# New Pen Vise Available.



## Randy_ (Apr 12, 2006)

Rich K. mentioned recently on his Yahoo board that PSI has a new pen vise out.  Has anyone tried it out yet?

For those who wants to look at it, here it is:  http://www.pennstateind.com/store/e-10252c.html

Note that PSI has gotten something messed up on the web site.  According to the catalog, the new vise is actually the $49 item.


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## JimGo (Apr 12, 2006)

I have the old one, and recently purchased a PH Designs vise to take its place.  I'll be curious to see what others think of the new and improved PSI vise.


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## sptfr43 (Apr 12, 2006)

Jim, on your old psi vise did the jaws move back and forth when a blank was clamped in? I'm trying to find out if I got a defective one or not.


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## JimGo (Apr 12, 2006)

Everything worked loose on me Randy (e.g., the nuts holding the two guide rails on either side of the jaws), and I think that's fundamentally the problem with the unit.  This lead to several problems, including jaws locking closed or open sometimes, and cross-threading/skipping, etc.  I liked the vise because it was easy to set up and easy to use, but the more I used it, the less satisfied I became.


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## Randy_ (Apr 12, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JimGo_
> <br />Everything worked loose on me.....the nuts holding the two guide rails on either side of the jaws.....



Jim: Would the application of some Loctite when the vise was new have prevented the problem??


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## JimGo (Apr 12, 2006)

Possibly Randy.  I hadn't thought of that, but in hindsight something like that would probably have been a good idea.  Had the guide rails stayed tight, I think the jaws would have stayed in alignment better and I wouldn't have cross-threaded everything so easily.


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## Randy_ (Apr 12, 2006)

Jim:  I know it doesn't do you any good; but maybe someone with a relatively new unit will be saved some grief??  We all learn from others misfortunes.


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## Pipes (Apr 15, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JimGo_
> <br />Everything worked loose on me Randy (e.g., the nuts holding the two guide rails on either side of the jaws), and I think that's fundamentally the problem with the unit.  This lead to several problems, including jaws locking closed or open sometimes, and cross-threading/skipping, etc.  I liked the vise because it was easy to set up and easy to use, but the more I used it, the less satisfied I became.
> 
> I got one a those and I hate it I have used it on about 10 pens and it works lose and causes off center drilliing  piece a junk IMO I can't wait to get the one from the guy making them on here !! Iam on the list I think for sometime in May he said !![]


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## chigdon (Apr 15, 2006)

I had the old PSI vice and it worked fine for me for what it was but I have a PH Designs vice now and it is like night and day!!!


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## realgenius (Apr 15, 2006)

Randy, It's not defective really, just a poor design.  My hubby is in the process of fixing mine.  when it's finished I'll let you know what he did.  Debra


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## Pipes (Apr 16, 2006)

> _Originally posted by sptfr43_
> <br />Jim, on your old psi vise did the jaws move back and forth when a blank was clamped in? I'm trying to find out if I got a defective one or not.
> 
> 
> The one I got is junk and moves around like you say and is !@#$%^&*( to keep cenetered thank god pens don't most a the time need to be dead on or I would be in trouble !! I got one a the once the gent here makes on order he said sometime in May I can't wait.... the PSI one IMHO is crapola to put it mild !!! IMHO


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## godfreytoddanderson (Apr 25, 2006)

PSI has some mixups on their website.  I just talked to them a second time about this and I received the latest version of their vise yesterday so here is the bottom line.

PSI doesn't seem to care about the mixups and confusion on their website.  When I called for clarification when I ordered the vise a week ago we discovered all the errors and they are still there.  They were not worried about it today when we talked either.  This happened with BB at AS once and he fixed it while we were on the phone.  That's how I run my business and I bothers me that PSI doesn't fix the problems.

The new vise is the one with four large plates, the old one has three.  If you do a search on their website for 'drillcent' you will see the two pictures, two different prices and two part numbers.  If you look at the online catalog there is a third version.

If you order a 'drillcent3' you will get the new vise that has four plates, opens wider and doesn't have the play that the older versions suffered from (they claim).  Here are the costs straight from my invoice (I'm in CA).

  Price  $44.95
  S&H     $6.95
  -------------
  Total  $51.90

My general impression is that the vise looks great.  It feels and looks heavy duty and I am very happy with it at this point.
I have thirteen sets of blanks that I will drill today and I will post an update after that on my initial impression.

Hope that helps to clear things up for some of you.

Todd


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## godfreytoddanderson (Apr 25, 2006)

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I would be happy to post some detailed pictures if it would help anyone.


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## bgray (Apr 25, 2006)

Does anyone have a link to the PH designs vice?


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## Dario (Apr 25, 2006)

> _Originally posted by bgray43050_
> <br />Does anyone have a link to the PH designs vice?



Contact Paul in OKC here...if you think you've read about the vise already ...try doing a search  LOL

Here is a couple:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14040
http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12265


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## Pipes (Apr 26, 2006)

I duno bout this new one but it took a pile a locktite to get my PSI vise to stay in 1 piece !! now it works ok without coming apart all the time [] 




http://affordablepipes.com/


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## godfreytoddanderson (Apr 26, 2006)

Ok, I drilled the 13 sets of blanks (26 holes) that I mentioned above and here are my initial thoughts.

1) There is still some slop in the system.  The large threaded shaft ends in one of the stationary plates and is held in place with a C clip so that it can rotate in place.  This is where the problem is.  There is some slop at this point which allows the two moving plates that are the jaws to move as a unit.  I measured the amount of movement and it is between 0.006" and 0.008".  I noticed this because I saw the jaws moving back and forth slightly when I was drilling the holes.  I was worried that it would make the holes oval but I measured the hole diameter on several blanks at several different angles and couldn't measure a difference.

2) The two plates that are the jaws go all the way down to the wood base.  This makes it harder to use a scrap of wood under the blank to prevent blowouts.  Its still possible but less convenient.  Not to big a deal for me since I don't drill all the way through (I cut the end off using a jig on my miter saw to eliminate the chance of a blowout and to size the blank).  Just wanted to mention it since it might be an issue for others.

3) The overall function of the vise is great.  Easy to use, holds the blank very firmly and the handle style makes it very easy to open and close the jaws quickly.  I still feel that overall the vise is well built and is heavy duty.  We'll see how it holds up over time.

I plan to make a modification to try and fix the slop in the system.  Maybe something like a 0.005" teflon washer behind the C clip.  If I figure out something that seems to work I will post the details here.

Todd


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## Randy_ (Apr 26, 2006)

Thanks for the information, Tod.  Does the vise come mounted to a base or is that something the new owner has to do?  How is the vise mounted to its base?

Could you put some sort of spacer under the vise mountings to raise it up enough to be able to slip a sacrificial block under the jaws?

I would like to see a few close-up pictures of the unit as the catalog picture is not as detailed as I would prefer.  Thanks


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## godfreytoddanderson (Apr 26, 2006)

Randy,

Here are some pictures for you.  This is exactly the way the vise came out of the box.  I beleive that a new base, a spacer between the wood base and the vise or a cutout in the wood base could all solve the issue of a sacrificial block under the jaws.  I haven't taken one of the screws out so I don't know how much extra length there is.  You might have to find new screws if you use a spacer.

Todd




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## Randy_ (Apr 26, 2006)

Thanks.  That answers my questions.


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## jtate (Apr 26, 2006)

Is this device just for drilling blanks or can one use it for pressing together pen parts?

Also, Is there a gabget for holding a blank in place against your tailstock for drilling with a bit in a jacobs chuck in the head stock?  
I made five lamos this weekend, using a drill bit in the headstock and holding the lamp's vertical shaft against the tail stock, moving it forward (against the spining drill bit) with the turning handle of the tail stock.  That worked pretty well and I wondered why we don't do this with pen blanks.


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## JimGo (Apr 26, 2006)

Julia,
Most people do it the other way around; they put the blank in a chuck in the headstock, and the morse taper in the tail stock.  In this scenario, it's the blank that spins, rather than the drill bit, but the outcome is the same.


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## Nolan (May 3, 2006)

I got the new one too and as mentioned in earier post you should locktite it up. I did not and have "set it up" twice now only to have a different part work loose and fool up the set up. Tonight I also notice that the adj shaft interferes with the blank (it sticks into the machined area the blank sits in). Noticed that after trying to take a blank out and the shaft came out of the fence. I will definately be pulling it apart to locktite it up and set this up once and for all. If this is new and improved I am glad I didnt buy the old model. I guess if your just putting 7mm holes in 3/4 blanks it works fair but if your trying to get a glue-up to line up while you drill that hole then thats a different story.
Nolan


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## airrat (May 3, 2006)

Think I will stick with Paul's Vise.


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## woodbutcher (May 10, 2006)

Buy Pauls vice. It sinmply eliminates ALL the mentioned problems.
Jim[]


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## wayneis (May 11, 2006)

Ditto on Paul's vice, its simply hands down the best.

Wayne


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## RogerGarrett (May 20, 2006)

> _Originally posted by woodbutcher_
> <br />Buy Pauls vice. It sinmply eliminates ALL the mentioned problems.
> Jim[]



I would love to - it just isn't available right now..........[]

Best,
Roger Garrett


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## BUGSY (May 20, 2006)

i can vouch for pauls vise..it works and works WELL...it would be hard to improve on his set-up and there are too many other happy people on this forum who cant be wrong...BUGSY...


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## Geo in Winnipeg (May 20, 2006)

I agree with the others about Paul's vise. The only thing you have to do is supply a base for it. I've had mine for about 3 months with no adjusting or fixing and couldn't be happier with it. I've drilled 5/8" wood and resins for Barons (15/32" drill) without any trouble so it must be well designed and made. Unfortunately there is a long waiting list for them.


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