Fantastic Tools From The Toolroom #1 Precision Vises

[@EmmaRitson]

oh god. please find time to do more. really good to get a video from you.

[@andyZ3500s]

That vice from Steve is a beauty. I recognized it imeaditly by his star shaped logo. Anybody interested in this type of thing should take a look at the video you did covering the tooling that he made. Top notch workmanship!!

[@bernie7958]

The only complaint I have about Tom's videos is there's not enough of them... Though they are a bit like crack, so low volume means I can be a functioning addict.

[@endemiller5463]

Thanks for advising us on your vise vice - all advice appreciated!!! Looking forward to #2. God bless.

[@MatthewRulla]

Your 1 minute into for this video is PERFECT. I wish this were part of every excellent video you've shared. Please keep uploading videos as often as possible. Your content inspires others to create and share. Thanks you, Tom!

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Hey Tom , that was a truly GRIPPING video !😊

[@KISSMYACE3203]

I really loved your intro on this one. To be honest, I love most everything you post.

[@piroman16tnt]

Thanks Tom for another awesome, entertaining and informative video! ATB!

[@loydsa]

Helpful video, many thanks Tom

[@AtelierDBurgoyne]

Loved it! For me, the quality of your videos is what makes them great. I vote for best/most useful handtools. Thanks! Daniel

[@camillosteuss]

for the small vise, just consider, if you could get industry prices that large shipments of tool steel hover at, and you were making those small vises, you would be making them not one by one, but many at the same time... how many of those vises can you fit to grind parallel on your large s.g.? How many of them can then be transferred to the mill, gang setup, given the dovetails, especially on a horizontal setup, where you could gang mill rows of 10 of them at the same time by placing 5 cutters along the arbor, vises setup so the cutters are where they need to be... Its a large scale operation that produces no less than 20 vises at a time, hardens them, finishes all the surfaces on the grinder again and voila, shipment box ready... And consider that those are made like anything else on a cnc setup, which can operate with a jig setup to make hundreds of those every few hours, ready for h.t. and ``finish grinding to spec``... That in itself gives you a clue how they can make profit even at 40$ a pop... Hell, i bet i could supervise and direct an assembly line that could profit damn well from producing such vises... To the point that a power generation system would have to be made in house, to produce electricity for the production at lower prices than industry electricity costs with recent increases globally, just to kick the profit margin even higher... At factory scale, running a profitable production of these little vises is easy as fuck... Especially when its a multi facility factory that has every operation available in house, so the whole operation can be directed as a linear flow, or a cycle, if you have grinding to start and finish, with heating in between...

[@pnhhtchd]

I can never understand why people downvote videos like this. Tom's stuff is amazing!! And while other people may not have the appreciation for this kind of content, why watch it if you don't like it. There should be a rule that means you can *only* leave a negative feedback if you write a review/reason..

[@buckinthetree1233]

I have been told and I have no idea if its true, but i was told that the video showed up on someone's suggestion list and they aren't interested in these type videos. By clicking the thumb down KZbin wouldn't suggest his videos again. Even if that isn't the way it works there may be people that believe it does. Most likely the person who clicked thumbs down never watched the video.

[@pnhhtchd]

@@buckinthetree1233 Hi, yeah that would explain it. However, there is an ignore / not interested option. Clicking the dislike isn't the correct method. Thanks for replying..

[@oxtoolco]

Thanks for the concern fellas. Its all good. It makes my day that I pissed somebody off and wasted their time. All the best, Tom

[@erneststorch9844]

Didn't you write a column for Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine? If it was you, you gave some very and interesting tips . I enjoyed your column very much.

[@ScottandTera]

Glad to see you back on the tube

[@CraigsWorkshop]

Tom, the intro to this video was great. I hope you make it your channel introduction (or part of it). Loved the spirit of the message. Great content about vises too. I have one of those asian clones of the Herman Schimidt - it has a 100mm jaw width and I think the advertised opening is a bit larger again perhaps 125mm. It's a brilliantly made vise and very accurate, and grips well enough to mill with. I used it on my previous mill and will set it up soon with clamp bars for my vertical mill too. Thanks again, Craig

[@twobob]

always great to see a vid from you

[@AJR2208]

Thanks Tom - I was selfishly hoping that we'd see more of you during the shutdown & worried a bit that the virus may have hit you or your family. Good to see you're well. As for the video selection, I vote "D" All of the above - please :) Stay safe and well.

[@nevetslleksah]

The last vise you are displaying is the Starrett 160 ‘Toolmakers Steel Clamp’ and lists for $193.00 on Starrett.com. Thanks for making the video. Stay healthy.

[@oldshaky]

Thank You!

[@christurley391]

Thanks for the video Tom.

[@Aubreykun]

I can see that first vise being used for making some sort of radii due to the lack of external angle adjustment on the top... maybe for grinding tool bits?

[@MrServecool]

Just from the first 30 seconds I want to give 50 likes......!

[@AdityaMehendale]

28:30 another disadvantage of having a dangling knob/screw is that this "cantilever" brings undesirable eigenfrequencies and vibration-modes to an otherwise solide piece of metal. This could introduce chatter in a milling application, for example. I expect the (tightened) screw, as shown at 28:39, to vibrate somewhere between 50 Hz and 100 Hz.

[@xenonram]

Once that vise is tightened, it will never notice that screw sticking out.

[@amphib0410]

A kilobuck! Another Ox Tools classic unit of measure.

[@carabela125]

Is there anything for a kilodime?

[@brand-x7049]

...wow. the press wheel is still there. o!O

[@petermurphy3354]

Hey Tom, just started watching this video & noticed a map of Australia on the back wall. What's with the map of Oz? I think I see my place flagged on your map LoL

[@oxtoolco]

You have a pretty sharp eye if you can see your pin in the map unless its one of the pins out in the middle of nowhere. Cheers, Tom

[@danielborgstrom4392]

@oxtoolco I'd love to see a video with the top 10 of YOUR tools that You've manufactured yourself! :D

[@mpetersen6]

I'm sure Tom has some relatively unique ones in that they were made to fit jobs or requirement that he would see on a regular basis. I know I have some pretty unique ones I've made or that my g'father made. Most tools that get made for Tool Room use are usually made for the reason of making set-ups easier. Myself I've got odd sided 5C collet blocks that I've never seen anywhere else. Plus I had a set of 6 Vee Blocks made at a 30° - 60° angle that were made especially for grinding removable dove detail slide parts. One of my GF's is an angle plate with a tilting secondary plate. I don't think he ever completely finished it because there are no engraved graduations.

[@WilliamTMusil]

Hiya Tom

[@andrewh2341]

Kilo buck, love it lol

[@daveb3910]

Those imports are Sharp as a steak knife when you get them so be careful and stone the corners or don't and cut the crap out of your hands the first time you use it like i did

[@JohnDavidDunlap]

"Killobuck" is my new favorite word.

[@PeterWMeek]

I like NCUs. New Car Units. The price of a base model Ford or Chevy. The nice thing is they adjust for inflation, so you can get a feel for what things you bought long ago relate to today. For instance, my first hobby computer cost 2 NCUs. Today a (much better) computer would be maybe a tenth to a quarter of an NCU. EDIT: LOL, one of the suggested videos in the grid after this was a spot for Spot: Boston Dynamics for-sale-to-the-public robot. About three NCUs. Maybe I'll consider one when the price drops to 1/10 NCU.

[@curtisvonepp4335]

Tom. I've MENCHIOND before find a Face Driver and make a Video .😨 .

[@wagglebutt]

Man, eBay should pay you for driving people over there.

[@zodak9999b]

Tom, that first vice is begging for a ring to act as the zero reference. With a small thumbscrew you could set the zero point anywhere around the circumference.

[@oxtoolco]

That's a great idea! Another project added to the list...... Cheers, Tom

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

Love it...I can't get over how cool your shop is and your knowledge Tom! Long time no see!

[@bradthayer6782]

Intro felt like an AA meeting, or in this case, TA: “Hi Tom!” We addicts feel your pain.

[@SpencerWebb]

Fun video, Tom. You answered a question I had about a Hermann Schmidt vise I had picked up. I observed the few tenths out of square, and wondered. But, when you pointed out the reasoning, it was a head-slapper.

[@ROBRENZ]

Love the Intro Tom! Also a nice collection of vises. ATB, Robin

[@stevenslater2669]

Loaning out a vise: Once I had a bunch of little parts to fettle, so I stopped at Sears and bought a Craftsman vacuum-base vise with 2.5" jaws and soft jaw pads. It probably cost less than $20, and did the job nicely. One of my coworkers walked by my desk,saw what I was doing and asked to borrow the vise when I was done with it. When I gave it to him I asked him to be careful with it because it was my personal property, not owned by our company. When he returned it to me, the soft jaws were trashed. I kinda blew my stack. He just looked at me and said, "Well, I had a job to do!" Several years later, I was using my brand new Mitutoyo digital calipers and Mr. Vise-Destroyer asked to borrow them when I was finished. You would think I had learned a lesson from the vise...

[@ickipoo]

It's no coincidence that the guy who wrecks tools is also the guy that always needs to borrow something... 8-)

[@paulaitchison4912]

My lesson came when apprentice asked to borrow a scriber. I reluctantly handed over my starrett carbide tipped scribed. 10 mins later, Intrigued as to what he was doing with it found him chipping out a broken centre drill. 😳

[@robc2536]

In 37 years, I have never loaned out my Hermann Schmidt grinding vise. I paid a lot of money for when I was an apprentice and if somebody is going to put a gash into it, it's going to be me. So far it's as good as new.

[@gordonlong1673]

one time a guy came over to me with a broken tool and asked if he could borrow my tool like it. I gave him a funny look and said no. He said, I'm not going to break it. I replied, that's right, because you're not going to borrow it.

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Thank you, Tom. Your introductory speech tells it all. You're very generous for sharing your knowledge and explaining the neat tools machinists use.

[@hardwareful]

Glad to see a new Oxtools video :)

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

I always eyeball the background of a video , so I appreciate facing a different direction today.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great grasp of the vise situation. Thanks for the video.

[@azimmeex8689]

I share your mania. My collection is a little more modest. Unfortunately, I don't understand English, but I watched the entire video. Thanks!

[@kenny5174]

i'll just go ahead and say it, Mr. Pete the "you-tube shop teacher", has you beat on vises. Might not have the quality, but he dern sure has quantity! Good video. You didn't show the little vise you made and did a series on. It was bad-assed!

[@Preso58]

Tom, I loved your comments at the beginning of the video. Your reference to life long learning about the metalworking trade and your duty to share is admirable. Oh, and I enjoyed the vice porn too. Regards, Mark from down under. 🇦🇺

[@aserta]

Oh boy, the press is on the work table...either the intro is old, or the project is back in the works.

[@xenonram]

First rule of Tom's workshop: don't talk about the etching press.

[@elball5661]

@@xenonram I refer to it as, "The project that shall not be named." It was the first thing I saw in the opening and was wondering if someone would post something. I bet it is gone in the next video. lol. I all honesty, Tom might just want to keep the project to himself. The hours, material, and passion that went into it and the fact it was for his wife.

[@turningpoint6643]

If? MSC was correct when I bought my 4" capacity Accupro grinding vise Tom I specifically asked where it was made before buying. U.S. made was the answer I got, but there's zero information anywhere on the vise nor was there on the packaging to confirm if that's in fact true. I've never handled a real Herman Schmidt so can't compare what they make to what I have, but at about 1/5th the price I suspect the HS products are still a large step above mine. However it still checks out well under the 2/10ths allowed deviation spec in every dimension and in some areas under a 10th. It really is the nicest and best made grinding vise I've personally used. Even the finish grinding is some of the best I've seen. It's one of the few tools I've bought where I think I might have paid too little. Where ever it was really made someone knew what they were doing when they ground it. Unfortunately I can't say the exact same brand or vise from MSC today is or isn't still as good. Afaik that Accupro name is one of MSC's house brands so anything with it might have been made anywhere.

[@davesalzer3220]

I was thinking about meatloaf last night.

[@Cookerab]

Every time I think about how I wish Tom uploaded more frequently I think of two things: 1) editing and uploading content is a PITA; and 2) Tom is probably doing really cool stuff and could care less about filming. Our loss. Thanks for the knowledge and entertainment.

[@oxtoolco]

If you only knew about all the super hot whammy stuff I'm working on........ All the best, Tom

[@shiro-r4m]

You got me at kilobuck

[@krazziee2000]

man I have been worried about you,,, good to see you again,, thanks for the video..

[@gangleweed]

After I reworked my jig borer to become a bench top mill I invested A$140 on EBAY and bought one of those 100mm wide screwless vices...........I almost tore my hair out with the nut in the bottom constantly twisting around and dropping out ......only after I redesigned the angled screw down mechanism was it any good for milling.

[@mpetersen6]

With the cost of grinding vises today that are perfectly adequate for most grinding work I have no idea why anybody would make one now. As Stefan said, everything is made of rubber. Remember the Suburban U-Grind-it kits. There's a style of milling g machine vise that was being sold probably 20 years ago called a Quad CNC. The vise was different in that the fixed jaw was at the front towards the user. The fixed jaw was bolted to the vise base vertically and in the horizontal plane. Plus this jaw carried the activating screw. This type of vise would probably be well suited to being the basis for a grinding vise. Because the fixed jaw is carrying the thrust load from closing pressure I think it would have a lot less jaw flex than some other types.

[@nowayjerk8064]

good to see you!!!! but we have a bit of a mmmmmmm chit discrepancy, to my {untrained} eye it looked like you had a few move vices than chits. hope we dot get called "up stairs " again :)

[@dogdipstick]

Just bough my first. A Gibralter in 3", MSRP 490$. I am a hobbyist so this is exciting for me: Seeing what and how you lay it all out. Thankyou.

[@vincentgizdich2842]

Whoa!! "Chingus" where did you pick that term up? People ask me when I'm away from home and I say "chingadera" gringo spelling probably.

[@billdlv]

Quite a collection, very cool. V-block tour next 😁😁

[@johnspargo5876]

Bout time we heard for you! Thanks Tom

[@ClovisChitwood]

but where you convicted for a YT video you didn't make and now live as a fugitive machinist making precision tools in the LA underground... or maybe that was TOT

[@CafeenMan]

Dude, no reasonable person would think it's ok to get acid all over your vice. I would have gone ape shit if I loaned any tool out and it came back corroded. You would have been perfectly within your rights expecting compensation.

[@jobkneppers]

And I think the swiveling front of the Starrett vice keeps you maintaining the back datum of the vice. And, yes, maybe annoying in use but with a purpose...

[@michaelwahl5669]

Stainless tooling vice? Would probably not be magnetic enough for the magnetic chuck of the surface grinder...

[@ccrider5398]

I really appreciated your introduction! BTW: Can you do a video on hypoid gears? I've seen some pictures of them being cut and "some" of the setup. I know they're probably all made on CNC machines now, but they used to cut on milling machines with a dividing head, a shaft, and a gear on the feed. Thanks! Keep up the good work.

[@shiro-r4m]

Is that a deeply embedded request for Tom to finish the etching press?

[@mpetersen6]

I used to watch offset hyoid gears being cut a lot (rings and opinions for rear ends). These were cut on Gleason's. One hell of a machine.

[@joshwalker5605]

ETCHING PRESS SIGHTED!!

[@jean-francoisgrenier4947]

cool, really cool! it's like having a tupperware show for aficionado of metal works. Thanks Tom!

[@fredgenius]

Thanks for showing off your collection! I got a vice like the Herman Schmidt VO-4 you showed, mines 80mm width, I use it on the mill. And yes, hate the way the pin has to engage in the notch but I'm sorta used to it now. I got a smaller one with a through-pin rather than the ratchet thing, and I too found I can put the smaller vice in the larger vice at an angle.

[@bearsrodshop7067]

Love my Wilton 11702 3 axis. You have one Tom?

[@Rich1ab]

How do you only have 124k subscribers!!??

[@MrShobar]

Jig boring. Who remembers that? I still have some precision lengths and micrometers for a P&W machine around here somewhere. Great job, Tom.

[@ZuNunchaku]

your video perfect for my OCD, thanks

[@LocoFabandMachineworks]

Tom your videos are incredible. I pickup multiple things that are useful. The splash guard on the back of the grinder is number one priority for me (sick of fumbling with long sheet metal drop in guards that are usually always either to high or low)

[@captcarlos]

Exactly what rang a bell for me! I'm an inveterate background snooper and pick up on all sorts of tips like this. A spring tensioned spray guard that doesn't worry the working head whatever it's height. Stunning. I'm thinking 2 widths for stacked setups....

[@nutsmcflurry3737]

Thank you for this. Your expansive knowledge and experience, is very helpful in explaining the differences that might not be apparent to most.

[@howder1951]

Great mission statement Tom! Enjoyed very much as well as good to know. I always get hungry when I think of meatloaf! May the vise be with you!

[@dangerrangerlstc]

I'm using "kilobuck" from now on.

[@mpetersen6]

It's like the term Dirkson for 1B$.

[@clintlafont3]

Love the video Tom! I would love to see your process on checking the squareness of that Schmidt vise. I have a Starrett and have noticed that it is out a couple but never thought about the tension aspect. I checked it static. Enjoy all of your videos!

[@RRINTHESHOP]

A man of many vises.

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Great stuff . Cheers .

[@rickhaass1133]

Thanks Tom - I appreciate your willingness to satisfy my tool addiction for the day.

[@sharkrivermachine]

You mention a stainless grinding vise. Are they magnetic? Thanks for sharing. Good seeing you on the Tube.

[@chrisstephens6673]

In case Tom doesn't answer, some stainlee steels are attracted to magnets.

[@oxtoolco]

Yes. They are typically 420 stainless steel. cheers, Tom

[@markrosa5575]

Am a long-time subscriber. Nice intro!

[@cliffordfender1159]

Tom, it was so good to see you again !! I just wish we could meet up in person some day. I hope you and yours are doing well, with all of todays social road blocks. Your friend here in southwest Michigan, Cliff

[@oxtoolco]

Hey Cliff, Great to see a comment from you brother. Hope you are keeping well. Cheers, Tom

[@GeorgeMLong]

The Starrett Vise you show is in fact a clamp not a vise. That is why the movable jaw is made as it is. Similar to the pivoting shoe on the screw of a c-clamp. Many make the same mistake because of its construction. Handy little clamps really. They are expensive for a set of two when purchased new, Starrett lists them for almost $200 for a set.

[@oxtoolco]

Well that makes me feel better that its not actually a vise. It does function as a clamp fairly well. Cheers, Tom

[@alexanderhowa9707]

Toms back.

[@brianmihlfeith7135]

“right?” ….said 326 times, right?

[@wolfitirol8347]

Thanx for sharing this interesting important content 👍

[@gasparini76]

Good to see you back on KZbin Tom. Trust you and wife are safe and well

[@MsRaker]

the stainless herman schmit is 1700+ dollars

[@Chris-bg8mk]

Welcome back Tom!

[@aceelectriccompany1181]

Thanks for the (ad)vise. :)

[@anonymousgeorge4321]

Thanks, Tom. Great video.

[@krazziee2000]

cool vises, great lessons too...

[@KISSMYACE3203]

Holy smokes, I have the Brown & Sharpe version of your little Starrett. (B&S 752) Those things retail for *over* $200. Mine's new and doesn't even seem that well made.

[@one4stevo]

Wb Tom hope your keeping safe

[@paulpipitone8357]

That starrett vise is going for over 200 dollars on EBay what a rip off

[@JeffHeinenCFI]

Wow. The list price brand new from Starrett is $193

[@James-fs4rn]

👍 enjoyed. Thanks Tom.

[@adrianblack7966]

Gripping stuff! V blocks next, please.

[@oxtoolco]

One vote for V-blocks. Got a really good selection of v-blocks in the toolroom. Cheers, Tom

[@davidplatenkamp]

Any progress on the printing press?

[@tesladrummer]

I vote for rotary & indexing tools next. $0.02

[@oxtoolco]

One vote for indexers. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom