# Speed Handles



## 7HC (Aug 17, 2013)

Is there any practical advantage to using a speed handle on a milling vise apart from being able to open it quickly?




or





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## ScrapMetal (Aug 17, 2013)

I've got a Gibraltar version of the one on top.  Being a bit faster is nice but the main reason I got it was to keep from having a nasty little accident.

Once, I had left the original "crank" attached to my 6" Kurt.  I was doing a number of different pieces and was swapping them in and out of the jaws quite a bit.  I had my table moving along the X-axis while milling and the end of the crank handle became jammed in the way dovetail on top of the knee.  Fortunately I was just cranking the table by hand so it was a very light "jam".  If I had been using the power feed it would have been very ugly.

That's the day I decided to get myself one of the "speed" handles.

-Ron


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## GK1918 (Aug 17, 2013)

Actually mine started life as a 4 way lug wrench, bent with a torch machined a alum end and polished it, painted it gray, looks origional


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## Kennyd (Aug 17, 2013)

I bought that same one your top picture shows from eBay, for the $15 and free shipping you can't go wrong.  Who the heck cares if its "practical' or not...it's cool:roflmao:


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## fastback (Aug 17, 2013)

I have the triple handle it is much faster than the original and as already said it does not jam up like the original that came with the Kurt vice.


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## Frank Ford (Aug 20, 2013)

I did a little test, and I can get just about the same torque with my 3-spoke speed handle as I can with the original Kurt toggle style handle.  But, while it may be called a "speed handle" it just wasn't speedy enough for me when I wanted to run the vise all the way in or out, so I added a little rotating knob near the center:




Now it really speeds, and there's no changeover needed to get full leverage.


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## TOOLMASTER (Aug 20, 2013)

FUNNY  i did the opposite to my lathe tailstock.








Frank Ford said:


> I did a little test, and I can get just about the same torque with my 3-spoke speed handle as I can with the original Kurt toggle style handle.  But, while it may be called a "speed handle" it just wasn't speedy enough for me when I wanted to run the vise all the way in or out, so I added a little rotating knob near the center:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## GK1918 (Aug 20, 2013)

All good thoughts.  But mine has a nasty habit of falling on my foot, so for me I take it off, knee crank too.  Somewhere I remember quote: If you are in a hurry you dont belong in a shop.  True its by the hr.          Speed Kills


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