Odd "Home-brew" ball vise on ebay
- Thread starter Gordon
- Start date
"stuff" like that may surprize you. might work very well. or may need a great deal of tlc. one way to finf out, take a chance if it's reasonably priced. i've seen quite a few home brewed ones. none xactly like this one.
i bought that brutal ball vise. so far i have only made my own vises out of necessity and lack of funds for factory made items. i made one from a 16lb shot put. no bearing in it. then i made a 35lb one out of a milling ball. still no bearing in it. all this was fine because i was only using hammer and chisel. but then i started using a push graver.....then i made one out of an 8lb shot put WITH a bearing in it....then i started to realize that this was important. especially for the air graver. i had in mind that i would go back and install a bearing/turntable on the medium ball(i have a small machine shop in the basement....) but a bunch of projects in the que before i can get to it. i also have a shotgun i need to do soon so i saw this ball vise and jumped in....
if any of you know about machine work and it's history, you know that most apprentices would make their own tools and many machinists would continue to make what they needed as they needed them.....i collect some of these tools for posterity. so this ball vise was a perfect fit for my collection. shame that the maker never put his name or date on it.....
it sat for many years as i was able to discern from oxidation marks in the race for the bearing. the bearing itself was not very good either. just a bad design. so i ordered some extra loose ball bearings for a job i'm doing and installed them. now it turns like butter. crudely made, yes. but quite functional. the screw and vise jaws are nicely done. i might make a new set of jaws or an attachment that would screw in place of the removable vice jaw inserts.
all in all, a perfect fit for me. i have been using it quite a bit already.
if any of you know about machine work and it's history, you know that most apprentices would make their own tools and many machinists would continue to make what they needed as they needed them.....i collect some of these tools for posterity. so this ball vise was a perfect fit for my collection. shame that the maker never put his name or date on it.....
it sat for many years as i was able to discern from oxidation marks in the race for the bearing. the bearing itself was not very good either. just a bad design. so i ordered some extra loose ball bearings for a job i'm doing and installed them. now it turns like butter. crudely made, yes. but quite functional. the screw and vise jaws are nicely done. i might make a new set of jaws or an attachment that would screw in place of the removable vice jaw inserts.
all in all, a perfect fit for me. i have been using it quite a bit already.
Jonathan.Silas
Elite Cafe Member
I love seeing shop made tools and jigs, seeing the different ways people come up with addressing a problem.
i have a pedal steel that was completely hand made. only using a drill press, hacksaw and file. i did not realize it when i bought it(online pictures only). really quite amazing. but the guy's welding skills underneath were a bit lacking. i decided to re-jigger the thing to meet my requirements. it's been an on and off project for about 10 years. i really should finish it because i am sooooo close. i even took some time to engrave the endplates a few years ago.......here's a pic(ashamed really)
....guess what it looks like......
....guess what it looks like......JMiller
Elite Cafe Member
A owl
Leland Davis
Elite Cafe Member
troutbox. I like the ball vice. Polishing metal is part of engraving now you have something to practice on,if you can make that shine a gun should be no problem.
Leland
Leland
Gordon
Member
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- Jul 15, 2009
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- 49
I made my living playing pedal steel for 45 years.
Gordon
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- 49
I worked for a whole lot of folks: Dottie West, Paul Simon, Arlo Guthrie, to name a couple of the better-known folks. Early on (Early '70's) I used a Marlen S-10. In '78, I had an Emmons D-10 built for me that I still have and play to this day. At one point, another Emmons D-10...I was doing a huge amount of recording sessions in NYC for the Jingle business, so if I had to back to back sessions at different studios, I'd have Studio Instrument Rentals deliver my second steel to the second studio, and come packup and retrieve my 1st steel from the first place. There was so much work in NYC between about 1977~1990 that you would often do 8-12 sessions a week. ...then, it pretty much dried up for pedal steel...at least in NYC. Good times, good times.
Gordon
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- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 49
"...do you know john widgren?"
Yes. Very early on, Widgren was a "sometimes" student of mine. He's a really fine player (as well as being a great guy and an Emmon's set-up, restore wizard). Just to give you an idea...I had him substitute for me on Broadway in Paul Simon's show: The Capeman. On Broadway.... you are 100% responsible for your sub's performance.... as in if they screw up....YOU are the one who gets screwed! John did a great job. We've swapped gigs back & forth when one of us was unavailable for over 30 years now. Yep...I know John well.
i've known john for 39 years. he is very responsible for me playing music in the first place. but not the pedal steel, oddly enough. i used to own his old black d-10 before i switched to a uni12.
small world.
but as steven wright says....."it's a small world,.....but i'd hate to paint it."
small world.
but as steven wright says....."it's a small world,.....but i'd hate to paint it."
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JOEYS CARVED ART
Elite Cafe Member
I like the vise, someone did a nice job building it. I build / make a large percent of the tools I use.
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