- Joined
- Dec 29, 2012
- Messages
- 394
I might not own a KURT vise but that does not stop me from visiting their website and borrowing ideas for my non-Kurt vises.
One of these great ideas they publish is the “Speed Handle” for the vise.
Speed handles have two major advantages in comparison to the traditional “stick handles”.
a. they do not interfere with the mill (as my stick handle does)
b. they reduce clamping time giving you rapid part loading and unloading.
As I was not happy with the handle of my new vise I was looking for a better one to make my life with the vise easier and more elegant.
My problem was that to tighten or un-tighten a piece I needed to remove and put back the handle quite a few times.
On the other hand a broken cast iron anchor I have, had a very nice shape I would like to turn it in a vise speed handle.
Hack saw on call, some milling and an hour later I had it!
The hardest part was the square 14 mm hole at the center of it. I approached it the traditional way: Manually! A 13mm round hole, and my good old file turned it into a nice 14mm sqare hole.
Fitting (bolting) a simple handle at the end of it provides a convenient holding part to rotate it fast.
Testing it on the mill vise proved to function well enough!!!
it looks pretty unusual and unique also...
But it is not as fast in locking and unlocking the parts as I would like it to be!
I thought to add another handle, closer to the center of it but I thought it would not be practical...
I needed something to turn it faster using as little power as a finger could apply.
Then... I remembered the old days and the telephone dials!
The, not so young amongst us, I'm sure remember how fast we could rotate it to dial a number!!!
(For the young ones there is a picture to visualise the idea)
That gave me the idea I needed.
A couple of large holes to put my finger in and “dial-in” or out the piece to the vise.
It works like a charm
I have also cleaned the rust and rounded all edges as it will come into contact with my bare hands but I am not sure if I must paint it or leave it bare metal.
Thank you for reading this
Petros
One of these great ideas they publish is the “Speed Handle” for the vise.
Speed handles have two major advantages in comparison to the traditional “stick handles”.
a. they do not interfere with the mill (as my stick handle does)
b. they reduce clamping time giving you rapid part loading and unloading.
As I was not happy with the handle of my new vise I was looking for a better one to make my life with the vise easier and more elegant.
My problem was that to tighten or un-tighten a piece I needed to remove and put back the handle quite a few times.
On the other hand a broken cast iron anchor I have, had a very nice shape I would like to turn it in a vise speed handle.
Hack saw on call, some milling and an hour later I had it!
The hardest part was the square 14 mm hole at the center of it. I approached it the traditional way: Manually! A 13mm round hole, and my good old file turned it into a nice 14mm sqare hole.
Fitting (bolting) a simple handle at the end of it provides a convenient holding part to rotate it fast.
Testing it on the mill vise proved to function well enough!!!
it looks pretty unusual and unique also...
But it is not as fast in locking and unlocking the parts as I would like it to be!
I thought to add another handle, closer to the center of it but I thought it would not be practical...
I needed something to turn it faster using as little power as a finger could apply.
Then... I remembered the old days and the telephone dials!
The, not so young amongst us, I'm sure remember how fast we could rotate it to dial a number!!!
(For the young ones there is a picture to visualise the idea)
That gave me the idea I needed.
A couple of large holes to put my finger in and “dial-in” or out the piece to the vise.
It works like a charm
I have also cleaned the rust and rounded all edges as it will come into contact with my bare hands but I am not sure if I must paint it or leave it bare metal.
Thank you for reading this
Petros
)