Hi All I just bougth a small book of engraving in which I saw a bench
vice as an alternative to holdlarge piecesor guns for engraving .the
book doesn’t explain in big detail how to assemble this bench vice I
guess it has to go on top of that kind of bearing discs in which the
rotating showcases or displays for jewelry spins . I wonder if
somebody is using this method or something similar to
holdlargeobjects to be engraved or perhaps as an alternative for the
expensive engraving blocks .The question is how to make a benchvice
to spin as an engraving block.Of course it is not a regular heavy
bench vice but something like a flat vice for carpenters Any advice?
Marco
Marco: I have a bench that was originally made for the Ithaca Gun
Company for gun engraving. It has a maple top with a round steel
plate mounted on a steel rod at the center. The rod passes through a
gimbaled bearing to a kick wheel at floor level. A machinists vise
is mounted to the round steel block (the block is about 1 1/2"
thick). You can rotate the vise with your feet, much like a potter’s
kick wheel. You can adjust the position of the lower kick wheel
forward or backward, thereby changing the angle of rotation of the
vise. The bench measures 36"X18"X 36"h. Probably weighs about 150
lbs. With the vise removed, you can attach a tray or plate to the
round steel plate on the bench top (I used carpet tape). Works great
for large engraving.
Unfortunately, I don’t do much large engraving, so this beautiful
bench just sits in my house collecting odd tools…
Doug Zaruba