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Thread: It Spins!

  1. #1

    It Spins!



    I went with Lake Erie Toolworks screw and Jim Ritter's chain - basic kits for both. End result exceeded my expectations. Here are a few interesting details for someone building similar:

    • Chain is hidden in a groove in back of the leg - looks clean and won't mar project parts you leave on the shelf.
    • Parallel glide is below the shelf. It slides on a urethane wheel which I harvested from this caster and mounted it onto this 6mm shaft (a perfect fit, and 1/4" won't work). This shaft is hardened, so after wearing out a hacksaw blade, I used a rotary tool with cutoff disc with much better results.
    • Handle is permanently centered in the hub - required if you want to spin it. 12" handle is more than long enough and doesn't get in the way. I would guess 10" and maybe even 8" would be OK too. I stuffed some metal inside handle caps to give it extra oomph. It travels 8" if you spin it right, down to 2" if you just give it a very sloppy slap. The only time you need to turn the handle is to tighten or release.


    End result is a very smooth vise that spins like a popular metal-screwed leg vise at about half the cost (if you make your own handle and garter) and to me looks a lot sweeter. The secret to making it spin is that the screw has to be on the same axis as the nut as any amount of binding will sap the energy. The easiest way to make that happen is to mount the nut as the last step, so you can make the screw exactly parallel to bench top. You don't need a special contraption to measure parallel - the way you will know it is the sweet spot is that when you look where screw meets the garter, you should see that it leaves same-sized light gap all around (the garter will be ever so thinner than the groove, and you'll see a gap around it).

    IMG_0674.jpg IMG_0675.jpg IMG_0676.jpg IMG_0678.jpg IMG_0679.jpg IMG_0681.jpg IMG_0682.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    Mid coast Maine
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    Sweet installation Marco, well done. Enjoy it.
    Jim
    Ancora Yacht Service

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Very nice clean install. I like that it is not obvious that a chain is there.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Vancouver Island BC-eh!
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    Nice job Marko. And I like your innovative sourcing of the wheel and especially the shaft.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    Love it. I like wooden screws best too.

  6. #6
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    Very nice. Just one question, is there a gear for the chain's turn at the bottom?

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #7
    Yes, the small block of wood screwed into the back of the leg you can see in third photo supports one end of the rod that gear is on. The other end is in a small block of wood that is glued onto the stretcher.

    On top, the gear is internal to the leg, axle was inserted through a hole in side of the leg. On bottom it is external to the leg.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    SoCal
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    Totally awesome!

  9. #9
    Looks great Marko!

  10. #10
    Well done, I agree with the appearance. Very pleasing to the eye.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Wow. Never would have guessed a wood screw would do that. Well done. Again I say; Well done.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
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    Provo, UT
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    390
    I think this is the setup I'm going to end up with on my bench. Thank you for blazing the way!

  13. #13
    Brilliant!

    Jim's chain kit is on my list too.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Wild Wild West USA
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    As a mechanism it travels exceedingly well.
    I like the look of wooden threads.
    For a shoulder vise.
    For a rails in the way vise having the screw even wider than a steel screw seems counter productive.

    It would be fascinating to watch the vise as it clamps down on a smaller piece of work.
    Is there anyway you could put up a vid of that? I would like to see how the bottom rail responds.
    In other words is it as solid as having a pin through a hole or does the rail continue to travel while the vise tightens down on the work ?

    Thank you for posting this.
    I am always open to better things though I cling to what I have found.
    Last edited by Winton Applegate; 01-21-2015 at 5:01 PM.
    Sharpening is Facetating.
    Good enough is good enough
    But
    Better is Better.

  15. #15
    Hi Winton,

    As top stays in place and the bottom moves in, there is rapid tightening of the chain that then makes further travel of the bottom very difficult. Amount of travel presumably depends on internal slack between chain links and how bendy the chop is. In my case, it travels under 1/4" (I'm estimating, not at home now) until I see no reason to further tighten it, even for long boards that stick out with leverage. If I go full force (as in, you would not do this for fear of breaking something), bottom may move 3/8". I adjust length of the chain so that bottom is out about 1/4" more than the top, so when I tighten hard I get even contact. I also use leather on both sides, which may remove some sensitivity as to how exactly parallel the faces are. Whether I'm clamping a sheet of veneer or a large block, it performs great - can go crazy on the piece without it moving. I never used a different leg vise, so I don't know what aspect may be better or worse than competing designs. I could take more exact measurements and video tonight.

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