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Post by packer on Feb 14, 2021 16:27:15 GMT -8
My pin vice stopped holding #80 bits. Anyone got a recommendation for one that doesn’t go bad or at least lasts a little longer?
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Post by sd40dash2 on Feb 14, 2021 16:48:57 GMT -8
Can you embed a photo of the one you have so we avoid buying and recommending it?
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Post by nsc39d8 on Feb 14, 2021 16:56:58 GMT -8
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Post by edwardsutorik on Feb 14, 2021 17:55:28 GMT -8
I've had the old General pin vises for about forever:  Mine are older than the one in the picture. Mine have a larger "swivel" thing. I got four of them so I could just leave the collet in place, and not have to play with it every time I used a different size bit. For some reason, my collets started refusing to accept some sizes of bits. I don't know why. Maybe they always did, and I never noticed. Of course, since I bought four, I do have spare collets to experiment with. Oh. Maybe I should mention that the General comes with two double ended collets, with one stored in the handle. So you have four "options". The range is from zero to 1/8". They cost about $13 each. Four would be $52. General doesn't sell the "General" pin vise anymore. Others do. Grainger, for one. A couple of months ago I was on a job and a guy there gave me a set of Starrett 240 pin vises:  They are VERY nice. I do wish they came with the "swivel" thingy, though. I'm used to putting a finger up there to guide the General ones. I've thought of adding the swivel. The Starrett are VERY well made. The set goes from zero up to a bit larger than 5/32". You'll note that a set of four will cost you about $110. Besides these two, I can't think of any other pin vise I would recommend. ED |
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Post by bridge2nowhere on Feb 14, 2021 18:11:26 GMT -8
I use one pin vice for the smallest drills, and another for larger bits. I found the jaws of the chuck would eventually deform when tightened on the the larger bits, preventing them from bearing on the smaller bits when fully tightened.
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Post by 12bridge on Feb 15, 2021 21:04:08 GMT -8
Every so often I have to take a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and just give a quick swipe though the jaws of mine, and I am usually good again for a few months.
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Post by nsc39d8 on Feb 16, 2021 3:50:05 GMT -8
Ed,
Not sure on the set you have but my Starrett set is machined with a concave on the end. I can place my finger there with no problem as the knurled area is not present inside the end.
It does take some getting use to using them but they are nice. I did keep my Zona for using on track work.
One other thing I like is they are hollow so if the bit goes into the collet to far you can just let it go on thru and not have to deal with "tapping" it back out.
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Feb 16, 2021 11:09:41 GMT -8
The Starrett are VERY well made. The set goes from zero up to a bit larger than 5/32". You'll note that a set of four will cost you about $110. Besides these two, I can't think of any other pin vise I would recommend. Another vote for Starrett here. I bought a single 162A (the smallest size) and used it so much that I wanted another and went for the S162Z set which can be had on Amazon for $76. The S240Z set seems to be slightly larger sizes. I think the 162s will be much better suited to model building, and they're a little cheaper. |
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Post by edwardsutorik on Feb 16, 2021 12:03:26 GMT -8
Ed, Not sure on the set you have but my Starrett set is machined with a concave on the end. I can place my finger there with no problem as the knurled area is not present inside the end. It does take some getting use to using them but they are nice. I did keep my Zona for using on track work. One other thing I like is they are hollow so if the bit goes into the collet to far you can just let it go on thru and not have to deal with "tapping" it back out. James, I think my Starretts are pretty much like yours: the handle is a long tube, open at the end. The thing is, I can't put my finger tip IN the end of these; while, with the old General ones, the handle is something like 4 times the diameter of the Starretts, swivels, and has a hollow depression that will accept my finger tip. I suspect that that won't be a real problem, though. Just an annoyance. It woulda been better if..... If folks recall, these things we use for holding bits for drilling small holes are called "pin vises". Thus, a vise for holding pins. SOME pin vises have rather large handles. Seems to me THOSE are really good for holding pins. But NOT for holding drill bits. By the way, I DO use my pin vises as pin vises, occasionally. Recently, I cut off some short pieces of brass rod about 1/32" in diameter--pins. I put them in a pin vise so I could file the ends flat. Ed |
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Post by edwardsutorik on Feb 16, 2021 12:25:44 GMT -8
The Starrett are VERY well made. The set goes from zero up to a bit larger than 5/32". You'll note that a set of four will cost you about $110. Besides these two, I can't think of any other pin vise I would recommend. Another vote for Starrett here. I bought a single 162A (the smallest size) and used it so much that I wanted another and went for the S162Z set which can be had on Amazon for $76. The S240Z set seems to be slightly larger sizes. I think the 162s will be much better suited to model building, and they're a little cheaper. The 162 set runs from 0 to .187. The 240 from .010 to .200. I had been thinking about getting a set of Starrett pin vises for awhile, and couldn't decide. Well, I finally did when the guy gave me his. Unfortunately, Starrett doesn't really tell you why you might pick one set over the other. Well, besides the rather minimal size differences. I probably would have gotten the 162, since it DOES seem more appropriate for what we do. "Looking down the barrel" of my smallest of the set, it certainly does LOOK like it shrinks down past .010. Ed |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Feb 16, 2021 15:21:58 GMT -8
To make a quick short term “repair” for a loose fit I have wrapped a bit with aluminum foil around the base of the bit and used that to help the vise hold on.
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Post by packer on Feb 26, 2021 10:24:10 GMT -8
To make a quick short term “repair” for a loose fit I have wrapped a bit with aluminum foil around the base of the bit and used that to help the vise hold on. Can you drill straight on with it? Every so often I have to take a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and just give a quick swipe though the jaws of mine, and I am usually good again for a few months. I’ll try this Can you embed a photo of the one you have so we avoid buying and recommending it? I think mine is an excel or something like that. I had a general before |
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Post by valenciajim on Mar 11, 2021 19:40:32 GMT -8
The Starrett are VERY well made. The set goes from zero up to a bit larger than 5/32". You'll note that a set of four will cost you about $110. Besides these two, I can't think of any other pin vise I would recommend. Another vote for Starrett here. I bought a single 162A (the smallest size) and used it so much that I wanted another and went for the S162Z set which can be had on Amazon for $76. The S240Z set seems to be slightly larger sizes. I think the 162s will be much better suited to model building, and they're a little cheaper. I just purchased a Starrett 162A based on the posts in this thread. I am looking forward to trying it out. |
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Post by canrailfan on Mar 11, 2021 19:59:17 GMT -8
Some of the 'hobby' pin vises don't have hardened collets. If you over-tighten them (as when you can't them to hold a bit securely) they just deform and make the problem worse. There's no real fix for this. The problem is with the metal the collet is made from.
More expensive pin vises will have hardened collets and are well worth the extra money.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Mar 12, 2021 7:47:37 GMT -8
Some of the 'hobby' pin vises don't have hardened collets. If you over-tighten them (as when you can't them to hold a bit securely) they just deform and make the problem worse. There's no real fix for this. The problem is with the metal the collet is made from. More expensive pin vises will have hardened collets and are well worth the extra money. THAT would certainly explain my experience with my old General pin-vises. When I first got and used them, they (as far as I recall) would cover the full range of bits from 0 to 1/8". Now they don't. Which is what prompted my search for replacements. If I am feeling overly rich some day (It COULD happen), I might just pick up the 262 set, to "match" my 240. "You can't have too many tools!" (Unless you can't find the one in the pile that you need.) Ed |
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Mar 14, 2021 8:39:14 GMT -8
He who dies with the most tools wins.
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