# Lantern Vise



## C-Bag (Feb 21, 2019)

I got the idea for this seeing Marv Klotz's Lantern vise.

 I work a lot with 80/20 aluminum extrusions and have to trim standard length 1/4" 20 Allen head bolts to fit, sometimes trimming 1/8" or less. I prefer to use my bandsaw so when I saw Marv's vise I saw the seed of what I was wishing for. Marv's had a thumbweel so the vise couldn't lie flat on the table so I just used 1/4" 20 Allen heads. I added the v cut in the vise to hold the bolts steady and the small bolt in v to be able to hold small bolts. As it is it will cut up to 5/16" hex heads. It just lays up against the bevel gauge and holds the bolt without muss or fuss. Fairly easy project and handy as a shirt pocket.


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## mikey (Feb 22, 2019)

Cool idea, C-bag, I like it! Neat that you can use the bandsaw to cut screws and bolts instead of pulling out the hacksaw. This is now on the long list of stuff I need to make - thanks!


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## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2019)

mikey said:


> Cool idea, C-bag, I like it! Neat that you can use the bandsaw to cut screws and bolts instead of pulling out the hacksaw. This is now on the long list of stuff I need to make - thanks!


Thanks Mikey.

The original Marv called a lantern pin vise. The guy is full of great ideas. And this was posted when I was deep into one of my 80/20 projects and needing to do multiple length bolts. And for the record I have an even harder time holding a bolt and trying to cut it with a hacksaw!
This is Marv Klotz's original Lantern Pin Vise:


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## mikey (Feb 22, 2019)

I consider myself to be a Ninja with a hacksaw and files but anything that makes life easier in the shop is an idea worth noting. If you stop to think about how many times you have to shorten a screw or bolt over a lifetime, you begin to see the real value of something like this. It doesn't matter whose idea it was; it matters that you shared it and now we know about it. Thanks!


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## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2019)

Thanks again Mikey, that is high praise coming from you. I have spent way too much time cutting off bolts and screws sweating bullets because I KNEW what I was doing was not safe. But  what else could I do? I had several jury rigged messes that cut down on the fear but when I saw Marv's lantern vise I was stunned. Why didn't I think of that???? 

But in my last wage slave tour it was my job to "finish" a design and even though the basic idea was genius, it was truly only 80% done IMHO.  The big brass knob was cool, but in the way to make it lie flat on the table and the jaws being square would let that pesky bolt or screw cock like they had done so many times over my lifetime. And the pivot screw, or whatever you want to call it was on the opposite side of the thumbscrew so you couldn't put it up against the bevel gauge. Details, yes, but details my pea brain can deal with  The little clamping screw in the v of the vise finishes it off so it can do tiny screws and bolts. I couldn't come up with the idea but I could do tweeks that make it work for me.


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## mikey (Feb 22, 2019)

Hah, now that you've done all the heavy lifting the rest of us can duplicate it and marvel at our copycat abilities. Sort of makes you feel Chinese! Oh wait, I'm 1/4 Chinese already ...


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## Rootpass (Feb 22, 2019)

“Handy as a shirt pocket”
Love it


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## mmcmdl (Feb 22, 2019)

Hey C , most of the equipment and machines at my workplace are built out of 80/20 . I personally hate the stuff . Light duty extrusions aren't good for heavy duty machines . I let them know it everyday also . That vice is a great idea as Im constantly having to make custom length bolts when the insert nuts strip .


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## C-Bag (Feb 22, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Hey C , most of the equipment and machines at my workplace are built out of 80/20 . I personally hate the stuff . Light duty extrusions aren't good for heavy duty machines . I let them know it everyday also . That vice is a great idea as Im constantly having to make custom length bolts when the insert nuts strip .


 I can relate, to each his own. I don't use it for heavy duty stuff and I'd complain to if I had to fix it all the time because it was not right for the application. My stuff is med. light duty and I love that it's totally adjustable and reusable when one of my contraptions don't work. I also got it used off CL at a fraction of cost. But if I was going to do something heavy duty I'd prototype with 80/20 then redo in steel or whatever.


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## C-Bag (Feb 23, 2019)

mmcmdl said:


> Hey C , most of the equipment and machines at my workplace are built out of 80/20 . I personally hate the stuff . Light duty extrusions aren't good for heavy duty machines . I let them know it everyday also . That vice is a great idea as Im constantly having to make custom length bolts when the insert nuts strip .



It took a while to sink in. Most of the equipment and machines are made of 80/20?!?! Can you explain? The stuff I have was originally a 4x8 CNC router table. I got the impression it was an older outdated machine and they pulled all the electronics etc and we're going to scrap the frame. Luckily the kid who sold it to me decided to take it home to build his own machine then got to busy. Now I totally get 80/20 is not steel or cast iron and is not a substitute. I guess I'm trying to figure out a workplace where everything is made out of it. Besides my garage


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## mmcmdl (Feb 23, 2019)

Just about the whole company is designed around 80/20 . All the frames , supports , etc . We make our own machines down in the other shop and it seems they fell in love with the stuff .  You ever notice when you remove something off of the frames the insert nuts disappear when re-mounting it ?  LOL , I fill the whole channel up with those pesky nuts .


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## C-Bag (Feb 23, 2019)

What kind of machines?


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## mmcmdl (Feb 23, 2019)

All types of saws , slitters , extrusion die blowers , seats , benches , carts , wrappers , end treaters ............the list goes on .


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## C-Bag (Feb 23, 2019)

Wow, seems expensive. For me the major drawback of the "system" is how outrageously complicated it is. These different "series". And I got no info what it was I got. I figured out its 10 series. And the other series are metric and all the different hardware which is not compatible with other hardware. Oi! Luckily I got a ton of hardware, corners, braces, even feet and castors. I still have one stick of 2x2x92"L. And yeah, those nuts dissapear and it always seem I have to do something that amazingly enough they don't have the hardware for. I also have a bag of the kind of special nuts you can roll into a slot without taking the whole thing apart. It does have its drawbacks and disadvantages.


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## mmcmdl (Feb 23, 2019)

It's great for light duty applications , but hit it with a forklift or move it and it flexs and bends very easily . It's nice when it goes together , but over time everything weakens . I now replace the formerly used bolts with studs into the roll nuts or insert nuts for ease of locating the alignment holes . Not fun holding up 200 lb motors just to find the nuts have moved 1/16" .


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## C-Bag (Feb 23, 2019)

Yup, Gravity is a harsh mistress. My main unit is a press former and it's basically a multi layered box. It's all pneumatic so I'm dealing with 100's of lbs of force, not 1,000's like with hydraulic. Periodically I check tightness and everything is holding up fine. The whole unit is slowly evolving as I use it and for what I do I don't think I could find a better system because of its built in adjustment. Different models I make need to be able to adjust the machine. Yeah, that can work against you in things coming loose. 

The unit is close to a 3'x3'x4' square. Everything in the shop has to be on castors so it's moved all the time but maybe because it's over braced and not that heavy I've had no problems. Also no forklifts! You could break an anvil with a forklift so it's not fair to say 80/20 can't stand up to a forklift IMHO. But it's also not a machine that works 24/7. It gets pulled out, plugged in with air and 110v for a couple of hours every week or two. It has has been a boon for me and has kept me a one man shop while increasing my output 10x at least. So it was an incredible find used locally on CL for $175.


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## ThinWoodsman (Feb 23, 2019)

I keep considering 80/20 for simple stands and such, but it's a bit pricey and never seems to pop up used. Also seems you need to have a pretty good idea of exactly the pieces you'll need before ordering, and if I've gotten that far in the design I'll just bang something out in aluminum or steel.

Looking at the examples on their website, it seems geared towards people who don't have a machine shop. Or maybe adults who miss Legos. And really, who doesn't?


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## C-Bag (Feb 23, 2019)

Lego was long after I was a kid. Was more the Erector Set generation. But I know what you are talking about and 80/20 appeals to the part of the brain that want to make something from a kit. But it's like a drug dealer where they lure you in and then you're hooked because there are so many bits and pieces. And you never have enough. I bought all my other stuff off eBay and there are guys selling knock off hardware and used pieces for much more reasonable prices. But it adds up. What I got used (which you NEVER see and none has popped up since!) for $175 would have cost me over $1,500 new. I never would have done that.

To me making simple stands and such is what they push on the website, but it's a waste of the tech IMHO and like mmcmdl noted unless you really over brace it, it will fall apart. You are way ahead to fab it out of steel or aluminum.


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