How to make a cheap alternative to shop bought engraving vices.
The parts: From left to right: Wooden base with leather lined hollow
(traditionally a leather bag filled with sand is used as base for the vice).
Base with pivot stud, bolt for closing the jaws, jaw with slots for bolt and
nut, Round bar that fits the slot in the jaw, with threaded hole. Two bolts for
securing the fixed jaw to the turning plate. Fixed jaw.
In front is the turning plate with large pivot stud hole and two rows of
threaded holes for securing the fixed jaw.
In this picture you can see the vice assembled. The round bar in the hole in
the loose jaw allows the jaw to pivot, making it easier to fit hold shaped
pieces. An additional feature to consider is drilling a series of blind holes
into the top of each jaw, into which one may fit various pegs and loose jaws.
(for holding delicate pieces some of these pegs may be covered with thin rubber
hose)
The vice with practise plate firmly held in the jaws.
Materials needed:
A hollow steel ball or preferably half a ball or bowl made of plate that is at
least 2mm thick. The diameter of the ball should be at least 4 inches (100mm)
Two pieces of 20 or 25mm steel plate that will cover the bowl.
Enough lead to fill the bowl.
A piece of 20 or 25 mm round bar for the stud pivot and the threaded jaw pin
(Use a piece of rod that is the same size as your largest drill bit.)
A piece of round bar, about 50mm long, with diameter of 60 to 80mm
A large bolt and two smaller bolts with Allen key heads
I found all the materials except for the three bolts at my local junkyard.
Tools needed:
Drill press, welding machine, angle grinder, disk grinder
Drills for clearance holes, drills for tapping holes, drills for sinking the
bolt heads. (sized according the bolts you are using)
Taps for cutting thread.
Some sandpaper or shop roll,
Method:
Mark the bowl on the two thick plates and rough cut to size. Mark the centre of
each and drill the pivot hole.
Cut the pivot pin and make sure it fits both holes. You might need to sand it a
bit using a length of shop roll
Weld the thicker of the two plates to the bowl’s opening. Finish the weld and
the edge of the plate flush with the bowl.
Place the bowl in a bucket filled with sand, check that its top surface is
level.
Melt the lead and fill the bowl through the pivot hole.
When the lead has cooled down, drill the pivot hole clean using the same drill
as previously used,
Fit the pivot pin in the hole, lightly hammer it into the lead.
Fit the top plate over the pin and finish the top of the pin flush with the
surface.
Split the thick round bar down the middle with the angle grinder. These will
become the two jaws.
Grind the bottom of the jaws flat and true. Mark the top parallel with the
bottoms using jenny callipers or a height gauge.
Grind the tops to the marked lines, grind the jaw faces square with the bottom
of the jaws
Mark and drill the clearance holes for the bolts in what will be the fixed jaw.
Use the tapping drill for the two holes that will clamp the jaw to the loose
plate. (Use a drill press with a table that is true and at 90 deg to the drill
bit)
Drill the holes larger to fit the bolt heads. (Do not drill to deep!)
Mark two rows of holes on the loose plate, drill to tapping size for the bolts
you are using. (Drill through the fixed jaw to ensure that they line up, using a
spare dill bit inserted upside down in the one hole to ensure that both holes
will match up.)
Drill the holes in the jaw to clearance size for the bolts after drilling the
two rows of holes into the loose plate.
Tap the jaw fixing holes in the loose plate.
Weld a piece of flat bar to the middle of the round back of the loose jaw. The
piece should be vertical.
Mark the placement of the hole for the threaded jaw pin so part of the hole will
be drilled into the flat bar. (The flat bar prevents the drill bit from
grabbing.)
Drill the pivot pin hole in the jaw and grind off the piece of flat bar.
Clamp the two jaws together and mark the hole for the large bolt on the face of
the loose jaw.
Drill a hole as marked, Put a piece of round bar in the hole and weld it to the
jaw. Tilt the jaw in the drill vice and drill another hole that overlaps the
first, The hole should exit at the same place as the first, in the centre of the
pivot pin. Fill this hole with a piece of round bar, weld, tilt, drill. Continue
until you have a Vee slot with the narrow end of the Vee at the pivot pin, and
the wide part of the Vee at the jaw face.
Grind the welded spots off the rod ends and knock the rods out.
Finish the inside of the vee with files.
Mark and drill the jaw pivot pin to tapping size,
Tap the hole in the jaw pivot pin, and cut the pin to length.
Assemble and enjoy!
This page was last updated on:
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
