ideas for stand-up vise set up

[KSnyder]

Hello everyone,
I'm engraving some ml barrels now & these are long! Most of the time the barrel is too long to get complete rotation on my sit down set up.I prefer to do this work standing up with hmr & chsl and would like some input on the types of stand-up vises you guys came up with. Right now I mounted a vise to the edge of my bench but cant get enough "swing" there either. I need somethin' better.I don't need anything elaborate just something that works. For this project I have a large engraving ball and a couple machinists vises of which I can use either or.
Help!
Kent

 

[KCSteve]

Sounds like you need a pedestal that's sturdy enough to hold the vise + work and stable enough not to tip over.

If you don't have something around to fit the bill and want to bang some wood together you could do it with a couple of chunks of plywood and some 2x4's (yes, I have a lot of things made this way around my house ). Cut the 2x4's at about a 15 degree angle with the ends parallel. Allow for the slant in setting your height (don't forget the height of the vise). Attach them securely to the bottom of a piece of plywood to be the 'top' of your pedestal and then make the bottom just big enough to catch all four (sure, you could calculate the proper size based on the spread but I'd just set it down and mark the corners). Bolt / screw / nail / glue on the bottom and you're all set. If you've got power tools (and they're all working) you can probably knock it together in a half hour or so, depending on your level of skill and available tools. If it still doesn't seem steady enough just pile weight on the bottom plate to hold it down.

One nice thing about rigs like this is that you have no compunction against making holes to bolt things down or other 'mutilation'.

 

[Bama]

Hi Kent

I have the same problem. I have been doing mine standing up at my bench vise which does turn 360 deg except for the barrel hitting the wall. I have been thinking about making a 12" wide bench that would stick out from my regular bench approx. 3' and mount a vice on the end. This would allow you to be able to get a full 360 rotation plus be able to access both sides of the rifle without removing it from the vise. I first saw this setup when I visited Frank Bartlett's shop about 10 years ago and like it a lot. I now have the room to do this and will probably will do so in the near future. The only problem is if you use this to do rifle work you have to have a additional independant support stand to help support the rifle if you are grabbing it close to the muzzle or down close to the butt, the free end will need the extra support. I don't think that is to bad if it will help keep me from having to take the rifle out of the vise constantly to turn it around.

 

[pierre]

hi for engrave a barell you must simply have 31inches between the center of the jaws and other surfaces (wall) you can see my two vices for exemple . In italy they have the same vice that you use and they just lay it on a peace of wood on a corner of the workbench
sincerly Pierre

 

[JJ Roberts]

Kent,
I use a pedestal that I have been using for over 30 years. It consists of four 2x6..39" high..filled with concrete..the vise is 45lbs. made by Ray Letourneau..The pedestal and the vise sit in the middle of the floor under florescent lights. I can work on any size barrels. I like it because I can work around it and do a scroll in one pass without stopping. I also have another pededstal with a small bench vise which turns 360 degrees with a support system. Hope this will be of help to you and others.

Yours truly,
JJ Roberts
School of Artistic Engraving
Manassas, VA

 

[pierre]

quick drawing of an italian method

 

[Santo]

Pierre, I am curious about your vise. What kind is it? Are they only available in Italy? How might I find one? And -- are you in France or Italy? If Italy what part, I have family in Milano and good friends in Toscana (Luca) Thanks

Santo

 

[pierre]

dear Santo if i was Hercules Poirot, I'll said from Brussels not Paris from Brussels but I'm not and i'm living in Liège city in Begium. You can see 2 different vises the first is a little vise that we fix on a turning sole, when it turn, the center of the jaws make a elliptical movement. It's a common vise used in fn workshop during 1970.
The other one is really interesting, the FN had making for the masters engravers 5 vises like it. the vise is mounted on a sphérical sole and the 2 jaws are movable. the center is always at the same place in a 360° movement. the vise is only laying on the bench, it's very heavy about 160Kg because the sphérical sol is in one peace.
I think that's possible to make the first one easily but for the second one you have to find one of the fourth over.
I have the second one since 6 months but it's difficult to use because it' s a really enormous vise. I use also a small vise like you when i work with a push hand chisel but normally i work stand by .
sincerly Pierre Dôme

 

[Santo]

Msr Pierre,
Fogive me -- I am geographically challenged without a map. My excuse is that my main reference is the Tour de France so everything runs together for me and I don't think enough to realize that these are other countries involved, how rude of me. You ofter refer to Italy or the Italians which makes curious to your connection with Italy.

Can you give me more information on the large vice you have? Where might they be abailable? What is the FN you refer to? It really is an interesting vice. If you haven't noticed, I am really taken by it. Thank you for your patience Pierre

Might anyone else know anything about the large vice Pierre uses?


Santo

 

[KSnyder]

Thanks men,
Lots of good suggestions, JJ, I like the looks of your set up and I have the room also.
Bama, the last barrel I did was a Jaeger barrel 31" and it almost could rotate 360 deg., I'm gonna make a dedicated stand up pedestal.
Pierre, thanks for the drawing.
Kent

 

[Dave London]

Santo
I will try to help out here, I believe that FN stands for Fabrique National a world famous gun mfg. Also the vice that you and many others lust for is one of six made by FN for thier engraving shop. Hope that this is correct and is of help. Dave

 

[Santo]

thanks Dave. I appreciate it.

Santo

 

[pierre]

hello mr Santo like mr Dave said, fn is fabrique nationale a governement factory who was created earlier in the 20 centurys. you can see a first image of the factory at it's best now they have about 4000 workers.
the vise come from the fn engraving place you can see one of the vise like me on the right they were only 5 or six like this and they throw 2 in the bin when they lost the place.I don't know where are the others one.
you can see a master engraver who used the vise on the third picture.
all of the pictures comes from the book (the browning superposed john M. Browning's last legacy from ned schwing) sincerly P dôme

 

[KSnyder]

Yep, nobody is sitting down & nobody is using magnification, at least I dont see any .
simply amazing.
great photos.
Kent

 

[Tom Curran]

Ray LeTourneau makes a big ball vise, about 40 lbs. I just bought one of his. It's a super quality vise. The jaws are super sturdy, deep, and open quite wide. Comes with removable top jaws. He makes them up in batches of four at a time.

Ray said he makes a larger ball vise on special order.

Ray leTourneau 503 397 6228
PO Box 202, St Helens, OR 97051

 

[monk]

pierre: the large vice is a beauty. i'd surely love to have one like that. you're lucky to have that. it's not too heavy, you simply need to hire an assistant to turn it for you !

 

[monk]

i'm not sure i would like to have worked in that engraving shop; looked like too many guys walking around pestering people !

 

[thekoabenchgoldsmith]

Aloha Pierre,
Where do you get a vise like that????

Man, I want one.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Aloha,
Robert Booth
The Koa Bench Goldsmith

 

[Tom Curran]

That spherical vise base looks like the pumpkin on my old '86 Toyota truck. Hmm.