Homemade Universal Graver Vise under $50.00

[rootnuke]

Gravers vise store bought $350.00 :shocking: or less than $50.00 build your own.

After waging war with vise grips, brass plates, my bench vise etc. and all kinds of stuff in my way and at wrong angles..I came to the conclusion that there had to be a better way to hold and grave items in an easy manner. Well I gotta admit this is not totally my idea. If you[url] Google.com[/url] around you may find 2 places that speak of making your own graving vise. Making a gravers vise out of a lead bowl in another muzzloading forum and another guy describes a bowling ball vise on a msn chat forum. So I took both ideas and crammed them into this idea.

Materials for a Homemade Gravers Vise:

$8.00 (1) 16 lbs. bowling ball from local pawn shop (I had to buy 3 from the pawn shop as a package deal for $20.00. But look on the bright side I ended up with 2 extra balls! Now who can say that!
$5.00 worth of scrap 3/4" oak I had around the shop
$8.00 tailgate rubber matt I found in the discount bin at autozone
$12.00 steel cabinet handles
$2.00 assorted screws and washers
$15.00 drill press vise (the one pictured costs more)

Putting together your own $350.00 gravers vise for less than $50.00...priceless.

Here it is, the "Magnificent Contraption" I affectionately call my homemade universal graving vise.

I grinded about the first 2 inches off the top of the bowling ball. The drill press vise is bolted to the flat top. I mounted 4 SS handles to swivel the bowling ball around. The entire assembly set in a oak frame which has its inside cut at 45 deg angle and .25" rubber screwed to the 45's. The rubber is to make the movement "tacky". The rubber to bowling ball friction prevents movement. There is about a 4" piece of oak mounted to the bottom of the box for the vise to clamp. Everything is screwed together in case I need to redesign I can merely change/replace parts to improve it.

The item to be graved is mounted on a piece of wood with auto-body bondo and secured in the vise.

Here is the base..

Depending on table "wobble" I will mount all this to a more secure table or building beam to prevent any type of vibration. I may even bring in old oak tree log, stand it on end and mount it to that. If you have a 300 lbs log setting on a 12" concrete slab, It aint goin' no where!

ok, you be the judge, am I insane :youcrazy: or possibly a borderline genius! :hmm:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Well that certainly looks like a fiendish thinghy. Good job.

 

[Doc Will]

Hey Rootnuke,
Looks great, should work like a champ! :RO: :master:
By the way insanity and genius go hand in hand
:youcrazy:
Doc Will
Keep Yer Powder Dry
I sent you my phone number, give me a call if you want to go to the Greenwood Longrifle Club Shoot on Sept 11th.

 

[Zonie]

Are you in, genius?

Great idea you've come up with.
I'm not sure what the best game plan is though. Do I buy 3 bowling balls for $20, or just one bowling ball for $10 and pay the pawn shop owner $10 apiece to keep the other 2 balls?

 

[Xtramad]

Two extra bowling balls is a good excuse for making a bowling ball mortar. ::

 

[LSU TIGER]

It looks similar to a vise a friend made. He used a stainless bowl from "Wally-World" and lead. Same design, just smaller. :applause:

 

[Metalshaper]

Rootnuke,

I've started on a vise, that is almost like yours. I hadn't gotten as far as making the base yet, but had an old front Brake disc, laying around the shop.. the spindle hole was just big enough to set the the bowling ball into and the hold it securely.. and actually, the weight of everything holds it to the bench, without needing to anchor it.. I kinda like your idea for the handles, but am still getting around to finishing mine.
oh, and I went to a local bowling alley and asked if they had any broken balls they were getting rid of. After some weird looks and a bit of explaining.. I walked out with a decent ball and it didn't cost a thing.. although, cutting it down, to fit my vise was a bit frustrating :hmm:

anyway, great job!!

Respect Always
Metalshaper

 

[LSU TIGER]

Metalshaper raised the question in my mind, which is cutting the ball. How did you do that? :hmm:

 

[rootnuke]

Metalshaper raised the question in my mind, which is cutting the ball. How did you do that? :hmm:

You can cut the ball flat on one side either one of two ways.
Take your bench grinder OUTSIDE and grind it down.
or
Mount the ball in a 12" miter saw and chop it off.

What I did was grind it a while. Got tired of grinding even though it was going pretty well. Then mounted it in my miter saw to get a even level slice. (Wear goggles, please)

After all that I put a little 2" sanding drum in my drill motor and just took off the little ridges and finished it down.

After that I did a 180 grit vibrating sander to make it smooooth.

Today I made a simple frame that the whole thing sets in so I can use it on any table in the shop and not just the vise.

Maybe my wife will let me use it on the living room table where its nice and air-conditioned! HAHA,... NOT! :crackup:

 

[Metalshaper]

You can cut the ball flat on one side either one of two ways.Take your bench grinder OUTSIDE and grind it down.
or Mount the ball in a 12" miter saw and chop it off.>>>

Or lacking either of them. :winking:. You take a length, of cast-off metal cutting bandsaw blade..and you make a 6 tpi
blade to fit your 12" hacksaw frame.. A lot of effort, time and :curse: and you eventually get through the ball.. figuring a way to hold it, was another exercise in frustration!!

Lacking in $$$'s, but not desire.. I manage to find a way..

Respect Always
Metalshaper

 

[Zonie]

I would think one of those tree limb cutting bow saws would work nicely.
The hard part would be getting your wife to sit on the ball to hold it down while you sawed.

Then again... :shocking:

 

[Metalshaper]

The hard part would be getting your wife to sit on the ball to hold it down while you sawed>>>>

Nahhh,,,My wife, Three Fingers, was happy to help!!! :crackup:

If I would have thought of it, back when I cut it.. I'd have done something like screwing a block onto the bottom area of the ball.. and then clamping it sideways in my vise, using the table top to help support it.. < my vise has a rotating base > then I could have cut it a lot more efficently..

Respect Always
Metalshaper

 

[LSU TIGER]

My wife help... She'd get that same wild-eyed look she gets when I ask her to help hold a rifle while I drill tang or lock bolt holes. :what: All 5'2" and 105 lbs. of her ... :crackup: