Do-it-yourself repair of large vise locksmiths

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a large locksmith's vice from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

It is not difficult to make a reliable and easy-to-use vice with your own hands. The need for this may be caused not only by the desire to save money on the purchase of a serial model, but also by the need to use a clamping device, which will more efficiently solve the tasks assigned to it.

Simple homemade vise from the corners

Serial vise models, although they are universal, are not always able to provide high accuracy of fixing parts, they are rather bulky and are distinguished by significant weight.

Homemade vices, used mainly in a home workshop, can be made more adapted to perform certain technological operations, and therefore more efficient and convenient.

Homemade locksmith vices may differ little from factory ones both in appearance and in reliability.

Anyone who spends a lot of time in their home workshop will confirm that it is quite difficult to do without such a device as a vice. Without a clamping device, it is difficult to perform various operations with parts made of metal, wood and plastic. The use of a vice guarantees not only high accuracy and efficiency of drilling, milling, etc. operations, but also the safety of the machine operator. If there is no desire or opportunity to purchase a serial model of such a device, then it is quite possible to make a vice with your own hands, spending very little time and effort on it.

Excellent strong locksmith vices can be made from shaped pipes yourself. Below is a detailed instruction in the format of a photo compilation, supplemented by a detailed video. Unfortunately. video in English, but this is unlikely to prevent a competent master from understanding the essence of the process.

Video (click to play).

Homemade vise from profile pipes

Homemade vise does not require complex design developments and calculations. You can use the numerous photos and drawings of such devices, which are easy to find on the Internet. A fairly simple, but at the same time very effective design is created on the basis of metal pipes.

As you know, pipes used for the installation of water and gas pipelines are produced in such a way that a product of a certain diameter fits tightly into a pipe of a subsequent standard size. It is this feature of pipes that allows them to be used for such a device as a homemade locksmith vice. A visual drawing, a photo and a description of the manufacturing process will help you make these vices yourself.

A drawing of a homemade vise. Below are two photos with the finished product

The structural elements of which the homemade vise will consist are:

  • a piece of metal pipe, which will act as the inner movable part of the device;
  • a piece of metal pipe of the next standard size, which will serve as an external fixed part;
  • a running nut with a thread diameter M16;
  • lead screw with thread diameter M16;
  • a knob, due to which rotation will be imparted to the lead screw;
  • front and rear supports, due to which the stationary pipe will be fixed on the base;
  • pieces of rectangular pipe (future vise clamping jaws);
  • two lock nuts with thread diameters M16 and M18.

Two main parts of the vice (movable and fixed)

They begin to make such a vice with their own hands by welding a flange to the end of a section of a pipe of a larger diameter, which will act as a fixed element. An M16 threaded nut must be welded into the center hole of the flange.A flange with a central hole is also welded to the end of a section of a movable pipe of a smaller diameter, into which the lead screw will be passed.

At some distance from the edge of the lead screw, an M18 nut is welded to it (it will become a fixing element). After that, the end of the lead screw, to which the nut is welded, must be passed through the inner part of the movable pipe and inserted into the hole in the flange. In this case, the nut should press against the flange from its inner side.

Vise assembly (in the photo, a hammer is clamped in them)

A washer is put on the end of the lead screw, protruding from the outer side of the flange, and an M16 nut is screwed on, which is then welded to the screw. A washer must also be fitted between the inner nut and the flange face to reduce friction. To correctly complete this stage of making a homemade vise, it is better to focus on the corresponding video.

After the movable vise assembly is assembled, insert it into the fixed pipe of the larger diameter and screw the other end of the lead screw into the nut of the second flange. To connect the lead screw with the wrench, a nut or washer can be welded to its end protruding from the side of the movable pipe, into the holes of which the wrench will be passed.

The clamping jaws of such a vice can be made from pieces of rectangular pipes that are welded to the moving and stationary parts. To give the structure stability, two supports are welded to the bottom of the fixed pipe, which can be angles or rectangular pipes.