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7 hours ago, essequamvideri said:

FliesbyNight,

Great find and EPIC editions to the dest.  Impressive drawers and additions to the cubbies in the top.

How long did it take to figure out and make the finger joints on the drawers?

Wait a cotton picker minute... Is that a drill chuck mounted to the desk to fit you vise?

Michael

Michael,

Thanks for the kind words.  The drawers on the right and the center section are my modifications.  The cubbies and drawers on the left are stock to the desk.  Can't claim credit.

Yes, that is a replacement 1/2" keyless drill chuck holding the vise.  Works like a dream and I have the same set up for my traveling kit so moving the vise is super simple. Home Depot sells them for <$20.  It is mounted with a 1/4-20 machine screw with a fender washer and nylock nut underneath. Easy Peasy.

As for the box joints, wood working is my other hobby.  I have a micro-adjustable jig that makes perfect box joints with a dado blade set up on my table saw.  Set up was literally less than 15 minutes and two scraps of wood of the same stock I used for the drawers.  If you like, i can post the plans for the jig here and you can make your own.  Very simple and very effective.

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2 hours ago, primeflycompany said:

@FliesbyNight Very nice bench- I'll having a custom desk made next year (I tried a small roll top, but, it's too restrictive for me) and having that garbage feature is really smart. I've been thinking of just making it circular hole so I can hook up a shop vac directly to it. 

 

primeflycompany,

 

I like the idea of the shop vac but not sure I would want the noise. Plus, what  happens when you accidentally cut the thread and drop the bobbin in the hole? 

The square hole works for me and I just empty it when it gets full. I have a small wand vac that gets all the fur, hair and flash that doesn't make it into the bin.

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22 hours ago, FliesbyNight said:

Here's the final version of my set up.  At least its final until I think of something else to improve it.

My wife found a 5' roll-top desk and a 3' horizontal file cabinet on a local barter site listed at $400 for the set.  It was a little dinged up but it was too ideal for what I wanted to pass on it. She claimed the file cabinet and I was happy to make that concession.

Been working on this for about two years, off and on.

It was designed as a computer desk so it had a large compartment for the chassis and other stuff.  I built pullout drawers for that space.  They are 18" x 24" x 3" so they hold a lot of long materials like flat-wing hackle and keeps it flat.  There are lots of drawers and spaces to organize materials.  My OCD was in its glory figuring out what goes where.

The tool and thread caddies are on lazy-susans so access is easy without moving stuff around.

I wanted a permanently mounted vise that could be removed without much fuss. The vise mount is a replacement keyless drill chuck held to the desk with a 1/4"-20 machine screw. Works perfectly and I have the same set up in my travel case so transferring is simple.

Trash drops from the tying area through a hole I routed in the desk top.  There is a drawer underneath for a keyboard.  I mounted a short plastic bin there to catch the cut offs. The frame just sits in the hole to keep beads and small parts from rolling in. 

Normally the desk is in the spare room/office but my daughter and future son-in-law are living with us while they save money to buy a house so it is in the dining room. I'm do anything for my kids but I won't give up fishing. Fortunately, the roll top keeps She Who Must Be Obeyed off my back about any mess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful set up sir!

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Fantastic set-up.  I really like how you set up that drill bit chuck to hold the vise, but I don't quite follow how you attached the underside to the desktop.  Could you elaborate a little?  I would like to use the same thing to make a pedestal base out of some walnut wood I have.

Thanks

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5 hours ago, dave said:

Fantastic set-up.  I really like how you set up that drill bit chuck to hold the vise, but I don't quite follow how you attached the underside to the desktop.  Could you elaborate a little?  I would like to use the same thing to make a pedestal base out of some walnut wood I have.

Thanks

@dave,

 

The drill chuck is made to thread on to the motor shaft in the drill. When not installed on a drill there is a hole through the base of the chuck.

I drilled a 1/4" hole through the desktop where I determined the vise would mount and used a 1/4-20 machine screw as a through-bolt since that was the largest diameter that would go through the hole in the base.  There is a washer on the screw head to keep it from pulling through the hole in the chuck and another underneath to distribute the stress so it does not dig in to the wood.  A ny-lock nut holds it all together. 

Here's the link to the one I used:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-1-2-in-20-Single-Sleeve-Keyless-Chuck-A10KL11/206303619?MERCH=REC-_-searchViewed-_-NA-_-206303619-_-N

Hope this helps.  I like the walnut idea for the base.  Are you using a live-edge piece?

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Thanks for the additional info.  I think I follow what you did now.  Not sure what you mean by "live-edge piece".  Do you mean one of those semi-circular pieces of walnut with the bark still on it?  Actually I have not fully decided on exactly what I will use for a base yet but am leaning towards some combination of walnut and granite (or polished marble)  with an inlay in the walnut. I've got some marble but no longer have a means of drilling a hole in it.  I used to work in the ceramics industry and had access to diamond drill bits but no more have access to them.

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2 hours ago, FliesbyNight said:

The drill chuck is made to thread on to the motor shaft in the drill. When not installed on a drill there is a hole through the base of the chuck.

Brilliant hack.  In the process of "designing" a new tying desk, this is a great addition.  Picked up an old school replacement at Harbor Freight with a chuck key.

Will fit the aesthetics I'm currently playing with.  

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-jacobs-keyed-chuck-45731.html 

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Based on the above topic I have played with the Drill Chuck idea.

Teak cutting board from Marshalls ($14), Chuck from HF ($9) and $.67 worth of hardware from Home Depot. 

Hardest part is finding the right length 1/4- 20 bolt.  Some are too long and would stick out, others too short and would require way to much counter sinking.  One fender washer on the top side allowed for 100% clearance below with countersinking for fender washer and nut on bottom.  I started with a smaller cheaper board and also tested counter sinking the collar.

Overall, not displeased.  A quick run through of the vises and they all work.  Need to work on height next.

 

Tying board set up.jpg

vises.jpg

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Noah it looks great! But I'm lost with how the bolt works. I assumed the bolt would pass through a fender washer and then through the underside of the  cutting board where the drill chuck would be screwed onto the bolt on top of the cutting board. The bolt head would  be recessed underneath the board. But........... the picture has the bolt somehow passing through the top of the cutting board through a fender washer and finally secured with a nut in the recessed underside. Where's the bolt head? Did you just use all thread? Can't you just buy a longer bolt and cut it down to fit how you want? What am I missing?

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Poopdeck,

The Bolt head is inside the chuck, below the collet.  I maxed the collet open (1/2" bit rating) and dropped it in and then tapped it into place on the 1/4" hole through the board.  There wasn't enough space for a lock washer inside, which I considered, as it has tight tolerances, but it fits and holds very well.  The threaded portion extends downward through the cutting board to a fender washer and then the nut.  I kept making the recess deeper on the underside until it was below flush.  The Chuck is threaded, but it looked like a 1/2 fine thread, which I couldn't find at the local HD or Lowe's.

Attached a poor diagram that I hope helps.  If not when I take it apart I'll take more photos.

chuck diagram.jpg

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Thank you for the explanation and the diagram. I would have never guessed the bolt head would fit inside the collet. 

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4 hours ago, Noahguide said:

Based on the above topic I have played with the Drill Chuck idea.

Teak cutting board from Marshalls ($14), Chuck from HF ($9) and $.67 worth of hardware from Home Depot. 

Hardest part is finding the right length 1/4- 20 bolt.  Some are too long and would stick out, others too short and would require way to much counter sinking.  One fender washer on the top side allowed for 100% clearance below with countersinking for fender washer and nut on bottom.  I started with a smaller cheaper board and also tested counter sinking the collar.

Overall, not displeased.  A quick run through of the vises and they all work.  Need to work on height next.

 

 

 

Noahguide,

 

I just bought a machine screw that was longer than I needed, took and measurement. I cut the screw to the right size with a hacksaw and dressed the threads with a mill file.

The machine screw I used has a phillip's head it was easy to hold in place.  I used a ny-lock nut so no lock washer was required.

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2 minutes ago, Poopdeck said:

Thank you for the explanation and the diagram. I would have never guessed the bolt head would fit inside the collet. 

Poopdeck,

Home Depot carries machine screws with phillip's heads, which is what I used.  A ny-lock nut underneath eliminates the need for a lock washer.

You do need a 1/2" chuck to make sure there is clearance for the washer inside, plus the shaft on my vise mic'd at .395, too big for a 3/8" chuck.

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