# pen drilling vise



## sumterdad (Sep 19, 2011)

Not sure if there has been a thread about this yet, but does anyone have plans that allows you to make your own drilling vise. or is it just better to buy one.  

Thanks in advance


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## ghostrider (Sep 19, 2011)

Found this, but never tried it.

Saw something a lot more simple somewhere else involving three boards at 90* angles. One for the base, and two upright forming an angle.

Can't remember where I saw it though.


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## boxerman (Sep 19, 2011)

Some people use one these clamps.http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-hardwood-handscrew-clamp-6987.html.  Take 1/4" drill bit and drill 3/4 through the middle of the clamp and can hold any size blank. I bought one and used and it works good. Hold the clamp with hand and use your hand to run the drill press. Or drill on your lathe like alot people will tell you to do.


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## sumterdad (Sep 19, 2011)

I thought about mounting this to the drill press but not sure if it will work with the round blanks.  Let me know what you think

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/vises/3-drill-press-vise-68297.html


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## JRay8 (Sep 19, 2011)

sumterdad said:


> I thought about mounting this to the drill press but not sure if it will work with the round blanks. Let me know what you think
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/vises/3-drill-press-vise-68297.html


 

i dont think it would hold the blank plumb in both directions. i use the hand screw clamp. i took it apart and cut a triangle out of each side on the table saw. this way when clamped together it has a square opening that will hold square or round blank.


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## boxerman (Sep 19, 2011)

I bought this. It might work to hold rounded blanks. Don't see why not.
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKVJAWS.html These have magnets on them to fit on your vise.


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## Drstrangefart (Sep 19, 2011)

What I have is basically two boards with a long bolt through both of them at either end tightened with wingnuts. There's a few holes drilled all the way through in the seam between the boards. Essentially it plumbs things relatively well for you, it's portable and really durable. I think they're 1x2, but I'd have to break out the boring old ruler and measure them to be sure.


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## Crashmph (Sep 19, 2011)

I replaced the one from Woodcraft with one Paul made.  You can have mine for the cost of shipping a medium flat rate box.


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## Woodlvr (Sep 20, 2011)

Check out our vendor's websites One of them is going to have the best one on the market soon. I cannot say a name or my post will be deleted. Look in the business classifieds and you will see his post.


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## Whaler (Sep 20, 2011)

I have been through vises from both Woodcraft and Rockler and consider them a waste of money. Paul's vise is the answer, there is nothing out there that compares with it.


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## edavisj316 (Sep 20, 2011)

I use a machinist cross slide vise like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Machinist...9?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item1c1eab41b9

I took two pieces of hard wood and cut a "V" gruve in each to hold the blank in the virtical. I can then make ver precise adjustments to get the drill dead center.

I also like it because the vise can be used for a lot of things other than just drilling holes in pen blanks.

Please note though, if your drill press is virtically challenged you may not have enough room.  But I have a floor mounted drill press, thus no problem.


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## bradh (Sep 20, 2011)

I use this set-up. The V block is held down by a single clamp in the corner so it can be pivoted in or out to get the drill to align with the blank center. Another quick release wood clamp holds the blank to the V block.


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## bobjackson (Sep 20, 2011)

Paul's is he best. Always on center (once set properly). Holds square and round as well as oblong.


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## jbswearingen (Sep 21, 2011)

I have found that drilling on the drill press just plain sucks.  No matter how good your setup is, it isn't perfect, requires tweaking, and can be fraught with flaws.  Yes, it works for some (even many), but I've never heard of any one who has tried drilling on the lathe to like the drill press more.

I use my drill press now ONLY for squaring the blanks.  And for drilling holes other than pen blanks, of course.

To drill my blanks, I bought a set of pin jaws (~$49) for my SuperNova chuck and a Jacob's chuck (~$20 @ HF).  It makes drilling a perfectly centered hole in the blank a breeze.


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## Rick_G (Sep 21, 2011)

for things that are not straight such as antler or when something has to be exactly centered such as celtic knots I drill on the lathe.  Everything else gets done on the drill press using a machinist vise like the one shown here
http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-shop/vises/3-drill-press-vise-68297.html  I use a small plastic square from a school drafting kit to make sure it's square in the other direction.  My drill press is always set up for drilling and it works well so why not use it. 

If you have a couple of the wooden handscrews lay one on top of the other at 90 deg.  The bottom one will hold the blank vertical in one direction and the top one will hold it vertical in the other.


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## cwolfs69 (Sep 21, 2011)

*How critical is exact center.*

i'm baffled by the criticality you guys seem to put on being on exact center. being an ex machinist i'm normally way over accurate with my cutting, measuring, centering etc for working with wood and such things. however, unless its something special like Celtic knots, tight size/finish requirements and a few others i can think of, being within .008" or .010" should be plenty close enough for drilling blanks and that is easily achieved with a good drill press. and the set up is so much easier. a good vise with v notch, or as i do a v-block and a clamp. any of those will get clearly centered and straight enough for blanks. and the drill press is designed to "drill". feeds easier, better feed control and many other advantages over a lathe. esides being vertical and not having to fight gravity. 

just my $0.02 worth.


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## jbswearingen (Sep 21, 2011)

cwolfs69 said:


> i'm baffled by the criticality you guys seem to put on being on exact center. being an ex machinist i'm normally way over accurate with my cutting, measuring, centering etc for working with wood and such things. however, unless its something special like Celtic knots, tight size/finish requirements and a few others i can think of, being within .008" or .010" should be plenty close enough for drilling blanks and that is easily achieved with a good drill press. and the set up is so much easier. a good vise with v notch, or as i do a v-block and a clamp. any of those will get clearly centered and straight enough for blanks. and the drill press is designed to "drill". feeds easier, better feed control and many other advantages over a lathe. esides being vertical and not having to fight gravity.
> 
> just my $0.02 worth.




I hear ya.  For me, being perfectly centered is just a nice by-product of drilling on the lathe.  I don't worry about being perfectly centered, as I don't do any segmented turning (yet).

For me it's just ease--nothing I've seen is easier than chucking it up on the lathe, drilling, and then removing.


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## cwolfs69 (Sep 21, 2011)

jbswearingen said:


> cwolfs69 said:
> 
> 
> > i'm baffled by the criticality you guys seem to put on being on exact center. being an ex machinist i'm normally way over accurate with my cutting, measuring, centering etc for working with wood and such things. however, unless its something special like Celtic knots, tight size/finish requirements and a few others i can think of, being within .008" or .010" should be plenty close enough for drilling blanks and that is easily achieved with a good drill press. and the set up is so much easier. a good vise with v notch, or as i do a v-block and a clamp. any of those will get clearly centered and straight enough for blanks. and the drill press is designed to "drill". feeds easier, better feed control and many other advantages over a lathe. esides being vertical and not having to fight gravity.
> ...



except for having to set the chuck up on the lathe and remove the mandrels you have with glue or paint drying on blanks, tubes etc.  and i have two lathes and wish i had another to keep from removing a job while its drying, etc and work on another. this morning i had 5 mandrels set up with pens in various stages of completion at the same time. 4 now done and the last drying as we speak. drilled several blanks on the drill press during that time. the drill press is always set up. i can drill half a dozen blanks in the drill press between coats of CA and not have stand around passing time.


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## jbswearingen (Sep 21, 2011)

Ah.  I see why that would matter for you; time savings.


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