Are Float-Lock Vises Any Good? Finishing Mine And Testing!

This episode on Blondihacks, I’m finishing the build of my Float Lock vise! Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!
/ quinndunki
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Float Lock Vise drawings : 1drv.ms/u/s!Aj...
Easy curves with step turning and a file: • Easy Radius Turning On...
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• “Kant Twist” style clamps : d-gray-draftin...
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• 1-2-3 Blocks : amzn.to/2EvAsGq
• Dormer center drills : amzn.to/2X7U6ij
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• Starrett automatic center punch : amzn.to/2DCI7C9
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• Starrett tap wrenches : amzn.to/35jxM9e
• Goldenrod oiler : amzn.to/2TTS0En
• Acid brushes : amzn.to/36qWCo5
• Cratex (Bright Boy) block : amzn.to/38fNm72
• Scotchbrite deburring wheel : amzn.to/3ks0P2V
• Fein Turbo I shop vac : amzn.to/2vXpech
• Loc-Line (1/2”) : amzn.to/2U7JznB
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• Starrett 98-6 Level : amzn.to/38K7lMD
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[@jimsvideos7201]

Thank you, as always. Give Sprocket some pets for me, maybe?

[@Blondihacks]

Thanks for the Super Thanks! 🥰

[@G58]

@@Blondihacks As a retired RR trained experimental aero engineering machinist fitter, I’m happy to report you are one of the best I’ve seen. Definitely the best on KZbin. Thank you for sharing your excellent work. Subscribed.

[@Rickmakes]

The copper wire is for grounding, obviously. 😏😜

[@kensherwin4544]

That's not necessary. Grounding is only required on dust collectors in wood shops.

[@arcrad]

Clearly it's a sacrificial anode...

[@Rickmakes]

@@arcrad Could be that, in case she was using flood coolant. Would keep the steel from rusting... brilliant!

[@paulpickard8327]

The "real" one actually has a "this side up" mark on it, because if upside down it doesn't lock. We have these in our student shops. They are great for that because I've found it is really the only way to get students to actually clamp something on the drill press! Nice job as always.

[@AlRoderick]

Ironically, an engraved sale would be a pretty cool project for a relatively low-power CNC machine, it'd be a test piece for dimensional accuracy and something useful in the long-term.

[@auxchar]

3D printers, too. Screw the calibration cube, gonna do a calibration scale from now on!

[@auxchar]

@@wordwyrd maybe XYZ scales?

[@moonshadowdragon86]

@@auxchar save time and money by measuring every axis at the same time 👌

[@autochton]

@@wordwyrd A square, perhaps. Oriented vertically, it should be possible to add some features to test calibration there.

[@kimspence-jones4765]

A laser cutter could make a great engraved scale in perspex, for example.

[@RonCovell]

Great job, Quinn. That looks like a very useful tool, indeed!

[@firstmkb]

Quinn, you do such beautiful work, and are a joy to watch at it. This was a great practical project, but also an exercise in diagnosing design/documentation flaws.

[@chrisjaustin88]

So full disclaimer here... I'm a woodworker. But I've been wanting to learn machining/metal working to compliment my skill set. I think that wood and metal comment each other so well in design, and I love the idea of making my own metal shop jigs for woodworking. So I stumbled across your channel, I've watched maybe 20 of your videos this week and I have to say I love watching you work. Your explanations are thoughtful, but not verbose. Understanding your beginner series I understand easily operations you're doing in other videos but your amazing skill still shines through. I also love watching you make/admit/fix mistakes. Your thought process is great to watch and learn from. I'm an engineer a heart and love the problem solving. Everything to say I love and appreciate your videos immensely. Thank you!

[@yetanotherbassdude]

Shout out to a fellow woodworker dabbling in the dark arts! I'm probably a very long way from being able to invest in even a basic machinist's lathe and get started on my machining journey as this channel has inspired me to aim for, but I've also learned so much from Quinn and a few others like This Old Tony that has absolutely transferred over into my woodwork and really made a difference for me. Learning things like the whole process of building good machining setups and using good, consistent references for laying out parts has really improved my woodwork, and I think no matter what you're making, it's always good to learn from other disciplines so we can be more well-rounded engineers!

[@robertpearson8798]

As someone who dabbles in both I heartily agree.

[@davidhawley1132]

I'm in the same boat, plus I like making green woodworking tools which are hard to find. Now, I'm waiting for my first mini metal lathe to arrive in a few weeks.

[@rexmyers991]

Wow -this came out so well! It is a thing of beauty and should give you years of trouble free service. Thanks for the lesson.

[@johnmay6090]

It's great to see someone who knows how to mark out, and the correct tool to use for marking a line parallel to an edge.

[@cameraforchristmas]

What do we call that tool? I don't have one and I agree that it looks like the perfect tool for the job!

[@garnergc]

Whenever you say detritus it reminds me of an anecdote from my early work days. A supervisor said to a Worker(whole conversation in Afrikaans)“You are a box” (This particular word for box in Afrikaans refers to a particular part of the female anatomy), then corrected himself “No, you aren’t a box, a box I can use to store things in, you are an appendix!”

[@holton345]

Congratulations, Quinn! My wife came in and watched this series over my shoulder. She said, "You should make one of those!" She was very enthusiastic about it, too. I have had some difficulty in getting her support for some of the stuff I have been buying, and for the messes I have been making. Now she gets it; she even wants to participate. THANKS for being such a fine teacher!

[@tom_tom_go]

Another great project series Quinn. Thanks to you and many other KZbin content creators around machining I took the plunge and received today my first brushless motor import lathe! Keep up all the good work (and jokes)... Tom

[@feudiable]

Have you ever thought about making your own engraved scales? I imagine it could be a fun project, even if a little bit repetitive at times:)

[@Bob_Adkins]

That would be a fun exercise. I'm always frustrated that my vises and clamps have bad handles, so nice handles, knobs, and cranks would be great. (and you can't find them to buy anywhere!)

[@ab-shop]

Hi Blondihacks, i really love your videos, on the description i always found the intruments/tools that you used and sometimes i go to buy something that is an inspirations for my works !! Thank you, cheers from Italy, Alberto.

[@aharkness5657]

That's a nice, useful, and beautiful tool. I agree that making those "simple" parts is often really satisfying and they're often something I look forward to making. An elaborate bracket or lots of jumps between mill and lathe, not so much. I think your videos just keep getting better, too. Thank you for posting great content.

[@injoelsgarage3934]

Outstanding! Thank you for your time Quinn.

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

You made a beautiful tool. Very well done.

[@buckvanzyl]

thank you for the metric captions....they help a lot

[@soundmaster1966]

Excited to seeing the clamp in your future projects and remembering this great build. Superb video as always. Stay safe and healthy. Cheers Ulf

[@whiteblock8]

On the subject of starting a thread, we were taught to apply a chamfer of 30 degrees to the parallel sides to the bar diameter ,and more if it was a particularly large and difficult thread to start ; i like you dont always do it on small threads, but do on large course ones.

[@toolbox-gua]

Really nice tool and lessons.

[@Pest789]

Having only watched the Mr Pete videos about this design, I also had no idea the 1° angle existed. Now that you've used this, do you feel the rod and screw flex enough that the jaws actually lie flat on the drill press table? I'm curious if the angle in the clamp translates to a tiny angle in holes drilled using the vise.

[@theprojectproject01]

You always get such perfect, even chips coming off both flutes of your drills equally. Any chance of a drill sharpening tutorial vid?

[@irredeemabledeplorable5227]

I always just BOUGHT Cleveland Twist Drill PACKETS.........🤣🤣

[@rbclima]

What a nice clamp! I wish i could make one of those.

[@Turidus]

I am working on a big woodworking project, and having such a vice would be a godsend. Clamping under the drill press, especially if big and bulky pieces that need lots of holes in different places, is a pain.

[@tpatch750il]

Quinn - great video as usual. Motivating as well. Where did you get your dividers? I like that one "leg" has a curved tip to glide on the side of the material.

[@AnonOmis1000]

Something I've been wondering a while, but why dies the layout fluid you use look...expired? It looks thin abd the color not as vibrant as what I've used. Is it an old bottle or is it just the lighting in your shop?

[@Bob_Adkins]

We used to call that "rotten Dykem" because it actually smells pretty bad compared to fresh Dykem.

[@CarstenMoyer]

Just add water and get a few more uses

[@Preso58]

Another project to add to the endless list..... sigh!

[@XXCoder]

Can always fill the stamped arrow with epoxy or even just black paint. Since it's recessed it probably will last a long time, if it avoids any chemical to dissolve it.

[@samwise098]

Those aren't Zen Chip Making Interludes. Those are Quinn Chip making interludes.

[@mike9500]

nice work!

[@michaelandersen7535]

Why does your layout fluid look greener than mine? I've usually seen a deep cobalt blue with dykem on steel

[@justovision]

That's a nice vise.

[@ractorc91]

Strange that you say steel rules aren't engraved anymore, all of the ones I buy here in the UK are engraved, whether cheap or expensive. I can't speak for their accuracy but they are engraved! ;)

[@natthewsmith]

would suggest a chamfer on the clamp block, I know I always am raking my knuckles over something sharp when I try to tighten or loosen a clamp like that.

[@DisabledParkHopper]

Well done!

[@jeffanderson4979]

Nicely done. My Mr. Pete project doesn’t clamp down to the table. Now I know how to fix it, wink.

[@don1031]

It is fun to watch you work. Though I am not a machinist, I am learning things about precision that I am finding useful in my woodworking. Your drill bits must be quite a bit better than the ones I use for the metal working I do have to do. Just wondering what brand of bits you recommend.

[@bostedtap8399]

Surely, a hole is created, not made!.🤔. Very nice job, you can lightly drag the centre punch, and feel the scribed line intersection. Great video Quinn. Thanks for sharing.

[@lesthompson5907]

nice job les England

[@davidmoys2374]

22:58 no Yahtzee when parting off the Ferrules! you tricked me by saying "And" I don't know if I can cope with this! LOL. Fantastic videos Quin, I love them. I've only just recently discovered you and am binge watching. Learning quite a few tips and tricks which will be most helpful in my profession... as a Machinist. CNC machines take out a fair amount of the thought process on how to make things using older methods I guess.

[@M_Northstar]

Look at that awesome thing! It's completely wasted on that rickety drill press table of yours. Next project clearly needs to be to remedy that.

[@foxwood67]

Your attention to detail is so noticeable. That vise looks like a top quality high dollar tool. So impressive. Small machines with big results

[@meatcreap]

Beautiful video -- thanks!

[@gagasmancave8859]

And after watching it in use his about some sort of end stop to provide repeatability of drilling ?

[@mumblbeebee6546]

Who knows if I can ever afford to retire… but when I do, I will start my own metal working shoppette. And a float lock vise is now veeery high on the list of what that shooplet will have in it!

[@clydedecker765]

Thanks again Quinn for being so clear on your operations. I am glad you are finding the various ways of failing and making it better. At least you're not trying to always be perfect -- that way you can learn how to be perfecter.

[@kimberlydrennon4982]

Another issue with milling thin parts is where the heat will go. Ask me how I know

[@bandana_girl6507]

Gotta love when certain useful tools (like engraved scales) aren't made any more. I had a family member who had some, but they weren't used for a long period of time and got enough rust that there were visible chamfers, so restoration would be difficult at best

[@davehughes7332]

3:10 Showing off precision cutting fluid measurement as the drip perfectly fills the scribed circle. Well done Quinn.

[@jasonsummit1885]

My dad still has some of the precision tools and scales from when he was a nuclear machinist at the naval yard for 32 years. So they are engraved instead of printed.👍

[@13tucker45]

Great... Now I have to get a Mill and a Lathe so I can make a clamp for my drill press. Hahaha

[@justandy333]

Fantastic little project. I have 1 quick question for you. How many hours roughly do you think it took you to make this beautiful piece of equipment?

[@gagasmancave8859]

Daft question Quinn (don't hate me) is your drill press table big enough to use the full travel on that threaded rod ?

[@TandaMadison]

What a beautiful piece of tooling! That really came out nice.

[@MachiningandMicrowaves]

Oooh, I SO need one! Maybe add some vertical and horizontal vees to the jaw faces to make it easier to hold round stock? The extra security you get from using these de-vices (sorry) is a huge safety benefit. I had the joy of experiencing the mayhem when a large drill vice started spinning fast on the drill press table on the end of a half-inch drill that grabbed a part. The drill soon exploded into shards and tossed the vice a surprising distance, taking a chunk out of a wall. Now I always fit a bar on my drill vices and run it through a ring to prevent "helicoptering".

[@FrancisoDoncona]

Learned something today from a woodworking video. How to use a pencil (?scribe), first put pencil tip on mark then slide straight edge to pencil and draw line. That way the line is where it’s supposed to be and not effected by where the cone of the pencil tip rides the straight edge. I seldom get chip interlude more ribbons, coils and slinkies.

[@zachwolf5122]

It’s a great day

[@MachiningandMicrowaves]

I wonder if it might be useful to fit a ground 1/4" pin in a second cross-hole between the two faces of the clamp on the other side of the clamping hole and solder it to the lower jaw as a fulcrum, so the two halves of the clamp could remain parallel. Just for aesthetics obvs. Lovely job.

[@markgillett1472]

Hello Quinn. Just 2 weeks ago I knew nothing about machining, but having seen a large number of your videos in a short time, I want to try this hobby out. However, after each video, I find myself wanting several new tools. Your ‘beginner series’ is superb, your delivery is straigtforward, calm, intelligent and amusing. I had no idea such exacting precision was required to make parts before. I love all the tools you have made, but the ‘float-lock vice’ is my favourite - a wonderful solution to a problem I have faced on my drill press. Trouble is, it would cost me a whole lot of money starting from ‘ground zero’ to buy a lathe, mill, and the plethora of ancilliary drills, collets, chucks and metrology tools etc to get there. I’m seriously thinking about it though..many, many thanks for all your hard work to make such wonderfully explanatory videos.

[@madcapmagician6018]

you makin me wanna get a lathe n small machine 😁👍

[@a.bakker64]

Gave you a big thumbs up ‘as is tradition’ 😉

[@robertpearson8798]

I was hoping for a shot of your old drill press vise with its bags packed, waiting on the porch for a cab.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

I just saw you blue the part that is good; though, I rust blue for durability. Nice work!

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Congratulations on a great success. That tool will be helpful forever. Keep on keeping on.

[@Bob_Adkins]

Great tool, well done! A drill press vice has the same floating action when just 1 T-nut T-nut is used, partially tightened. I seldom have to fully tighten or use more T-nuts, it holds pretty well with just 1!

[@WildmanTech]

I like this better than the mag base I made.

[@motobenbh4722]

I was too consumed by the burning ''What the hell is a Float Lock vise?'' thing to watch the videos in order. So all I've taken away is: SHOULDER...Shoulder on a vise jaw!!!! Where's my hacksaw?? Nice vise btw, functional and pretty.

[@chrisstott2775]

Will you blacken the clamping block?

[@g.tucker8682]

That came out great (maybe the finest extant version of this common tool)! Thanks for the ride.

[@pressokaytocancel]

Parting off.. twice, with no Yahtzee call out? Quinn, click reply twice if you are surrounded by zombies.

[@brianrhubbard]

That is a very practical and efficient design. Nice work.

[@UpLateGeek]

Whenever I hear tommy bar, I always think of that line from Home Alone 2, "Alright, I believe ya. But my tommy gun don't! Get down on your knees and tell me ya love me." etc, etc, but replace tommy gun with tommy bar.

[@SHarris64]

Great project!! 😃 I’m sure you get this question a lot… seeing as these aren’t commonly available and I don’t have any machine tools… would you consider making one for a neighbouring fellow Canuck? They seem to be the solution to holding material on a drill press… Thanks for the great videos. 🙂

[@slypig24]

Intresting about the angled bottom face of the block. How many post did you have to read to find that? Great work. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺 🦘

[@rickseaglassalexander7464]

I'm curious (good thing) and wondering if you have any insight on this. I've noticed on your videos, Mr. Petes videos and on Adams videos that it appears that when the live center is seated in the end of the stock it appears to wander. In my mind a wondering center would not produce very much precision. Is my preception real or is this a trick of video? BTW, I love your work please keep it up.

[@trueadrn]

@Blondihacks do you know of a machinist that would give an estimate from the blueprints posted above?

[@joewhitney4097]

Great project Quinn. Nice job, that is a great tool for the drill press. Is the drawing available for purchase?🙂

[@Blondihacks]

Linked for free in the video description!

[@XAD566]

22:13😂😂😂😂😂 when bringing in the scrap piece for the ferrules, my brain registered an aaa-battery for just a split second, but long enough for these three emotions to rush in 😱😮🤯

[@jackhartsough3]

I never liked those spring loaded center punches, at the Iron shop I worked at years ago I liked hand held with a sheet metal hammer the best . On another note when I was a firefighter one of the guys had a spring loaded punch for quick window entry, but the spring was on the outside ,it flopped around on the bottom of the punch if that makes any sense, it would work under water real quick if u were stuck and u wouldn't have to hold on to something anchoring yourself while pushing the other kind against the window . He told me it was a tool for taking out hinge pins from doors , I haven't seen once since it was old-school.

[@jeffbenson6102]

Very Nice!! That goes right to the top of my projects list!

[@alanharney5278]

Nice vise. How about that 9-6 ass kicking the Flames laid on Edmonton, eh?

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

Great job, Quinn! 😊 That's gonna be a tool that just keeps on giving for sure 👍😁👍. Cheers!

[@homemadetools]

Good work on this build. We shared this video (alongside the previous parts) on our homemade tool forum this week 😎

[@KeritechElectronics]

Oh damn, you're soooooo excellent! As always, I love your machining videos.

[@xtnuser5338]

In the step feature of the main jaws... is it a good idea to groove or otherwise relieve the inside corners of the steps just a bit, to insure clamped parts will sit down into those inside corners completely?

[@shrumsolutions879]

That rotary table setup is awesome. Nice work👍

[@dragade101]

McMaster has several etched scales. I dont know how pronounced the etched line. These are (some of) the Starrett scales

[@HomeDistiller]

I think if you stamp your arrows and marks after cold bluing you might get some good contrast on the marks?

[@outsidescrewball]

Great build/video…discussion/demonstration

[@manetes]

Gran trabajo, Quinn. lastima que no entiendo tus explicaciones por el tema del idioma gracias por enseñarnos tu sabiduría

[@pscage8388]

When my grandaugthers are old enough I will introduce them to this podcast.

[@glennstasse5698]

I have an original one from the early 60s but the part that attaches it to the table is missing. Anyone have a picture of one?

[@splinky99]

Doesn’t Starrett still engrave their scales?

[@mauserkk98]

" Doing the math " that's a statement lost on some these days ,nice outcome and works very well.

[@4GSR]

Quinn, You did an outstanding job on building the float lock vise. I'm glad the drawings proved to work with minimal issues. Do like the swivel brass handle, nice feature. I forgot about the slight angle of the hole on the clamp block. You did an impressive job describing it and the reason for that hidden feature. Now, to finish the one I started nearly two years ago. Thanks for sharing, Ken

[@SethKotta]

Doubles as a taco holder in an emergency.

[@AccEngineer]

where did you get the spring caliper for measuring from the edge of the material?

[@Vinlaell]

Yes

[@leibfriedwolfgang9155]

One of the best Metal CHANNEL 👍😃