My engraver vice - bowl vise

**jere** · Mar 13, 2015, 12:36 PM

Great vise lots of great design going on there.

**DIYer** · Mar 14, 2015, 03:57 AM

Great work as usual, Christophe. Interesting that they used cannonballs back then. Didn't you consider a bowling ball for your build?

**Christophe Mineau** · Mar 14, 2015, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by DIYer

Great work as usual, Christophe. Interesting that they used cannonballs back then. Didn't you consider a bowling ball for your build?

Hi Paul, tanks !
Yes, I saw some bowl vises made with bowling balls, but they are bigger by far. Even mine(20cm diameter) is quite too large, compared to the commercial versions.

**Altair** · Mar 15, 2015, 05:51 PM

Crackin job, Christophe. Well done!

**Christophe Mineau** · Mar 18, 2015, 03:29 AM

Just an addition on that topic:
two new articles dealing with engraving on my site :
- Engraver's bowl vise
- Metal engraving tools

Notice that you can now subscribe to my site newsletter, see on the front page, at the bottom.
Thanks.

**kbalch** · Mar 20, 2015, 08:58 AM

Hi Christophe,

What an amazing piece of work! Beautiful and functional. Your Engraver's Bowl Vise is the 'Tool of the Week'!

As you've already received one of our official HomemadeTools.net T-shirts…

My engraver vice - bowl vise-hmt-t-shirts.jpg

… we'd like to award you a $25 online gift card from GiftRocket.

Please send me (via PM) your email address and we'll get things processed directly.

Congrats!

Ken

**Christophe Mineau** · Mar 20, 2015, 09:43 AM

Hi,
Thank you so much, I'm very proud, this is a great honour !
I was very happy this time to show something quite unusual

Even if the tool by itself is very specific, I hope the idea for building the central screw can be of help for some other builders projects.

Have a good week end and thanks again !
Christophe

**kbalch** · Apr 14, 2015, 09:15 AM

This thread has been moved to the Must Read subforum. Congrats (and thanks) to Christophe for making such a valuable contribution!

**Toolmaker51** · Jun 4, 2016, 06:17 PM

Mr. Mineau;
Admittedly I've looked at lots of your projects; amazed at 110% evident craftsmanship. I have a commercial [surplus] ball vise not half as nice. Really creative re-utilization of common hardware, like a turnbuckle for right/ left hand thread components. Probably cost a 10th of what a pair of taps and dies would run.
The brake mechanism is very much like an indexer uses, save for attractive wood and finish. I'm wondering how the wood base functions against the bowl. Mine's a compressed felt ring, only one I know of, smells like horsehair though. All the others are a leather ring.
Anybody know a safe way to cut bowling balls in half?

**mklotz** · Jun 5, 2016, 08:57 AM

Ingenious design and exquisite execution. Be very proud, Christophe, very proud.

Might I suggest that your next learning foray be learning metal spinning. Making your wife a replacement bowl could be your key to future happiness. :-)