3 inch vise

[threesixesinarow]

This is my big vise. It’s mostly a smaller imitation of a Rhodes 5” shaper vise but it operates from either end and can be clamped in some different positions.

Like on the Rhodes the moving jaw swivels to hold irregular and tapered work, and the jaw turns backwards to hold shorter, narrower stuff. It can also hold small cylinders on end using a built in vee.

Members here on homemadetools.net have made better and more original versions of its features - Rossbotic’s round stock vise holds a much greater range of round stuff repeatably, Rick Sparber’s lock down shaper vise has a more robust connection between the jaw and nut, and Toolmaker51’s self-aligning clamping pad does much more than the swiveling jaw. I even planned to make a base to mount it on end like Tuomas’ fixed and improved drill press vise - either horizontally on my shaper instead of a table, or vertically on my mill instead of an angle plate but the extra thickness might be too much.

It works okay, though! The jaws are 3” wide and 7/8” tall, and open to 3-1/8” in three steps, which is about the same capacity as the 3” original vise for my Atlas horizontal mill. Its overall height is 1-3/4”.


As a milling vise


As a shaper vise


With 1-1/2” and 2” vises


Rhodes 5” vise, from their crank shaper brochure


Easy 1/4” handles


Easy 3/8” square sockets


Dimensions


Parts


Comparison with the Atlas shaper vise