• Thanks for visiting The Penturners Forum today.

    There are many features and resources that currently you are unable to see or access, either because you're not yet registered, or if you're already registered, because you're not logged in.

    To gain full access to the forum, please log in or register now. Registration is completely free, it only takes a few seconds, and you can join our well established community of like-minded pen makers.

Pen vice

rendauphin

Full Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2020
Posts
11
Location
dorset
First Name
James
I am thinking of buying a pen vice and there seems to be two I have found one at Axminster tools and one at Turners Retreat [PBCV Pen Blank Vice]. I would appreciate any help in deciding which one to go for.
Thanks
Jim
 

alan morrison

Fellow
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Posts
2,378
Location
Co. Down N Ireland
First Name
Alan
James, Phil Dart at Beaufort Ink was promoting his pen vice recently which you could check out before you buy.
I can't advise as I am still using my bench vice.
Alan
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
Look for 4 inch prismatic jaws I have found a pair of these transform and assist holding.

Peter.
 

Attachments

  • Grizzly Supplied Prismatic Jaw-001.jpg
    Grizzly Supplied Prismatic Jaw-001.jpg
    27.8 KB · Views: 47

Phil Dart

Moderator
Executive Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Posts
5,455
Location
Colebrooke, Devon
First Name
Phil
I can't remember if I bought it from Axi, but I use one similar to theirs. It clamps via a lever action rather than a thread and tommy bar, and is therefore instant to operate. I've never had an issue with it and it's served me well over the years. I clamp it to the table of my pillar drill with Klemmsia clamps, but you can use any sort of clamp if their throats are deep enough. Axi say says it opens to 33mm, but that's across the diagonal of the blank, into the v-grooves, so in fact that equates to a 23mm square blank. However, you can adjust the "factory settings" slightly, after which it will hold blanks up to about 27mm square. It will hold blanks larger than that, but you have to chamfer the corners that aren't being held, so that they pass between those two black guide bars that you can see in the Axi photo.
 

flexi

Executive Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Posts
6,159
Location
Maidstone
First Name
mark
I have the Turner's version and it works.....again as Phil said about the Axi one, you are limited on blank size.....also I found a little bit of flex if drilling really hard material, but that was easy to sort with a thin plastic shim. It also gives me something to pull shaving out with:ciggrin:
 

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
421
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
I have one of those X Y vices but just about anything that holds a blank vertically works. I put some wood jaws in it with a V cut in the face but Peter's prismatic jaws would be better.

Pete

I'll add that we had one of the black ones Lee Valley sold originally but didn't like it so gave it away.
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
Three of my methods all use prismatic 4 inch jaws.

Peter.
 

Attachments

  • Drilling blanks.JPG
    Drilling blanks.JPG
    142.8 KB · Views: 27
  • DSCF0002-001.jpg
    DSCF0002-001.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 27
  • DSCF0006.jpg
    DSCF0006.jpg
    103.1 KB · Views: 29

monophoto

Full Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Posts
67
Location
New York
First Name
Louie
I use a cheap wooden screw clamp. I glued a couple of scraps of wood between the jaws, and then with the jaws closed and squeezing those blocks of wood, I drilled a 3/4" diameter hole centered on the point where the two scraps come together.

To use, I lay it flat on the bench, put the blank into the hole, and tighten the jaws. Because the hole is round, it is able to grip any blank regardless of its actual cross section, and because it is flat on the bench when I insert the blank and tighten the jaws, the blank is always perpendicular to the bench, or to the drill press table when I transfer it to drill the blank.
 
Warning! This thread has not had any replies for over a year. You are welcome to post a reply here, but it might be better to start a new thread (and maybe include a link to this one if you need to).
Top