Large Carving Vise

[millhoused]

I made a large carving vise and thought I would share it with you kind folks. You can see it at www.picturetrail.com/millhoused
Almost all of it was made from items laying around the shop. The only part I had to buy was a press screw for $16.89.
The description of the first picture has the vendor and sku if you want to make one yourself.

Makin' firewood,
Don

Hey Don thanks for sharing the pics, looks like a nice set up.
I have been planning on building a similar vice for awhile. Looks in the pics like the bottom adjusts with a large dowel inserted in the main post? looks like a simple solution if I am seeing it right. Thanks again.

Dave

[millhoused]

Hi Dave,
You are exactly right. I used a 1' dowell. It goes through the two 4x4's that make the shelf for the carving and through the 4x4 that makes up the bulk of the vice. I drilled a hole every 6'. Since the press screw adjusts 8' I can accommodate any carving from 6' through 42'.

[colin_partridge]

Don,
Again this board is just the greatest. Unique looking vice, boy just the thing that I need in my shop would sure beat putting it on a saw horse to carve like I usually do. Any chance of you giving us a description of how to build it you dont have to go into great detail we can see by the pictures how it goes together just a description of the materials needed I just love it.
Colin

[millhoused]

Colin I'd be glad to.
I started with a 4x4 and cut it 48' long. I attached the press screw in another piece of 4x4 by drilling a 1' hole and mounting the press. I attached the press to the main post with 4 lag screws.
The support for the main post is two pieces of 2x6 attached with a spare hinge from the junk box.
I cut a notch in the end of the 2x6's with the band saw to accept the main post and fastened it with screws.
I bolted the whole thing to the bench with a couple of lag bolts.
The adjustment is done by drilling 1' holes down the center of the main post at 6' intervals. The shelf is two pieces of 4x4 screwed together and drilled for a 1' dowell. That pretty much covers it.
You can see the beginning of a cigar store indian in the pictures.

Makin' firewood,
Don

[AlArchie]

lOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING i MIGHT TRY, dON, ON THE NEXT LARGE CARVING i TRY. Sorry, didn't mean to shout; big thumbs hittin' too many keys at once.

Thanks for posting this.

Al

[Callynne]

* * Don, that is terrific. *You found a very practical and inexpensive way to handle the vise problem. *Have to get my hubby back here to check out your pictures. *Thanks a lot! *Callynne

[Bandaid]

Looks like a very functional addition to your shop Don. Good job! I like the idea of having the carving at a level where you're not bent over the bench all the time. Should be a lot easier on the back.
I notice in the background of one of your pics. that you also made a smaller holder similar to one that was shown in WCI some time ago. Maybe you could show us a picture of it some time. I've been thinking of putting one of them together and was wondering if you find it to be a usefull jig...Reg.

[AlArchie]

Bandaid, I've built and used one of those pipe fixture vices, and it works quite well. I mounted mine on an oak 1x6x12 that I can clamp to the workbench. I couldn't find that cast iron threaded handle they recomended and substituted a black plastic threaded knob (mistake) the threaded nut puled out of the knob when tightened snugly, so now I just have a 3/8 nut that I tighten with a wrench, but I'll order one of the cast handles one of these days. I also filed detents on the inside of the pipe fitting where the eyebolt snugs up, to make sure the thing didn't turn under pressure. Filed those in every 30 degrees (roughly). Also found that the eyebolt tended to pull apart at the closure point, so I brazed that up; no more pulling apart. The brazing was handled easily enough with a propane torch and didn't require any acetyline torch work. I did use a couple firebricks to contain the heat of the torch, but it worked out really well.

For large carvings, I've used a 4' pipe flange and just epoxied it onto the threaded end of a pipe nipple to keep the flange fron turning on the threads. You could use whatever lenghth you want for that I guess, but I used a 6' nipple.

Al

[millhoused]

Lynn Diel is the author that created the smaller inexpensive vise. His web site is at http://216.106.57.170/~dielle/designs.html
He has complete plans for the one I copied and also a larger version.

Thanks,
Don