The Maker's Vise

[fievels]

Hey everyone!  I'm back to make a post about my kickstarter launch.

The Maker's Vise
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2012837180/the-makers-vise-the-most-general-purpose-hobby-vis

We have a ton of vises that we use for prototyping here at work, and we thought it would be great to make one vise to replace all of them.  One that was fast and easy to use... didn't have grease contamination.. and, had jaws that were easy to replace.  A vise for makers with a variety of interests (tinkering, painting, building, etc.)..  The result is "The Maker's Vise."

Also!  We're advocating the use of 3d-printed custom jaws.  People have been making custom jaws for a while.  Generally by cutting a makeshift piece out of wood.  But, that's the old way of doing things.  Modern multi-material makers benefit from the miracle of plastics.  Custom jaws can be printed exactly to fit So,.. we're leaving our custom jaw designs up on our website for people to download and print out.  If you don't have a printer, we'll print them out and send them to you for a relatively low cost.

I really believe everyone will love this vise!  It's rather useful.  The prototype is a bit rough around the edges..  but that's why we need crowdfunding.  To afford the tooling to make our vise just the way we want it.

So, check us out!  If you're into it, we appreciate your support.  Every social media share goes a mile.

P.s.  Kickstarter backers have the option of a special Green kickstarter edition maker's vise.

Edit:  Only available in US and Canada.  If anyone knows how to cheaply ship to other countries, let me know.

[nidlaX]

Good luck on your campaign! Do you plan to include any of your 3D printed jaws with the reward packages? As-is, I think your product's value proposition at $89 isn't great compared to less convenient, but significantly cheaper machining vises you can get on eBay.

[ataradov]

Yes, what you have invented is basically this http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-3-Precision-Hardened-Milling-Grinding-Machining-Vise-Mounting-Slots-New-/292012804233?epid=1211963395&hash=item43fd51c889:g:U4UAAOSwo4pYjOQA + some plastic.

[fievels]

Good luck on your campaign! Do you plan to include any of your 3D printed jaws with the reward packages? As-is, I think your product's value proposition at $89 isn't great compared to less convenient, but significantly cheaper machining vises you can get on eBay.

Thank you nidlaX!  We are not offering the 3d printed jaws as rewards.  We couldn't really pinpoint what kind of projects our customers are going to be working on.. since there are a broad range of applications for The Maker's Vise.  But, in theory, the custom jaws will be cheap to make and ship out.  What kind of 3d printed jaws would you be interest in?

 

Yes, what you have invented is basically this http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-3-Precision-Hardened-Milling-Grinding-Machining-Vise-Mounting-Slots-New-/292012804233?epid=1211963395&hash=item43fd51c889:g:U4UAAOSwo4pYjOQA + some plastic.

Well, yes and no.  The toolmaker style of vise has been around for a while.  It's used by machinists for precision work.  You clamp it via magnetic table.  It's made out of cast steel.  And, you have to manually match the counter-brace mechanism which makes them kind of a pain to use. 

Our vise is an anodized aluminum extrusion.  You either use it as a tabletop vise or a bolt it down.  The plastic slide is Delrin, which i would describe as similar to Teflon but with more durability and better characteristics for compression. 

The real proprietary part is the counter-brace mechanism.  The self-aligning teeth make the maker's vise much faster and easier to use than traditional toolmaker style of vises.

[Kean]

There seems to be no specifications or dimensions listed 

[fievels]

There seems to be no specifications or dimensions listed 

hmm.. yeah, a spec sheet would be useful, right?!  I'll talk to my boss about making one up.

In the mean time, what kind of info are curious about?
Dimensions:  8.5" long, 3.0" wide, 3.4" tall.   or, since you probably use metric:  216mm x 76mm x 86mm
Opening:  about 5" or approx 127mm
Compression:  about 100 lbs with knob handle... about 1500 lbs with hex key..   or, 45kg with knob handle and 680 kg with hex
Material:  Anodized Aluminum body and Delrin Slides

Also,.. hey kean!  Nice to see you.

[nanofrog]

It's interesting, but I'm having a hard time seeing any advantages vs. say a drill press vise (4" example).  And FWIW, the latter can be had for ~$14 shipped (5" version is just under $20 shipped). 

Custom jaws are easily made IME, and you don't need a 3D printer to do it; just cannibalize some leather from an old belt and take a razor knife to it (old jewelry maker's trick).

[Kean]

Yep, those are the kind of specs I'd expect to see on the campaign page.  I am actually quite surprised you've had 33 people pledging without that info, and no comments on KS asking.  Wow!

I have to agree with the others here, at your listed price I can't see a big market considering what is already commonly available.  I'd consider getting one if they were a bit cheaper, but you aren't shipping to Australia anyway...

[fievels]

It's interesting, but I'm having a hard time seeing any advantages vs. say a drill press vise (4" example).  And FWIW, the latter can be had for ~$14 shipped (5" version is just under $20 shipped). 

Custom jaws are easily made IME, and you don't need a 3D printer to do it; just cannibalize some leather from an old belt and take a razor knife to it (old jewelry maker's trick).

Thanks for the input nanofrog!  A cheap cast-iron vise will certainly work in a pinch.  And fashioning custom leather jaws sounds like a neat trick!  There may even be some cases where leather is the better material to use?

But, there are downsides to the cheap route:
1.  The time you spend cranking that center rod to open/close your vise is going to bog down your workflow. 
2.  The metal-to-metal slide surface requires grease to work properly.  Not something you really want on your kitchen counter or living-room couch.
3.  Leather may be too soft for some applications and a belt would provide limited depth of material to work with.

Tbh, we have a similar drill press vise in our shop.  and then we have another vise for circuit boards.  and then we have another two vises for toroid winding.  and then another vise for working on small metal parts.  ..and the list goes on.  It's a better solution in our eyes to own one vise that does it all.  The Maker's Vise may end up saving you money when you don't have to go out and buy another vise for your next project.

Yep, those are the kind of specs I'd expect to see on the campaign page.  I am actually quite surprised you've had 33 people pledging without that info, and no comments on KS asking.  Wow!

I have to agree with the others here, at your listed price I can't see a big market considering what is already commonly available.  I'd consider getting one if they were a bit cheaper, but you aren't shipping to Australia anyway...

Yeah, that was a good catch Kean!  My boss told me he will be working on a spec sheet this morning.  We were showing off our vise at the "Portland Maker Faire" last weekend ..so perhaps many of our customers already know the specs because they had a live demonstration.

I've been trying to avoid talking about the price point.  We're not making any money at our goal marker.. and the machinists have agreed to a price where they aren't making any money either.  In mass production they would be cheap to make and everyone would make money.. and we might even be able to drop the price.  But, The Maker's Vise won't reach it to market without consumers backing our kickstarter. 

The problem is, our vise looks too much like the other vises online.  All the magic happens below the surface in the internal mechanisms.  We believe people actually using our vise is what is going to make it popular.  Once you use it.. you'll know how special it is. 

I want to ship to Australia man.. I really do.  But, the shipping is crazy.  I was hoping it wouldn't be.. because it would only be a 4-5 lbs package.  But, it would be something like $50-70.

[Yansi]

Will you have a special edition vises with "Keep yerr dick in a vise" stickerz? 

//EDIT: vise, not vice.

[fievels]

Will you have a special edition vices with "Keep yerr dick in a vice" stickerz? 

LOL, I see someone else is a fan of AvE.. I thought about sending him a vise with custom dick-shaped soft jaws.   You know... to make it more comfortable.

[KL27x]

On the website, it says the prototype was not anodized and shows no wear. Is anodizing necessary for the teeth?

As a self-described maker of things, I would prefer option of no anodizing, if it works/lasts without it. Anodizing declares a thing "finished." For you, it may be perfect. Someone else might need to add some features. Holes, slots, beveling. Or simply want to square or lap it. Or modify the beveling.

[691175002]

As far as vises go it looks very nice and well suited to its purpose.

If you are looking for suggestions, I find that screwing/unscrewing softjaws is really annoying.  I think you should try to integrate some sort of dovetail or snap-in feature on the vice face that will mate with an easily printable feature for when you don't need to fully secure the jaws.  It would be really nice to swap printed jaws in seconds instead of screwing around with a hex key.

Make sure there is room for the screws even when they are not in use, so they don't get lost.  You might even be able to use the screw heads to register or mate with 3d printed soft jaws.

I also feel like 4lb is a tad heavy for an all-alumium vice with plastic slides, so if you see an opportunity to pull a few ounces off that could be nice.

[Dubbie]

Curious as to why people want a lightweight vice?
I couldn't think of anything more annoying personally.

[thm_w]

Curious as to why people want a lightweight vice?
I couldn't think of anything more annoying personally.

For drilling, machining, etc. sure heavy is great.
For soldering, I sure as hell would not want to use my 3.5" grinding vise, its about 18lb.

The small ebay steel vice is quoted as 2x3x1" and 2.9lb, this one is a bit larger, and 4lb, which is reasonably heavy IMO.

[fievels]

On the website, it says the prototype was not anodized and shows no wear. Is anodizing necessary for the teeth?

As a self-described maker of things, I would prefer option of no anodizing, if it works/lasts without it. Anodizing declares a thing "finished." For you, it may be perfect. Someone else might need to add some features. Holes, slots, beveling. Or simply want to square or lap it. Or modify the beveling.

I imagine we could put tape over the teeth areas when anodizing the body.  They won't wear down without the anodize.. but, the added thickness of the oxide layer is easy to make adjustments for.  I don't see it really being a problem.

I see where you are coming from, on the maker aspect.  The anodize is porous, which is allowing us to dye it green for the 'Kickstarter edition'..  But, I like to think we're willing to cater to makers.  I'll pass the idea onto my boss.  I'm not sure if we'll make it a tier.  But, maybe we can send you a version pre-anodize?  I'd have to check on it.. E-mail me if you're interested:  Greg.Stephens(at)solextract.com

As far as vises go it looks very nice and well suited to its purpose.

If you are looking for suggestions, I find that screwing/unscrewing softjaws is really annoying.  I think you should try to integrate some sort of dovetail or snap-in feature on the vice face that will mate with an easily printable feature for when you don't need to fully secure the jaws.  It would be really nice to swap printed jaws in seconds instead of screwing around with a hex key.

Make sure there is room for the screws even when they are not in use, so they don't get lost.  You might even be able to use the screw heads to register or mate with 3d printed soft jaws.

I also feel like 4lb is a tad heavy for an all-alumium vice with plastic slides, so if you see an opportunity to pull a few ounces off that could be nice.

Thank you 691175002!  I had this thought too.  A dovetail would be lovely.  But, my second thought is that it would increase the printing time and material needed for every jaw you print.  I do have some ideas to make this easy though.
1.  Have the jaws screw onto the outside of the steel jaws.  This way you don't need to change out the steel jaws to use your plastic ones.  The Maker's Vise is already designed to do this, we would just need to supply the right size screw for it. ...my boss hates this idea though.
2.  Have a 3d-printable base that screws on... but then you can snap-fit other jaws to it.  Like this:  http://www.makervise.com/product-category/connectors/
3.  Magnets?  But, I think magnets solve every problem.  lol

[ovnr]

As others have said, I don't really see the point vs a normal screwless vise. It's more expensive, and while it's probably a bit easier to use... eh. You also lose out on the precision of a proper ground and hardened vise.

And as for jaws, 3D-printing soft jaws for a "normal" screwless vise wouldn't really be a big deal I imagine.


Good luck tho.

[fievels]

As others have said, I don't really see the point vs a normal screwless vise. It's more expensive, and while it's probably a bit easier to use... eh. You also lose out on the precision of a proper ground and hardened vise.

And as for jaws, 3D-printing soft jaws for a "normal" screwless vise wouldn't really be a big deal I imagine.


Good luck tho.

Thanks ovnr!  It really only looks like a screwless vise.  Using our vise compared to a normal screwless vise is a completely different experience.  We're not targeting machinists who need precision ground surfaces.  Though, I did have a machinist approach us at the Portland maker's faire and he told me that our vise would be perfect for his @home projects. 

You actually can't attach custom jaws to a normal screwless vise.  ..or it would be difficult.  Because the jaws are not removable, they are cast as part of the vise.  And, drilling into steel isn't something everyone can do.

I would like to emphasize that it would make me happy to see people 3d printing custom jaws for other vises.  We're not trying to hold onto that idea in any way.  It is our hope that custom jaws become the new normal.  I am supplying files as a free download to anyone who has a 3d printer.  And, we are providing a 3d printing service for those of us who don't have a printer.

[ataradov]

You actually can't attach custom jaws to a normal screwless vise.  ..or it would be difficult.  Because the jaws are not removable, they are cast as part of the vise.  And, drilling into steel isn't something everyone can do.

There are plastic soft jaws that use magnets. Not hard at all.

Here is an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Soft-Magnetic-Vice-Jaws-Plastic-3-6-Inches-Machined-Parts-Wood-Soft-Metal-Tube-/162559726668?epid=1272409165&hash=item25d950944c:g:afoAAOSw0j9ZSHd4

[fievels]

You actually can't attach custom jaws to a normal screwless vise.  ..or it would be difficult.  Because the jaws are not removable, they are cast as part of the vise.  And, drilling into steel isn't something everyone can do.

There are plastic soft jaws that use magnets. Not hard at all.

Here is an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Soft-Magnetic-Vice-Jaws-Plastic-3-6-Inches-Machined-Parts-Wood-Soft-Metal-Tube-/162559726668?epid=1272409165&hash=item25d950944c:g:afoAAOSw0j9ZSHd4

lol, yes!  how could i forget about magnets??!  I'm not sure these particular jaws would fit a toolmaker's vise.  But, yeah!  Just throw a magnet onto your custom jaws.  And, you'd be good to go.