The 3D Printed Ball Vise Every Creative Should Own

A useful 3D print? Unheard of.
Parts:
www.printables.com/model/8231...
V1.5/ XL Base: www.printables.com/model/8420...
US: www.amazon.com/NUZAMAS-Alumin...
Turntable used in final version:
Patreon!
patreon.com/ChrisBorge?...
Music:
Minecraft soundtrack
Like subscribe all that stuff
My name is Chris, I am a 3D printing hobbyist from australia. I dont really specialise in anything specific, but 3D printed tools and tabletop accessories are some things youll probably seen quiet often. I do all my 3d printing on a Ender 3, which I highly recommend as a budget printer. Currently I only run 1 printer but I hope to expand that in the future. Recently acquired a photon 0 to do resin printing with. I like to share all my 3D printing ideas for free although I do plan to sell stuff in the future. Most of my projects will be mostly 3D printed with a few non printed components included, these can often be found on ebay. I actually use the cheapest filament I can get for all my projects, again I hope to change this in the future.

[@Borgedesigns]

Back from easter, glad people seem to like it. A few FAQ's ive seen: -It does have rubber feet, I just failed to mention it. The feet have a thread which replaces the bolts. -It does not ride on the nuts, it sits in the rubber ring although it only has .5mm of clearance so it seems like its on them. -Ill try make an imperial parts list/ version -Yes, a detent or locking turntable version is in the works I just wanted to get a more ideal turntable to base the design around first.

[@DentedPrinter]

This looks great! I can see massive appeal. Thanks for answering those questions.

[@Praecantetia]

I'm confused about the turntable. Is that metal? Is it a print? Is it included?

[@erikkeskinen2479]

ill be printing some parts tomorrow. since I'm in the US ill be trying 5/16th instead of the 8mm. I'd imagine it'll still work as the difference is super small

[@Lyoishi]

Rarely see a maker video where they show their friends and have their friends give actual feedback.

[@TheMorrowgamer]

Makers have friends? News to me

[@devluz]

Everyone I know just roles their eyes when I want to show them my latest inventions :s no way I would get them to take part in a video

[@CC-tb8mn]

Yes was a great touch to the video, very interesting

[@-Sean_]

@@devluz You should get new friends. Seriously, if your friends aren't even slightly interested when you get excited about something, that says a lot about them

[@kalashin1529]

true, even tho the sound is quite bad and didnt understand what he said XD

[@Pentross]

The sand isn’t to hold it still, it’s to provide back support when the cement heats up and would warp your sphere

[@recka5000]

Exactly this, cement gets warm/hot as it cures, PLA would deform without it (PLA deforms at 45-50c and cement curing goes up to about 70c) Edit: Plaster would be the same, just slightly cooler. Still warmer than PLA needs to deform.

[@Kosh42EFG]

Why ASA is king 😎

[@sileniu]

I'm really curious where did you get this... information. Portland cement is the only one who gets "hot" ( not 160 C hot - 30 C hot) . PLASTER - GYPSUM- gets hot , but not enough to deform PLA... HOT PIPE water temperature is usualy 56 C - try and melt PLA with it , then try and put your hand in it ... After you come back from hospital, tell me how can i find this ...information of yours...about how hot can cement get ... Is obvious to me you never used Plaster- Cement in your life and come up with weird information and unreal ...

[@sileniu]

@@recka5000 PLA doesnt deform at 45-50 C ...otherwise you would heat the plate to 60 to sick on it ... and you would need 205 C to melt it . At 180 C you struggle to print with it ...

[@chrismitchell6170]

Rarely, just rarely, KZbin's algorithm will have a perfect recommendation and this was one. Subscribing.

[@danko6582]

Me too

[@aliancemd]

I find that KZbin is recommending a lot of well made videos from small channels - this is happening to me for the past few weeks

[@justtwoseats]

@@aliancemd Same, I don't know if it's just my tastes evolving or if KZbin has improved their algorithm, but I've been finding some great smaller channels these last several months. This guy isn't even that small, I've got a few now that are in the hundreds and have at least a couple of really interesting videos.

[@radek4177]

Idea for possible improvement: Make the main body from a metal bowl and use a switchable magnet like magswitch in the base to be able to lock it in place. That way with the base bolted to the table maybe you would be able to even use it for wood carving or cutting things with angle grinder

[@cmbaz1140]

Combining the magnet switch with a welding foot pedal would be probably very effective

[@RNMSC]

My thought was to print a cam with a lever that presses against the side of a cylender on the rotating part, to lock it in place relative to the hemisphere. Lever 'up' free to spin, lever 'down' locked down. But a magswitch could work as well to work with a plate that goes all the way around the turning part. Lot's of possible solutions.

[@fairlyoddme3021]

Oh shoot, I just saw your comment after posting pretty much the same thing, though I was thinking a hand pump to create a vacuum instead

[@CDRaff]

1:35 I don't know about Australia, but in the US you can walk into any tire shop(better if a local place, just because some corporate managers have a stick up their ass) and ask them for a handful or two of old lead weights used to balance tires. In the US they have to pay for them to be disposed of so you're saving them money by taking them. When I worked at a tire place there were always guys getting old weights to use in fishing lures and weights.

[@zacharysmith8397]

this is actually super useful information and I'm totally gonna do this

[@CDRaff]

@@zacharysmith8397Using lead would also allow you to make it smaller while keeping the weight similar. You could then make one for your friend closer in size to the ball vise Dispae makes for scale modeling/minis.

[@drstefankrank]

Just keep future disposal in mind. If you put a good amount of lead in it and cover it in concrete, no one except you knows the real content of it. Lead itself has a low melting point, so maybe cast itself and have it pretty obvious for later persons to find and know what it is.

[@KaladinDarkEyes]

Most weights have been zinc for a long time, you might get lucky and get some lead ones but it is unlikely these days.

[@groxx]

Agreed on disposal - please do not do this. Lead has costly disposal for very good reasons. Unless you're going to follow those rules, stay away from lead and don't contribute to the problems it causes.

[@igoreq4495]

Lmao the Indiana Jones reference 🤣

[@Jdog1681]

I love your energy. All killer no filler and you are really generous with how much substance you give your videos. Thank you.

[@AndyLundell]

I was thinking the same thing about locking the turntable. Smooth rotation is a nice feature for certain things (like filming that coin), but I think most of the time I'd want that locked, and I could rotate the whole thing the same way I'd change the angle. I'm now thinking of building two of these. One for a vice, and one for a light stand. This is a dangerous line of thought. Pretty soon you've got half a ton of concrete on your workbench!

[@wickedjack1222]

You just gave me a good idea with a old bowlingball I have

[@homemadetools]

Excellent use of 3D printing, and everyone loves a vise build. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum last week 😎

[@StanleyKubick1]

mom's approval is all I need. putting this on my to-do lis

[@noads1035]

Excellent video, design and recommendation! I have a ‘real’ ball vise that cost several hundred dollars and yours will probably do most of what it can do. I suggest printing some ‘domes’ to fit over the bolt heads to keep the bolts from digging into the ball over time. The little metal had vise you showed is an excellent addition too. My ‘real’ vise came with that built it, very handy

[@MikolajWnek]

Oh my jewels, this is something I ALWAYS wanted to have! I am sooo going to make it! And I had already an idea for remix: in theory there could be a second socket nested inside original base, but instead of rubber it would have steel balls or teflon plates between the bottom and the lip. Behind the Ball Vise there would be a lever with leverage and by pushing it down it would raise the smaller socket and the ball of the vice would rest on smooth, slick teflon/bearings and be easier to move around without picking it up and dropping it down!

[@jeremylawson6648]

finally a channel with useful projects i need to print more than toys & trinkets.

[@CrudelyMade]

for the turn table, you can probably 3d print a base with a raised circle, and a top that has a channel mirroring that circle. this would allow rotation pretty smoothly and would have less wiggle in it. further, since you're 3d printing it, you could have a screw that with a half turn, would lock the two together with a little tension.

[@MM-24]

buying a high quality turntable for $30 would likely also just work

[@evanbelcher5387]

with that rubber strip for friction, you've almost built a lock into the base. build a little lever assembly with a piston (a simple syringe possibly) and use a little tubing connecting to the base under the ball and you can use that piston to create suction. You would just need to plug the hole at the bottom which gives you an opportunity to design a vacuum port.

[@XeroShifter]

This is a great idea, but one thing to keep in mind is that fdm prints are not air tight. so while the ball might be fine due to the concrete, the rest of the plastic around the ring may still pose additional challenges for creating a vacuum.

[@silver965]

I have personally seen identical setups used in Tool and Die Shops, but it consists of a bowling ball, sawn in half, placed over a similar such base.

[@Deaner3D]

really cool project. I think a magnetic switch integrated into the base could serve as a "stop" when you want the work to absolutely not move. That's a whole separate mechanism and probably involves a redesign, though.

[@DigiLab360]

in 2016 I built a nearly exact copy of your ball vice using a bowling ball. I mounted a small drill press vice to the top using a Lazy Susan just like you. Cutting the Bowling Ball in half was the biggest challenge, but I did that on my lathe using a cutoff tool.

[@legionjames1822]

A way to lock the ball down would be nice. Australians save EVERYTHING. its like some rescuers down under complex

[@TheChillieboo]

This is awesome ! This is a cheap and ingenious version of an otherwise very expensive tool, my only criticism would be mentioning the build cost, for example “ it only cost $10 ” step 1 use $20 worth of filament and go up from there :)

[@nigelcook730]

Yes that is a bit silly. Even the bolts alone are more.

[@makaimaurice]

ts raw dont stop brother

[@dankcincy]

Love that!!! For the weight, instead of concrete, mix up some #12 lead shot and epoxy. It will be heavier and more stable.

[@kawag2780]

Never done epoxy stuff before, should I clean the lead before using it in epoxy? If so, what should I use? There's a fishing shop near me and I'd be buying lead weights from there.

[@dankcincy]

@@kawag2780 It is kinda dirty. Swishing it all around in some alcohol wouldn't hurt but not really necessary. I honestly don't remember if I cleaned it before doing it last time or not. I suggested #12 shot because it's very small and you can get a lot in there. The fishing weights will work but the end result won't be as heavy is all. If you can't get shot, find the smallest fishing weights you can.

[@dankcincy]

@@kawag2780 If you wanted to get really industrious with it you could create a pattern and then pull a sand mold off of it to then melt the lead into. If you wanted to get the most in there, that would be the way to do it. I've never wanted to go that far with it hence the shot and epoxy.

[@Praecantetia]

Those m8x13 coupler nuts are so specific that even Aliexpress doesn't have them

[@earld1403]

I've been wanting to 3d print a fractal vise for my in-law and this looks like just the thing. I also appreciate that you mentioned a part that can be purchased versus the one you milled yourself. So often I'll see cool projects that look doable and then they start machining something out of metal and at that point I drop out. So thanks for the cool project. Sub'd. ps. Adding 360-degree marks on the base might be helpful.

[@Sergey_Belikoff]

Unbelievable! Thank you so much for your hard work!

[@Midnight339]

Awesome design and good video. I love the real world case uses for the design it’s absolutely amazing and stunning. Good work my man!!

[@bramsanjanssan4908]

if you make a hole in the desk with an adjustable support underneath you could adjust the height of the thing you are working on so you'd have a better support resting your hand on the desk.

[@clubpasser123454321]

Great build. Your 3D printing and design skills are top notch. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[@dave14647]

this is actually a very awesome and practical design mate.....

[@leeprince4810]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Awesome build.

[@ChrisModjeska]

Granite filled epoxy would also be a really good base material! Its what they make milling machines out of.

[@YouFilmStudios]

My I suggest a couple of "upgrade" ideas. Instead of having the ball sitting on a desk/table, instead, build a rail that would be mounted to the table and then the ball vice would sit on it. Much like how a camera rig works on a track for steady filming. This way your friend's issue of the piece being too far away when tilted a certain way can be resolved. And a lever bolt can be used to lock the ball in place on the rail. Also a lever bolt can also be used to lock the ball from shifting, much like a ball socket on a tripod. As for the rail, if you use the dimensions of camera rails, this mount can also be used for camera shots too. Or better yet, a slightly altered version with a slightly lighter weight for camera grips. Hope this is useful.

[@MatthewH-hp8bp]

You, sir, are clearly completely insane. And also a genius. Amazing. I need one!

[@arielon13]

you´re not the only one with super powers... great video!

[@miketompek9767]

Nice project looks awesome. Maybe you could test a V2 with a magnetic base for locking the sphere like ur friend suggested.

[@stephenhobson8456]

Another awesome tool idea, and your video presentation quality improves every time (esp with letting your humour shine through). For the miniature painting setup, as well as locking the turntable having the stand flex and lock into position might help

[@jimmy_jamesjams_a_lot4171]

I loved it when you left the wheel in place of the box of nails Very Indiana Jones. My Vevor ball Vice just arrived yesterday. Then today I fell upon this. I’m now torn between buying the 3-d printer to try and get into that, OR just pay someone who’s already got their printer dialed-in/calibrated to build your amazing pieces that lock into the dovetailed base. Ingenious innovations. Burrowing l from the many ways people have done things before, and then coming up with this one, it’s spectacular. I guess now, I should start lifting weights if my ball vise is to be put to any use! Accolades to you for being such a sharing and helpful friend! And not only to your family and friends, but to people whom to you are no more than strangers, such as myself!!

[@wyattc3508]

On the heft side, visit your local machine shops. They'd be glad to get rid of their steel dust. Mix that in 5:1 with Portland cement and it will weigh upwards of 7g/cm3. In contrast your mix likely hit 2g/cm3.

[@bruceyoung1343]

AWSOME lil vice. Great creation

[@NeoIsrafil]

This is quite an excellent design and feedback process you've shown here, and a very usable ball vice. Nicely done, I may just have a go at printing one.

[@venom_ftw9316]

MINECRAFT MUSIC IN THE BACK COULD NOT MISS IT

[@usertrusted9208]

This thing looks awesome and looks like a great project. The only change that I would make to it is, A brake to the turntable or an index locking wheel to the turntable. To prevent it from turning when you don't want it to. This is not a criticism at all, it looks like great work.

[@rickharvey4727]

Funny, this video popped up right after I saw your reddit post. I’m definitely going to print this eventually. For mini painting, I think having some kind of magnetic attachment would be nice, so you can quickly pick up the mini if you need that added dexterity, or to get a quick view from the bottom.

[@BasedBidoof]

I should print this. I think i agree with upgrading the dovetails to metal for tighter tolerance

[@dboyse47]

for your friend doing the miniature painting put the same rubber tubing you used in the base under the lazy Susan to make it a friction turn base.

[@hackmedia7755]

That's so neat. Nice job.

[@thingswelike]

As well as a lockoff, I'd need some kind of hand rest for painting. I like to paint with my hand resting on something and then just move my fingers. Great work - a great match for the fractal vise!

[@zsavage1820]

That is cool.... and your mum is also very talented as well.... thank you for sharing...

[@joshcarter-com]

Magnificent build! A good vise is an essential workshop tool; I use mine all the time. This type that doesn’t need to be bolted to a work table would be perfect for indoor use. As for not wanting to use your bins of mystery screws to weigh down the base, I totally relate to that. I have many similar bins myself.

[@cliftonwoods7238]

This is such a solid idea and super well executed! For the base, while I think it's pretty perfect. I was curious to ask if there's one way to improve on it would be reducing the weight of it perhaps thinking about people who may issues with lifting or maneuvering heavy objects. My question on potentially improving it might be removing some of the weight but finding a way to line the spherical aspect with a metal finish. For the base-base points of contact which look to be bolts and having those perhaps be magnet. It might assist in "Locking" the base as well if anyone were looking to apply more force onto what their working on.

[@lightandcolour]

Thank you Chris I try to make one. To make a smoother rotation on the Lazy Susan bearings, I use a very heavy silicone grease that they sell at Home Depot to grease valves and faucets; it comes in a very small 1" round container with a light blue cover. It gives the feeling of an hydraulic movement.

[@chetleonard169]

You should partner up with Magswitch and have them incorporate a way to lock the rotating base with switchable magnets.

[@chenzhen9809]

This is a cooler upgraded more versatile version of a cannonball used for gold damascene really cool and useful

[@ExercisingIngenuity]

Love this concept!

[@Terrible_Peril]

One could incorporate a base that includes one of those magswitches and perhaps metal straps or bits incorporated into the shell of the ball. That way you can find a position, turn a knob sticking out of the front of the base and it’s instantly solid and wouldn’t shift position or knock when it locks. I feel like being able to lock the ball in place would be something I want. So I guess I gotta go learn how to model, get a printer, learn to print, and start prototyping 😂

[@PhinkTink]

great thing, thanks for this one i'll build this pretty soon

[@greywolfblooddoom664]

Please add a captive pin option with a spring that allows to fix the turning option on demand. It would really improve the design.

[@Borgedesigns]

Working on it right now!

[@Ernzt8]

Very smart and versatile design. Nice job!

[@josephpk4878]

Absolutely have to make one of these and thank you for a great tool. I use BB's for weights for various purposes (filling boxes before annealing, distributed weight on complex surfaces, when glueing, etc) and it would be the ideal filler for the base - with plaster, or even without (make the top of the base a solid surface). I'd probably get rid of the rotary bearing and just use a simple adjustable pivot that's also 3d printed - the extra friction is ok, for my purposes. Again, brilliant! I subbed.

[@NaughtyShepherd]

I really need a 3d printer… This is a great idea, I saw the turntable wiggle before it was mentioned, and that seems like an easy upgrade. Perhaps a camera mount for a tripod, I have a couple myself that have very smooth rotation and a simple locking knob that your friend mentioned would be a nice feature. 🤜🏼🤛🏼

[@fairlyoddme3021]

If it used a metal sphere for the ball mount and installed a hand pump to add vacuum you could get that thing to handle some serious pressure against it.

[@simony5807]

Very helpfull and entertaining well made video, thank you for sharing this project and story 😄

[@TheHadi545]

brilliant! very cool project

[@adityaramesh1764]

Chris! I first found you on the Kirby soldering fan about a year ago, and then kind of forgot about you lol. Recently rediscovered you on the IBM monitor video and, MAN am I ever loving it! Great work bro!

[@TokyoChopSquad]

At the beginning of this video I though it was dumb, but now I'm thinking about printing out a few of these 🤣

[@johnmcchavs]

Really great ! I think I'm gonna make 2 of those : one for me, amateur guitar tech, and one for my son, who paints warhammer miniatures. Thank you so much !

[@chaoticnewtrl]

Super Handy! The amount of uses, is insane.

[@MawoDuffer]

This would be good for metal engraving and carving. It looks very versatile with the dovetail

[@bubbleb0y]

You could add a counter weighted lever to the bottom of the stand that pushes a small ball bearing lift to the bottom of the base. This will make it easier to spin the base into position without having to lift. Then put some 3d printed caps on the top of the hex nuts that make contact with the rounded base when the lever is up. The top of the caps could have a silicone/friction surface to lock the base in position. Then the user can apply more pressure to the work area.

[@seanlambie3425]

Just bc of the end jingle, gained a sub. But I'm staying for the great content, keep it up!

[@dalefunk2709]

possible simple locking method is a magnet on the base you use a simple lever to raise and lower so it engages with the cement & steel sphere and that locks it to the base

[@dalefunk2709]

and for the mini painting stand make the top pivot ~120 degrees and be held in place by a tensioning bolt

[@KeokiMan]

Been looking for exactly this for a while

[@dumbdesigns4941]

Just incase you haven't heard it today I APPRECIATE YOU! Definitely printing this later this week.

[@MaximilianonMars]

Beautiful work!

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

Really neatly done. I think I'd have printed the bearing with a latch (or machined it with a latch) etc - it would I think be handy to be able to lock it firmly sometimes, and for the mini painting and possibly sculpting I'd add a fairly easy adjustable wrist rest on a dovetail sliding into the base - that way you can rest the weight of your arm effectively directly onto the table for a nice stable platform to do the detailed bits, but still easily removable for those times its not wanted (could probably be entirely separate, but desk space is limited and the ball is already there and heavy). Surprised it was heavy enough to be that stable, all the ones I've ever seen are much heavier hemispheres, I guess your rubbery stuff is grippier (at least while new) or weaker grip but still good enough I suppose.

[@kyrasevinsky4457]

Good to see other makers on here. I've seen your submission on the Ergonomic Workshop contest page! I'm newer to modeling and printing, and it's really taken a hold. These contests are bringing a lot of education to the community. Hope to see you all on the page, make sure you check out all the other awesome entries there!

[@henkvanderwath4405]

You can still improve the base further by having it on a swivel arm to gain more comfort/access to finer work.

[@naasking]

An arm would be considerably less stable. The main benefit of this design with a heavy weight is that it doesn't move while working on it.

[@jacobhauser8451]

I feel like that box of hardware was just one of the ones Beau Miles forgot about during his big hardware sort a few weeks back

[@SnowmansApartment]

I would love to see Adam Savage do a one day build to build this fully in metal :)

[@dev-debug]

Thats a nice design, very flexible and handy

[@vvsandgaming4648]

For a more smoother finish on the concrete get a "thin vibrating thingie" and stick it in the wet concrete to allow it to reach all the crevices and shake out the trapped air bubbles

[@anthonyp4209]

This is a bloody good idea.

[@somhunt5446]

Blimey great work Chris.

[@CaleMessner]

The Vevor brand jewellery vices are great value for the price, highly recommend

[@InterestedLlama]

Love the concept! I would recommend an active ball joint mechanism for the base rather than a heavy ball which you pick and place manually.

[@fullstack3d135]

Great vid, and love the design think this setup is great for many of the examples you showed like sculpting and soldering where using your aux hand gets in the way. I don't think it will win mini painters over since they have typically have 100s of hours trained using both hands. But using this setup for airbrushing miniature would be excellent.

[@huf67]

Ball vise - Great Doll heads - Creepy

[@ievilpunk]

Great idea, cant wait to make this! I printed out the base and am waiting for parts, but while figuring out assembly before pouring I noticed you forgot to add the m8 nuts for the base assembly to the parts list.

[@waynehawkins654]

Nice. A use for PCB soldering.

[@maxsioulas7794]

Wow thats awesome, great job on the build and awesome vid good luck mate...

[@muazameverything9969]

You deserve more views, these videos are really creative.

[@ThisFinalHandle]

This looks great, well thought out design. But I am forever creeped out by KZbin's algorithm suggesting stuff I'm thinking about without my consent.

[@robeart]

Brilliant work, brilliant video. You've earned a subscriber :)

[@ThermaLTake94]

Bruh,Perfect! it seems odd that it doesnt has any locking mechanism but it seems very stable,A feuture improvement i would make is to add rubber feet to the bolts under the sphere,so there will be more friction and would be 10x stable,you will lack a bit of slip so it would be little more challenging to relocate,but its better to be more stable especially in metal work,desoldering Etc.

[@mmuekk]

Your video just pop on my feed and need to see it. It seems quite useful

[@ricothevampire]

This is so cool.

[@GohanSSJZ]

Great product. For the miniature painting feedback, I would look into a taller and smaller base, the 'half ball' part would also be smaller of course, but less weight should be fine due to the light weight of the miniature, and then reduce the length of the miniature stand. That way the painter can be close to it, and more importantly when turning it, it won't move that much.

[@cmbaz1140]

Make a mountable steering wheel like thing somewhere in between the half sphere and the vice attachement so tje rotation can be controlled more precisely with small finger or hand movements...