Foredom-Panavise carrier

[mklotz]

This is another one of my...

Well, technically, it IS a tool, but, really, it's more of a suggestion/idea that you might want to put to use in your own shop.

posts. I hope someone finds it useful.

I have a Foredom flexible shaft tool. It's superior to Dremel-type tools in several ways...

more powerful
electrical switch reversible
handpiece smaller and lighter than the typical Dremel tool
handpiece has genuine Jacobs chuck - no fooling with collets when changing bits

However, as with so many hand-held tools, it's often easier to get the job done by bringing the work to the tool rather than the tool to the work. What I needed was a third hand to hold the Foredom handpiece.

I have a Panavise with the optional base that allows it to be clamped to the worktable...

This ingenious mechanism allows the vise to be tilted and rotated to any angle. It's the perfect instrument for holding the Foredom handpiece. I've done it but there are problems. The 1" diameter handpiece has to sit up above the vise alignment bars so that the jaws clamp on the diameter. That's tricky and not terribly stable. I made a V-block to fit on the jaws but it was still a three-handed hassle to mount the handpiece. A further complication was the fact that I'm reluctant to close the jaws too tightly lest I mar or damage the handpiece. The Foredom bearing alignment is near perfect and I don't want to mess it up.

So (finally he gets to the build), I took a piece of 1-7/16" steel and bored it out to a smooth, sliding fit (1") on the Foredom handpiece and fitted two 10-24 nylon screws to hold the handpiece in place.

This handpiece carrier fits into the Panavise such that resting on (and thereby stabilized by) the Panavise alignment pins, the bottom edges of the vise jaws lock the carrier tightly in place. And, of course, with that thickness of steel, no amount of reefing on the Panavise is going to damage the handpiece.

When all assembled it looks like this...

I'm very happy with it. I can use both hands to hold small parts while I sand or debur them and the tool is always at just the right angle.