How to Make a Barrel Vise
- Step 1. Check to ensure that your firearm is unloaded completely. Measure the circumference of the barrel at its...
- Step 2. Stencil the circumference of the barrel, minus 1/16th inch, onto the center of a 6x6x2-inch block of wood.
- Step 3. Cut the wood block in half along your line using a saw. Cut out the semicircle stencil parts on both boards...
Full Answer
How to build a bowling ball vise?
“Fill the opened cavity almost to the top with lead shot to add weight, then seal the shot to the top of the hole with automotive Bondo® filler.” “Make a round cover for the flat top of the ball using metal, wood or Formica®. Mount your vise on top of this. Mine is a machinist’s vise using its mounting system.” “Make a base and you’re almost done.
How to make a wood vise?
Make a Bench Vise for Woodworking
- What You Need. About 16 linear feet of one by six hardwood (actual measurements ¾” x 5½”). ...
- Front Jaw. Cut two 32” long pieces from the one by six board. ...
- Rear Jaw. The rear jaw is L-shaped. ...
- Drill Holes for the Hex Bolts. Drill two ½” holes through the front jaw 3” from the short edge and 2 ¼” from the top edge. ...
- Make Handles. ...
- Use Your Bench Vise. ...
How to mount a woodworking vice?
Mounting a Wood Vise
- Select which Side. Choose which side of your workbench you will mount your work vise. ...
- Position the Wood Vice. Place the Wood Vice where you want it before bolting. ...
- Measuring. Mark out the holes where it requires bolting. ...
- Drilling. Then, drill the holes to allow the bolts to pass through your workbench. ...
- Bolting. ...
- Installing. ...
How to attach a vise to a drill press?
How to attach a Vise to a Drill Press
- Place the drill vice press atop the table of the drill press.
- Align the holes on the drill press vise with holes on the drill press table.
- Slide a 3/8 washer over 3/8 inch bolt and gently inch this through the hole aligned on the drill press table.
- Rotate the drill press vise to align another hole with the drill press table. ...
Why do you use a vise on a rifle?
There are several reasons for this. First, it's generally easier to secure the barrel even though it's often round. Second, by placing the holding pressure on the barrel, there's less likelihood of damaging the action, which can be bent a lot easier than you might think. And, finally, actions or receivers tend to have odder shapes that are less conducive to clamping in a vise.
How does a barrel vise work?
When using the barrel vise, the blocks holding the barrel are positioned under the moveable platform. As the platform is forced down by the upward movement of the jack piston, tons of energy are transferred to compress the blocks around the barrel. The amount of force you can obtain with this barrel vise is limited only by the size of your jack. If you want more compressing force, use a bigger jack. Needless to say, you can vary the dimensions of your vise to accommodate virtually any size of hydraulic jack.
Why use a barrel vise?
Especially important for the home gunsmith, a barrel vise gives you the ability to do more work on rifles, shotguns, or handguns. For example, with a barrel vise you can pull the barrel off an old military Mauser and install ...
How many parts are in a barrel vise?
With less than a dozen parts including the jack, this homemade barrel vise is ideal for the hobbyist or the professional gunsmith.
What type of block is used to hold a barrel?
The simplest is a block of hardwood, such as oak. The other option is to make up a metal clamping block.
How many screws are in a vise?
Another popular vise consists of two thick, rectangular strips of steel. The strip on top is normally a bit shorter and will have anywhere from two to four screws passing through it and threading into the lower strip.
What are inserts made of?
Inserts made of bedding material are cast around the barrel and then held in aluminum blocks, which are placed in the barrel vise. The inserts are coated with rosin to help secure the barrel.
How long does it take to build a gun vise?
Either of these designs can be built in an afternoon, but the simpler one will take a reasonably adept woodworker less than an hour to make. If you plan on using the vise for a while, don’t rush it. Also, allow your mind to imagine the vise’s use as you are making it. You might think of other things you would want on the rig that aren’t included here. For instance, I added a small tray to the base of my gun vise to hold parts for jobs.
How thick is a vise?
The 1 3/4-inch-thick spine on the simple vise is made of three pieces of 0.588-inch-thick wood laminated together to achieve an approximation of that thickness. This measurement is not critical to the function of the vise and may be varied as you choose. There will, most likely, be some fitting required due to the varying thicknesses of the lumber available in different locations. The spine can be cut more quickly if you have access to a bandsaw or a sabre saw. It is not really necessary to have the cut relief curved, except to have clearance to remove some guns’ magazines, and it’s more pleasing to the eyes. The spine only connects the two active sections of the vise for rigidity. It will not be practical to install long magazines when a gun’s receiver is clamped in this vise.
How to glue wood to a base?
After sanding until your fingers are at their limit, it is time to glue the pieces together, which will form a sturdy base assembly. Use a couple of 1/4-inch bolts or 1/4-inch steel pins to align pieces seven and nine before glueing the side pieces of wood to the two inch wide number nine. After the two side pieces are glued and clamped, remove Piece 7 and clean up all excess glue from both pieces.
How to make fit tighter on floating uprights?
To make the fit tighter and to minimize any rocking motion of the two floating uprights , the ones nearest you in the isometric drawing, leave the holes to be drilled after the other parts have been assembled. I will go into that drilling when we have glued all of the parts together that form the main vise assembly.
What is the purpose of adding leather to a gunmate vise?
Adding some soft leather over the pads gives a refined look, much like what I have with my “Gun-Mate” cleaning vise. I have noticed the interest of my customers when they see the vise, and it has helped break the ice when they mention the quality of it. A nicely made wooden one should bring the same results. Any little touch that gives your customer the feeling that you have good equipment, even if it’s a meaningless cosmetic touch, is worthwhile.
Where can I pick up wood for a table?
All of the materials can be picked up at the local handyman store, and only you can decide how good a wood you might want to use. I would, however, make sure that the wood I used was hard enough to last a while. Search through the cut-off bins and get some hard, solid-core plywood for the base (1), and some hardwood like maple or oak for the other pieces. The drawing will show how large the pieces are to be, and you will want to give yourself some leeway for cuts that must run straight.
Can you paint a gun after it has dried?
When the glue has dried clear, (usually after about an hour to be safe), you can paint or finish the main assembly and the two loose uprights. I would suggest using a urethane varnish or other paint that resists most of the solvents you will be using on guns. It should also be a gloss finish so that it can be kept clean more easily. If you used some pretty wood, you might want to use a clear urethane to show off your choice. Otherwise, I would use an opaque color to hide your practicality.
How to make a wood vise?
Place the 2-by-4-by-12-inch hardwood board in front of you. Measure and mark three inches from each end of the board. Use a drill and ¼-inch drill bit to drill through the board at the pencil marks. This board will form the base of the vise.
How to tighten a vise?
Slide the carriage bolts through the back side of the holes in the back jaw plate of the vise. Slide the front jaw plate onto the carriage bolts from the front side . Slide the remaining to fender washers onto each of the carriage bolts. Thread the 3/8-inch nuts onto the end of each carriage bolt. Use the 3/8-inch wrench to tighten or loosen the vise as needed when using the vise.
How to attach a vise to a mounting surface?
Place the base of the vise onto the edge of the vise mounting surface. The back jaw of the vise should hang off the edge of the surface. The base should be fully on the mounting surface. Use a ¼-inch wrench to fasten the base of the vise to the mounting surface using the ¼-inch lag bolts.
What is a vise in a shop?
A simple vise can be made from items around the shop. A vise is one of the most useful tools in the shop. It is often overlooked when thinking about outfitting the wood shop. Commercially available vises are costly and have limitations. Wooden vises on the other hand can be made by the woodworker.
What to use between the jaws of a vise?
Use cardboard or felt between the jaws of the vise when using very soft woods in the vise.
How long does it take to spin a rifle barrel?
That comes in handy when you have to lean on something. Like separating the stock from the barreled action on a tight bedding job. And it takes about two seconds to spin the barrel in the vise to place the rifle at whatever angle is easiest for you to work on the rifle.
Can you clamp a stock on a forearm?
I never clamp on the stock but on the barrel right ahead of the forearm. You can make it good and tight without making any marks and guaranteed not to move.
Is the vise method good for cleaning guns?
Yepper. I clean guns the exact way. The vise method is quick and handy no matter what work you're doing on a gun. Personally I'll never bother trying to come up with something different.
