drill press clamp

[rodw]

Hi to you all, I'm a very new turner of wood and have turned a candel stick and a couple of salt and pepper shakers,
at the recent wood show here in Brisbane I purchased a set of drills suitable for making the necessary holes but do not have a vice suitable to hold them. If I try to hold the item with my hand and it slips, I'm going to be wearing the drill in my hand, So The drill vice I have is straight and made of steel and what is required is rubber coated jaws in two half circles to hold the work with out brusing the timber that has been polished and finished and just waiting for the hole. has some one made a vice or can advise where some thing that would work be purchased.??
I'm sure there is some smart person able to think sideways out there to help.
rodw.

[Neil]

G'day Rod - Drill the hole before turning, then turn it on a mandrel. There are mandrels made specially for making salt and pepper mills. You can also make them yourself out of any scrap timber. A mandrel is an impliment that fits into the hole to enable the turning to take place as though you were turning solid timber. They are made to have a snug fit that is removed easily after the work is done.

Hope this is of some help to you. See if you can find a class somewhere, go to the library and find some turning books or visit a woodturning club, they are everywhere and most are willing to help with info and problems etc.

Cheers - Neil :)

[rodw]

Thanks neil but unfortunatly I have already turned them so now what???
Rodw

[arose62]

Any reason you can't wrap some cloth or rags around them, then use the vice ?

If not, then how about buying some QuikGrips - they have non-marring pads on their jaws.

Buy some soft-jaws for the vice - Bunnings have them. They are pieces of felt with a magnet inside - they cling to the vice jaws, and the felt protects what is being held.

In a piece of scrap, turn a hole to fit the shakers. Use a piece of tissue or cloth to protect them.

Hope one (or all) of these helps.

Cheers,
Andrew

[rodw]

Hi Andrew, Isn't easy when you think must be my age (64) I will try those ideas and thanks again.
Rod W:o

[arose62]

If you have a drill press with an adjustable table, you can clamp the items down onto the table (horizontally), then rotate the table 90 degrees so the item is vertical.

You can also vary from 90, if the profile of the item requires it.
Hope this makes sense....

Cheers,
Andrew

[BrianR]

Try taking a square length of wood as long as your shakers and about 15mm larger than the dia of the shakers. In the lathe, drill/turn a hole down the center the same dia as the shakers. Carefully saw the wooden form from end to end and you now have 2 clam shells with a cutout to match the shakers and the saw kerf gives you a closing gap to hold in your metal vise.

It beats running a drill into your hand.

:D