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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@leibfriedwolfgang9155]

One of the best Metal CHANNEL 👍😃

[@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.

[@RonCovell]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@torstenb5248]

Danke!

[@Blondihacks]

Thanks for the thanks! 🥰

[@torstenb5248]

@@Blondihacks You‘re welcome.

[@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

[@aleksejborovinskij1155]

Nice! You can add a thrust needle bearing and this will help you clamp parts with more force considering the small handle.

[@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.

[@SHarris64]

Wow!! I’m not a machinist of any kind (yet) but man!! do I need that vise for my drill press!! Great little device which (as you say…) is transferable to so many locations in the shop. Thank you. 🙂

[@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!

[@JoeyG1973]

Thanks!

[@Blondihacks]

Thanks for the thanks! 🥰

[@JoeyG1973]

@@Blondihacks what is the brass thingamabob you are clamping to your caliper's?

[@firebird8600]

Yay! It's Blondihacks time! (Sorry I was late, work was hectic yesterday)

[@davehughes7332]

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

[@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.

[@rustyshackleford928]

That is going to be a great project. Your explanations during the video are extremely insightful.

[@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.

[@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.

[@billybike57]

I totally enjoy your work. I worked in a mill for 12 years as a fitter and mechanic. When I had time I’d always sneak down to the machinists shop. I was trans fixed watching them work. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@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!”

[@buckvanzyl]

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

[@seanalexander9531]

Your videos are often quite mesmerising :)

[@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.

[@gloverelaxis]

i've got no real interest in metalwork but found this video very satisfying and calm. watching people work and commenting on their craft is always fascinating. being able to build your own tools is a really special kind of power

[@drevil4454]

Sweet part. Sweet work. Thumbs up👍👍👍

[@robertpearson8798]

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

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

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

[@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

[@LaddGardner4]

Beautiful workmanship, Quinn. Camerawork really shines, and teaching skills just get better and better.

[@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.

[@idesofmarch3744]

I use to watch woodworking videos to relax, but there's just something so satisfying to see the precision of metalworking. asmr!

[@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!

[@jeffbenson6102]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@williamcunha9136]

Awesome Job Quinn! What a very useful tool. Always look forward to your videos. Very Educational and My Wife and I love your sense of humor! Thank You 🙏

[@yetanotherbassdude]

I may just be a humble woodworker, but for anyone looking for a good, really precisely engraved engineer's scale that isn't an antique, I've found Moore & Wright, based here in the UK, make really excellent ones for very little money. I use my little 6"/150mm one for measuring anything down to either 0.5mm, 1/64ths or 1/100ths as it has really finely engraved scales for all three types of division and it cost me a little over a fiver plus shipping! I think they're a bit more than that now with inflation being what it is, but they're still really affordable for what they are and well worth seeking out to support a company with more than a century of history in metrology. Either way, that float-lock vise came out great and I can't wait to see it get some use on the latest steam engine build!

[@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

[@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".

[@Rustinox]

"Because it's fun to do" is the only reason we need as hobbyists :)

[@lesthompson5907]

nice job les England

[@jebowlin3879]

thats a beautiful piece of history there, not that I know what the history is good job girl

[@TandaMadison]

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

[@Leonard_Smith]

Good work. Does exactly what it should do.

[@manythingslefttobuild]

The vise turned out great, looking forward to seeing it the background in future builds.

[@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!)

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

You made a beautiful tool. Very well done.

[@a.bakker64]

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

[@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

[@chrisvos2721]

I am a woodworker. I think i will make one for my drill press...out of wood of course. Again thanks for the idea. Patrick from Idaho USA

[@shrumsolutions879]

That rotary table setup is awesome. Nice work👍

[@brianrhubbard]

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

[@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.

[@lyleturner6964]

The improvement to the clamp handle was very ingenious.

[@paulthomas3782]

Hi Quinn, I had never seen one of these Float Lock Clamps they look like they will be very useful for sure thanks for sharing.

[@NickDangerThirdGuy]

I built 2 of these from the design described by Mr. Pete about a 2 years ago. I gifted 1 and have used the other non stop ever since and I highly recommend building one if you have a chance.

[@injoelsgarage3934]

Outstanding! Thank you for your time Quinn.

[@g.tucker8682]

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

[@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.

[@stephenbridges2791]

It turned out very nicely. First thing I saw was the lift when you first clamped it. I also enjoyed the "old school" dividers and engraved ruler/straight edge. I have an old Starrett ruler that belonged to my grandfather. I think it's from the 30's or perhaps the early 40's. Use it all the time in my hobbies. Nice episode, today.

[@deanehill9730]

Very nice work and will be a handy tool in the shop. Thanks for the video.

[@terrytopliss9506]

Looks really useful Quinn,nice job.👍👍

[@rpavlik1]

Glad you showed it working, I had a really hard time picturing how it was all supposed to work previously, but now I see it's super slick and the kind of thing I'd definitely want. Guess I need to get a lathe and mill now...

[@joaquins90]

Excellent!! I'd likely add an end stop to take maximum advantage of the possibility of leaving it fixed and couple of pins on the top of each jaw to clamp awkward stuff, like thick flat stock with rounded edges. But that's exactly what the vast majority of the drilling is around here!

[@cameronmccreary4758]

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

[@utidjian]

Outstanding video and project Quinn! So many techniques and solutions to problems dealt with and explained in a clear and concise way (as are all your videos.) I have long been a fan of the float-lock style vise. They are great for drill presses and also handy for pushing work through a band-saw. I have been working in shops of all types for 50+ years and I only saw my first float-lock about 12 years ago. I am amazed that they aren't more common. Wahlstrom makes one but it has a hefty price tag, about US$350. Lassy tools also makes a very nice X-Y "floating" vise which is very expensive and not really practical for smaller drill press tables. Another option is the X-Y table/vise that can be cheap but they are also cheaply made and not as quick or easy to use as a float-lock. Again, excellent project. Thank you.

[@llapmsp]

Very nice. Glad you made it and shared.

[@homemadetools]

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

[@greglaroche1753]

That looks like a really great tool to have. In the past you made a video about buying an import lathe. I think it would really be helpful to a lot of your followers, if you had the time to make one on buying an import milling machine. Please think about it and thanks for all your interesting and informative videos.

[@anmafab]

That looks like a really awesome clamp!

[@manetes]

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

[@JayFude]

A tool I never knew I needed!

[@outsidescrewball]

Great build/video…discussion/demonstration

[@rbclima]

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

[@reamer1363]

Thanks for the great video, I definitely am going to make one of these and I think put some beers in it for holding round both horizontally and vertically. Keep up your awesome work on these types of clips I love the watching.

[@billofalltrades2633]

Awesome! That turned out great

[@Abrikosmanden]

What an awesome piece of kit! Well done!

[@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 😱😮🤯

[@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.........🤣🤣

[@davedunn4285]

Hi Quinn I love how you do your videos

[@wilcojuffer5940]

Verry nice work nice Float-Lock to I think to make a copy of it Thanks for the video Quinn 👍😊

[@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.

[@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!

[@HomeDistiller]

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

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

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

[@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. 🙂

[@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.

[@BrunoWiebelt]

what a nice tool very good work

[@toolbox-gua]

Really nice tool and lessons.

[@anthonycash4609]

Made mine years ago. It works well but find that if I don't have a lot of repetitious work I never grab it and set it up to do just one hole. You're looks very nice it will give you many years of good use.

[@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.

[@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?

[@johngrant5749]

Scale. New to me. Presumably a Ruler 😄

[@luckyirvin]

tight layout lines give me goosebumps even if i layem out

[@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.

[@codys_fab]

What a cool tool!