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Thread: Bowling-Ball Vise Mount (or work mount - your choice!)

  1. #1
    Supporting Member CharlesWaugh's Avatar
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    Bowling-Ball Vise Mount (or work mount - your choice!)

    I built this as a wildly rough-n-ready proof-of-concept from stuff I had lying around my shop.

    I wanted to see if the idea was worth pursuing.

    https://vimeo.com/92948875

    Well, it WAS worth pursuing, and I've gotten most all of the engineering done on a production version:
    Bowling-Ball Vise Mount (or work mount - your choice!)-positionall-explanatory-views.jpg
    I gotta get this thing finished up one of these days - but I've run into a seemingly intractable problem . . .

    You see, I want it to be a 'dead man' foot pedal - you step on it to RELEASE the ball, and if your foot slips off, WHAM! It locks in place.
    My current proof of concept will kill you if you let go of the vise/workpiece when the pedal is in the released position. That's bad form, old boy! Bad Form!

    But... the problem is, it takes about 1000 pounds of force on the center of the toggle-clamp linkage to compress the spring enough to release the ball.

    With about a 10:1 leverage applied on the foot-pedal lever, that's 100 pounds - easily done with one foot.

    But... if your foot slips off, the PEDAL will fly back at the speed of sound (my terrified guess) and can whack your shin, splintering it into many little fragments!

    No, this is not a statement from direct experience, it is an FMEA (failure mode event analysis) conclusion. But I am assured by my prior experiences with stored energy (with the scars to prove it!) that it's a predictable result.

    So... my design sits on my shop floor, half finished, waiting my brain to kick in and cough up the answer.

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    Last edited by CharlesWaugh; Apr 1, 2019 at 08:56 AM.
    Charles Waugh
    www.charleswaugh.com
    "Any tool is just a kit, to be modified as needed for the job at hand"

  2. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to CharlesWaugh For This Useful Post:

    DDoerschuk (Apr 7, 2019), high-side (Apr 2, 2019), Jon (Apr 1, 2019), Scotsman Hosie (Apr 2, 2019), will52100 (Apr 1, 2019)

  3. #2
    Jon
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    Nice! I saw this concept on your site a while back, and I've been waitin' and wonderin'...

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    Use a shock, with a one way check ball and orifice, easy open and orifice closed.

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    Supporting Member CharlesWaugh's Avatar
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    John,
    Yup! That's what I thought too.
    But... that's more parts, more cost, more assembly.
    Or a screen-door retarder - an all-in-one solution, but not really industrial-rated.

    You see, I'm kinda berzerk about ultra-elegant solutions when designing.
    But, I may need to just bite the bullet and do it.
    :-/
    Charles Waugh
    www.charleswaugh.com
    "Any tool is just a kit, to be modified as needed for the job at hand"

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    Supporting Member suther51's Avatar
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    Don't suppose a liner actuator would fit the overall approach in that it would need a power source. Yet perhaps some sort of ball screw arrangement to control the spring release. I tend to get overly complicated. I guess I see the pedal with a rack or gear quadrant turning the screw. Just a random mental emission ( RME ) a bit like a worm gear will only turn with input from the worm in some cases. Hope I'm not diving down the wrong rabbit hole.
    Eric

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    Supporting Member CharlesWaugh's Avatar
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    Suther,
    Yeah, there's lots of ways to apply and external power source, but that's the way-high-dollar solution (which is in the works!, though pneumatic is my choice because it is in almost every shop, delivers a lot power per cubic inch, is easy to maintain and repair, and can be sourced inexpensively from multiple suppliers)

    I'm fumbling around trying to create a foot-powered solution that doesn't amputate the foot if mis-used.
    :-)
    Charles Waugh
    www.charleswaugh.com
    "Any tool is just a kit, to be modified as needed for the job at hand"

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    Supporting Member CharlesWaugh's Avatar
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    BTW: I am wary of powered solutions since I finally got my hand mangled by my table saw after FORTY-SIX YEARS! I've taught table-saw safety, I've even made videos on it, and cleaned up lots of 'hamburger' off of saws after other poor souls have let their attention wander... and I finally succumbed. :-(

    I lost almost no meat, and I'll get most all motion back, though my middle finger will have to do most of the work from here on out.

    Worst of all... it sure is hard to pick my nose now... (the left hand just ain't so dainty!)
    Charles Waugh
    www.charleswaugh.com
    "Any tool is just a kit, to be modified as needed for the job at hand"

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    errant double post.
    site auto-saves your work - but doesn't wake you, dozing off while you write.
    but there it was; 2 paragraphs of "cccccccccccccc. . ."
    Last edited by Toolmaker51; Apr 4, 2019 at 03:44 AM.
    Sincerely,
    Toolmaker51
    ...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

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    Quote Originally Posted by CharlesWaugh View Post
    I built this as a wildly rough-n-ready proof-of-concept <snip> but I've run into a seemingly intractable problem . . .

    You see, I want it to be a 'dead man' foot pedal - you step on it to RELEASE the ball, and if your foot slips off, WHAM! It locks in place.
    My current proof of concept will kill you if you let go of the vise/workpiece when the pedal is in the released position. That's bad form, old boy! Bad Form!

    But... the problem is, it takes about 1000 pounds of force on the center of the toggle-clamp linkage to compress the spring enough to release the ball.

    With about a 10:1 leverage applied on the foot-pedal lever, that's 100 pounds - easily done with one foot.

    But... if your foot slips off, the PEDAL will fly back at the speed of sound (my terrified guess) and can whack your shin, splintering it into many little fragments!

    No, this is not a statement from direct experience, it is an FMEA (failure mode event analysis) conclusion. But I am assured by my prior experiences with stored energy (with the scars to prove it!) that it's a predictable result.

    So... my design sits on my shop floor, half finished, waiting my brain to kick in and cough up the answer.
    I like the concept, but if I had to build one tonight my pattern would emulate a proof of concept a few centuries old; the blacksmith post vise, screw operated
    Cursory examination of the drawing foments three potential solutions;
    1] Create a latch, the variety of a floor brake found on die carts, utilizing the ratchet/ cam mechanism. The Rockwell Jaw Horse uses nearly identical mechanics. Much like action of foot operated auto emergency brake.
    2] The ball sockets appear to encircle a sufficient chord to hold the ball under no pressure, or could be arranged. A stout shot of welded chain might also restrict opening too far.
    or
    3] Purchase a pair of clown shoes. . .
    Sincerely,
    Toolmaker51
    ...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

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    Supporting Member suther51's Avatar
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    Ran this past my dad yesterday on a road trip. His reply was to use a wedge instead of a cam system. Similar to some jewlers vices. Such as in this link.
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/2411844...aAimWEALw_wcB#

    Spring force is always agents the wedge or cone limiting its reactionary force if the angle of wedge or cone is properly chosen. Just another RME ;-)
    Eric

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