How to hold the wood while carving

What works best for you? Vise? C-clamp to workbench? Carving screw to table? Are the specialized devices (Jerry Rig etc) worth the cost?

Thanks from a newbie.

Brad

Depends on what your trying to hold - but mostly you can make something cheaper that works just as well. Like with most things in carving, it's the results that count.

[AlArchie]

I built a carving vice from plans in WCI a couple years back. Â*Made it from pipe fittings and an eye bolt. Â*It works great, and the folks at my carving club said I ought to make plans and sell them........too late, they are already at WCI somewhere. Â*I have it mounted to a 1x6x10 piece of oak that I can clamp to a bench, table saw top, or clamp it in a woodworkers vice on a workbench. Â*It will position the work 360 degrees horizontaly and almost that vetically, and any angle in between. Â*

Two modifications to the original plans were made. I brazed the eyebolt closed so it wouldn't open up when tightening it up, and I ground detents in the Â*'T' fitting that secures the eyebolt so it will lock firmly in 8 different positions.

I subsituted an old box wrench and a nut for the handle.

Check the site here, I'm sure someone will know where to find the plans. Â*It ran me about 7 bucks to put together.

OK I found it......go to WCI home page and click on 'past articles' on the top of the page. go down to 'Poor Man's Contest' toward the bottom of that page and there you should find this vice article. Â*It really works!

If I find it I'll post it up.

Al

Brad, if your thinking about buying a vise, check out Ebay, last week I picked up a new 'Panavise' for just $6.95 and at that time there was about three other seperate panavise listed too. Maybe still some on the site, not sure as I write this. Goodluck and I hope this helps you out. Coffeeman

[Kenny_S]

I use a varitiy of devices plus my hand. Depending on how large of a project I am doing. Ahome made pipe vise and a home made wood different posotion wood arm vise with screw . My little bride bought me a suctioned small vise and found it needs a smooth top to hold. Was mildly surprised how well it held.

Small carvings, my hand.

BTW, the pipe vise was from a web site and for the life of me, I have not found it again . Luckly, I printed off the plans. May have been at the Wood Carving Illustraed site.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

this site has numerous vises on it....http://216.106.57.170/~dielle/designs.html

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have been looking for that pipe vise site myself, I know I have it, just can't find it! :

[AlArchie]

Dave, that Dielle site you put up, has that particular vice as #1! You gotta look at your stuff a little closer.......

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

LOL : ???

[Kenny_S]

That was it Hi Ho! A friend was wanting the site allso. Thanks for posting it again. Bookmarked it this time. My friend called it a Kenny Rigged vise. Whish I could take credit for it but I didn't. Any way, Had to modify it somewhat Myself to make it more practical. Wasn't satified with it the way it was. Basicly like al did his but I will modify it more like he did. I like the idea of the nut and wrench. Maybe tack the wrench to the nut.

Thanks again for the site