I'm sorry if this is a silly question, but I've noticed that there is a nifty gadget out there called a pin vise, that will let me grab any bit, or other drill item, and turn them by hand.
I'm going to get one for my counter sink bit, because I want to sculpt out the bevel for wood screws by hand, but I was wondering if there were any other common use for such things?
I use some of the Dremel type stone and diamond bits in a pin vise to hand sand surfaces of some of my carvings.
Charley
The pin vises I've used are too small for anything but the numbered bits (mostly 50-80) that I use in model building. Maybe a 1/16" shank at most. You must have found a larger version.
TGM:
They make good handles for needle files, needles, small wire brushes you can make out of the expoxied ends of fine cable and are useful for some engraving bit applications as well. You might want to search under "pin vise applications, "jewelry making" and "pin vise" or "museum conservation" and the previous phrase for other tips.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
I have 2 that have 1/4" chucks. These are single ended, and have a handle like you'd find on a #2 or #3 Phillips screwdriver. Kind of cheaply made, but they work fine.
They came from a vendor whose name escapes me, at a model airplane show.
Here's something similar, although I remember mine being a lot cheaper:
One common use is to put a small drill bit (less than 1/16) in the pin vise and chuck the vise into a drill press chuck that cannot close up that small. Not all pin vises are suitable for this use.
Somewhere, I used to have an especially nice one that was double- ended, and had 4 jaws. Since then, I have a single jaw and a double jaw one, with pivot plate on one end. The pivot plate, or whatever you call it (like a Jeweler's screwdrive) is the handiest, as you can get a straight push on things. I do boat models, electronics, etc., and drilling/reaming small holes is what I use it for the most. It will hold a needle, for scribing or punching holes, etc. Very handy tool. The guy/gal who dies with the most tools wins. I think I picked my last one up at a good hardware store, though model/hobby shops usually carry them.
It can be used with any number of tools to ream out seed or pony beads, pieces of jewelry, or other do-dads that never seem to fit on the wire I want to use, or the only jump rings I have left. I have used them with small drill bits and various Dremel bits on items I wouldn't dream of touching with a power tool. I can even add a hole to some pieces that weren't originally meant to be used as jewelry. The grandchildren love it when a piece off an old favorite toy becomes a dangle for their charm bracelet or necklace.
My wife uses one to drill holes for binding posts in miniature books she makes as greeting cards. Since the covers are sometimes leather or similar material, they work quite well. She prefers that to having me do it on the drill press. However, I am trying to design a clamp to hold the stack together when she does it.
I have also used them to drill and ream out holes in printed circuit boards. For just one or two holes it's quicker than setting up and cleaning a power tool.
Yes, we have several laying around our respective workshops.
Bob McConnell N2SPP
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