@ The Bench---Tips and other handy tricks

[Jim Small]

Tim, Tim, Bob and Ron

I am impressed with all the holding fixtures and ideas especially the engraving station Bob spends his days at. I have used about everything know to man and beast for holding knives and firearms. I still have them and still use them.

I remember my first engraveing vise....a bowling ball with 1/3 of it removed with a machinest vise mounted on top. By God it worked and still does! I Evenutally drilled a bunch of 3/4 in. holes in the ball and filled them with lead. You could hang a small cannon in that thing and it wouldn't tilt. I use it now for fileing and sanding.

Tim and I appreciate all the interest in this site and I know more folks out there have great ideas. I am like Tim.....I would like to see more engravers come to this site with good ideas and pass them along. Maybe Tim Herman can get Steve Lindsey to visit.....that would be nice.

Jim

[Bob Sigmon]

Jim,

Just for clarity, I am just posting pics for Tim Adlam. In my wildest dreams I would have a setup like that. Even wilder would be that I would have the talent to use the setup.

You engravers guys are so talented, it is beyond the comprehension on my little pea brain. I just love looking at all of your work! I am hoping that my knifemaking skills will at some time be worthy of placing your engraving on one of my knives.

Bob Sigmon

[Jim Small]

Bob

Maybe what you need to do is get you some engraving stuff and get started. In the next couple of days I'll post my engraving station. This will give you guys an idea of what's going on here.

Bob thanks....and I know time appreciates your help.

Jim

[Bob Sigmon]

Jim,

I've started my accumulation of books and videos. So far I have learned that I have a long way to go just to get started.

I always get lots of info and do lots of reading and watching 8o when I'm getting into something that I know nothing about. With cash being tight like it is, I'll have to slowly accumulate tools and setup. I know just by hanging out here I'm gonna learn tons.

Thanks for taking on being a moderator.

Bob Sigmon

[falconhawk]

I am always searching for new Ideas. Kind of a nut that way I guess. But to the point, I should have, in the near future a "portable" vise stand available for anyone interested. Am waitingon my partner now to evaluate and get the patent apps in.

falconhawk46@hotmail.com

I have a list of ppl who have expressed intrest. If you wish to be added send me an e-mail with your addy on it and as soon as they are available I will sent out notices and price lists.

The design is simular to some of the ideas expressed here but is highly portable.

falconhawk

[Tim Adlam]

Falconhawk,
Sounds like this would be and excellent set-up for those engravers that work at the shows and for people with limited work space. You've peaked my interest! Tim

[Bob Sigmon]

I built this vise a few years back as a stand-up
station vise but also with adaptation to the potters
wheel system for use under the microscope. It starts
off as a stripped-down drill press vise with
replacement jaws made of angle iron. The over-sized
jaw plate is for drilling and tapping holes for
hold-down clamps. Also shown are the add on jaws--one
fixed and the other free to swivel. The tilt
arrangement consists of a trailer hitch ball press- fit
into the lower machined fitting. The locking lever is
located to the side. Below and inside the casing is a
machined solid steel cylinder with a stainless steel
ball bearing press-fit into the bottom axis. I
provided a grease fitting just above the baseplate to
keep things rotating smoothly. The locking lever for
the cylinder has a "captured" internal detent ball
with tension spring that fits into a machined channel
on the side of the steel cylinder.





This has been a useful vise for the really heavy stuff
as well as for regular work. I call it my "Rube
Goldberg vise"! It shows that with a minimal expense
and some ingenuity, you can put together a vise system
and not have to "break the bank" doing it.
Presently it awaits a permanent setting in my soon to
be re-vamped workspace.

Tim

[Jim Small]

Bob, thanks for the photos.......

Tim I like the set up. Look like you could hang some heavy stuff off that vise set up......

This will be a great help to someone who wants to build their own vise.

JIM

[falconhawk]

WOW! Now that is what I call a vise, Bob.

Is that for engraving battleships or what????

Design looks great and looks like it will withstand just about anything you could ever need to use it for too. Good Job.

Falconhawk

[Tim Adlam]

I don't think I could clamp a battleship---frigate maybe?
Never really tested it's limitations. I always wanted one of those stand-up vises the Italian engravers use. I can't resist just one more vice--- ----I mean vise!
Tim

[Cwax]

i use a plastic used in the medical field to apply it you boil water and it goes into a soft wokable stage comes of the same way and is very strong i use it alot on very fine jewelry and for engraving :cool:

[Don Cowles]

Just a tip- this plastic is sold in craft stores under the trade name "Friendly Plastic", in about 1" x 3" x 1/16" multicolored/patterned strips. Cheap, handy, and very workable.

[Owen]

I used to line the jaws of my ball with leather but when I was doing trade work I had to replace the leather every couple of weeks...........So I went to the shoe repair guy and got some thick neoprene half soles cut a piece for each jaw. That was 17 years a go and they have not been changed!-and continue to work well without marring even 18 and 22K gold