Vise Slide Handle

[Dale B]

I bought a cheap old "American Scale " bench vise, a smallish homeowner quality model to display. It doesn't have the slide handle. I have some round stock thats a good fit (1/2") but what to do about the ball ends ? I'm leaning towards grinding a flat spot on a couple of ball bearings and brazing them on . I have a O/A torch and a lathe , ( but not much skill on the lathe ) if there are other ideas ......

 

[cityhick]

I took some round stock and threaded both ends just enough to put a nut on each end. I just ground the nuts round and knocked off the high spots and then put the handle on the vice with the ground nuts with lock tite. Its not real fancy but it has never come loose but will if for some reason I need to change the handle.

 

[jabberwoki]

Big *** ball bearing Dale!!
Yank one out of one your tractors when there not looking.

 

[A_Pmech]

Heat it up red hot and upset the end of the rod with a 5lb hand sledge. One or two blows is all it should take if you got it hot enough.

(Helps to practice with some scrap first.)

 

[Dale B]

Jab : that's where they came from ! A/P : I'll try it tomorrow. I've got some similar sized rebar for practice ....

 

[A_Pmech]

I should add that the cold end of the rod needs to be on an anvil or other significantly heavy metallic object when you upset the opposite end. If the work progresses slowly and takes more than a couple blows it will mushroom instead of upsetting. If it mushrooms, get it hotter next time and hit it harder.

 

[Sincitymetalworks]

I took some 3/4 .120 wall tubing then machined to end caps

 

[Dale B]

ok , also a good idea ...

 

[Dale B]

Sincity's idea gave me a plan this morning. I dug through my pan full of spacers , and
found some "barrels " from the inside of worn out Heim joints...I pounded them on , and peened the end a little for a little tighter fit..... Now that looks pro !!! Thanks to all !

 

[jxxxoxxxe]

I had to make a new handle for my Yost 34C.

I ended up getting some 3/4 round bar, center drilling the ends, then tapping for studs. The got some threaded balls from Mcmaster and screwed them on the studs....Added some water hose washers as a pinch protector...

 

[beelsr]

put some finger savers on the handle before permanently affixing/making endcaps.

an inch or so of fuel hose...

 

[Dale B]

This is just a display vise, It is a really cheap base model , I'm not going to use it , I just bought it for the name . For REAL work , I have a Columbian 605 M2 and a similar sized Rock Island.....

 

[LumpyMusic]

I R Dumb. What are "finger savers"?


Lumpy

You were the Ken-L-Ration St Bernard?
Yes. My dog's bigger.
www.LumpyMusic.com

 

[MBeaty]

I R Dumb. What are "finger savers"?[/url]

They are the small rubber pads under the upsets on each end of the handle. If you are rotating the handle and it slides down, they keep your fingers from a painful pinch between the handle upsets and the end of the lead screw.

 

[Brad54]

My friend just came home with a Parker vise, and one of the balls is missing from the sliding handle.
It was very educational to look at it! The end of the handle was turned down a bit, and the turned down area--about 3/4 inches long--had a few rings machined into it, standing proud. They were maybe 1/64 inch tall. The round "ball" on the other end of the handle is actually a round ring, open at both ends (not a blind hole). The ring hammers down over the rings and locks into place.

-Brad

 

[jabberwoki]

I took some 3/4 .120 wall tubing then machined to end caps

Nice job!

 

[Sincitymetalworks]

Nice job!

Thanks I have since cut it down 3" and added rubber grommets to the end so it would stop trying to take my finger prints off.

 

[LumpyMusic]

I guess I'm not quite clear on what you guys are doing that's wanting to pinch your fingers between the ball ends and the screw. I just reach down and grab the lowest, gravity settled end of the handle and move it to where I want. If the ball end starts to fall toward the screw, it falls right past my fingers. No pinch.

Have I been doing it wrong?


Lumpy

Can you play country music?
Sure. Which country would you like?

www.LumpyMusic.com

 

[beelsr]

I guess I'm not quite clear on what you guys are doing that's wanting to pinch your fingers between the ball ends and the screw. I just reach down and grab the lowest, gravity settled end of the handle and move it to where I want. If the ball end starts to fall toward the screw, it falls right past my fingers. No pinch.

Have I been doing it wrong?

I guess not. You must be evolved higher being that doesn't try to hold on to the handle and let it overpower your hand/arm and give it the pinch of "jiminy crickets"!

it also quiets down the impact.

 

[alan camby]

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2380876#post2380876
Post 4529 has a handle repair i did.

 

[tylerae40]

Thanks I have since cut it down 3" and added rubber grommets to the end so it would stop trying to take my finger prints off.

Very good idea on the grommets mate. I was going to post up to round off the insides and ends of the stoppers as mine are a bit rough and on the odd day that i'm not paying attention i receive bad blood blisters to my hands when it slides down and grabs. good job mate

 

[fomocoforrester]

The neoprene gaskets from garden hose connectors work well too - you can just stretch them over the ball.