.jpg


The larger of the two is for big blades that are too long or wide for the smaller vise. This one is a two tube arrangement using a round tube which mounts in the pipe vise so it can be turned in any direction and a square tube which uses rectangular wood blocks so you don't need to do any round shaping. The bolt can be tightened with anything that fits through the hole in contrast to the small vise that needs a wrench. You can use bolts with handles if you want.

L5Qktjw.jpg


xefqGQn.jpg


8jjoEv0.jpg


7dXsUiM.jpg


Both vises require minor welding. You aren't far from me. I can help you with the welding/fabricating if you need.
 
Your local big box store should almost certainly have some sch40 steel pipe in 1-1/2" to 2" sizes, which looks to be about what's being used in the video. As for the wood dowel, a closet pole should be a pretty close fit.
 
I used 2½ galvanized pipe. I didn't find it at the box store, but I got a 12" nipple from an electric supply store. I threaded the galvanized and used a couple of ¼x20 bolts with plastic handles. Used an 1¼ closet rod inside the pipe with a small piece of leftover 1084 screwed to the wood to protect the wood from the screws.
 
FWIW Home Depo Cherry Hill -2”x48” dowels in stock, Home Depo Lawnside- 2”x12” black pipe nipples in stock, according to their website
 
wkfl said:
FWIW Home Depo Cherry Hill -2”x48” dowels in stock, Home Depo Lawnside- 2”x12” black pipe nipples in stock, according to their website
Click to expand...

Those are where I shop! I didn't see anything like that when I was there recently, but I'll check again. Thanks!
 
i4Marc said:
These are my very simple knife vises. They are meant to be used in a pipe vise which allows for working on knives in just about any imaginable orientation. This is the best setup for me as I can store the knife vises when not in use and just use the pipe vise for general work. Hey, no welding jokes! I'm no professional welder.

The first one is for smaller knives. It's just a simple steel tube with some wood blocks shaped to fit the tube. Notice the small screw at the far end to keep the blocks from turning inside the tube.

9BzcJFj.jpg


nCaDuwc.jpg


eLLaHdW.jpg


The larger of the two is for big blades that are too long or wide for the smaller vise. This one is a two tube arrangement using a round tube which mounts in the pipe vise so it can be turned in any direction and a square tube which uses rectangular wood blocks so you don't need to do any round shaping. The bolt can be tightened with anything that fits through the hole in contrast to the small vise that needs a wrench. You can use bolts with handles if you want.

L5Qktjw.jpg


xefqGQn.jpg


8jjoEv0.jpg


7dXsUiM.jpg


Both vises require minor welding. You aren't far from me. I can help you with the welding/fabricating if you need.
Click to expand...

Thank you kindly! I may take you up on that!
 
wkfl said:
They say 9 dowels at aisle 21, bay 013
5 nipples aisle 55, bay 017.
Click to expand...
Isn't the internet an amazing thing? Many times it's easier to look up online before even going to store so you know exactly where it's at. Other times I've purchased online to let wife pick up at counter while she's out running her errands.
 
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