Tired of switching chucks in my pin vise

[Camaro lover]

As the title says, it gets annoying that almost every time I need to drill a hole in plastic I need to change out the chuck for a different sized bit. Well I found a 3 jawed chuck pin vise on amazon for $ 10.00 and I’m loving it. No more taking apart the pin vise for different sizes of bits. The 3 jawed chuck goes from zero to 1/8”. Perfect for modeling. This may not be a new thing for some but if anyone out there gets annoyed over the old pin vises like I did, you may want to give it a shot.

[Pete J.]

I got tired of it also, but I took a different solution.  I bought 3 more pin vices when I found them on closeout at Tamiya.  You would be surprised how handy it is to have an extra or two around. 

[R. Thorne]

Good tips Rick and Pete.  I have had this set for 3 or 4 years and really like it.

[Ace-Garageguy]

More tools with more capability or more convenience is always more gooder.  

[Steve H]

Excellent idea. I also went a slightly different route and bought 2 sets of drill bits that all have the same shank size. Drill bits are in mm’s which makes it easy to know what size hole you are drilling. 1mm equals one inch in 1:25 scale… I also have a older pin vice with a similar chuck to the one pictured for any odd size stuff. You have inspired me to perhaps upgrade my old one. As Bill said above better more efficient tools are a win. 

[Bugatti Fan]

Steve,  Assorted drill bits with the same shank size (6mm usually) may well be tungsten carbide bits for drilling printed circuit boards.

If that is what you bought they will be extremely brittle and break easily if any side pressure is applied, but having said that they really retain their sharpness.

As for normal small drill bits pin vices are relatively inexpensive to have a few to hand for different sizes of drill bits. The all in one that Rick bought from Amazon looks a good versatile bit of kit.

Edited February 12 by Bugatti Fan

[bobss396]

I have 2 pin vises with drill sizes I use all the time, one is .029" and the other is .037". The smaller I use for spark plug holes, the bigger I use to install 1/32" pins in things. I have another set up to handle anything from .040" to .068" and .070" to .110" on the other end.

The little 3-jaw chucks are handy, I could use another one.

I picked up a slew of small carbide circuit-board drills when we were closing out a machine shop at work, they were heading to the dumpster. I have anything between .025" to .070", they are either new or re-sharps. They last a long time, but are fragile and can break easily. They have a 1/8" shank so I best use them with just that. They work great under power in the Bridgeport. I never have to spot a hole before I drill it.

[Straightliner59]

Like Bill said, the more tools (and supplies) the better! I have a dozen different pin vises, about a thousand carbide PC board bits of various sizes, and a couple of drill bit sets and the iconic #61-#80 dome and a bunch of backups, for those. I hate needing something, and discovering that I don't have it!😃

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Straightliner59 said:

...I hate needing something, and discovering that I don't have it!😃

Yeah, I get obsessive about that. Every time I need something I don't have I'll buy it. I may never use it again, but if I need it, I'll have it.  

Edited February 12 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 hours ago, bobss396 said:

...I picked up a slew of small carbide circuit-board drills when we were closing out a machine shop at work, they were heading to the dumpster.

Nice save.

I've never understood people who'll throw out perfectly serviceable tools and parts, sometimes even brand new stuff.

I once pulled a complete set of the special factory tools for the NSU Ro 80 engine, including the assembly fixture, out of a dumpster. The realtor's clean-up crew took it down from the attic of a shop we rented before we moved in.

Not anything that would ever get used by me probably, but a shop that specializes in reworking rotormotors was very happy to get it many years later.

Along with the Ro 80 stuff was an entire factory front clip for a circa-1970 NSU Prinz, still crated, and a coupla new Prinz engine shortblock assemblies, which I also rescued. The Prinz stuff went to an NSU owners' club.

Almost all my flathead tools are rescues too, and I've saved lots of other obscure stuff from being melted down into beer cans and Hondas.

I'm kinda weird about tools and machines.  

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Inadvertent double post.

Edited February 12 by Ace-Garageguy

[redscampi]

46 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nice save.

I've never understood people who'll throw out perfectly serviceable tools and parts, sometimes even brand new stuff.

I once pulled a complete set of the special factory tools for the NSU Ro 80 engine, including the assembly fixture, out of a dumpster. The realtor's clean-up crew took it down from the attic of a shop we rented before we moved in.

Not anything that would ever get used by me probably, but a shop that specializes in reworking rotormotors was very happy to get it many years later.

Along with the Ro 80 stuff was an entire factory front clip for a circa-1970 NSU Prinz, still crated, and a coupla new Prinz engine shortblock assemblies, which I also rescued. The Prinz stuff went to an NSU owners' club.

Almost all my flathead tools are rescues too, and I've saved lots of other obscure stuff from being melted down into beer cans and Hondas.

I'm kinda weird about tools and machines.  

 

The stuff that used to show up in the aircraft surplus store was truly crazy. Used to be that employees could buy things like drill bits by the pound for cheap. New mismanagement culture put an end to that.

[Bainford]

50 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nice save.

I've never understood people who'll throw out perfectly serviceable tools and parts, sometimes even brand new stuff.

I spent most of my working career in a Navy dockyard. The tooling and equipment tossed in the dumpster over the years could make a man cry. Sometimes, brand new stuff. Including, on one occasion, two pallets packed full with NOS Coventry Climax engine parts. And, if one bit of it was found being carried out through the gate, the Military Police would have a field day with you.

Edited February 12 by Bainford

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, redscampi said:

The stuff that used to show up in the aircraft surplus store was truly crazy. Used to be that employees could buy things like drill bits by the pound for cheap. New mismanagement culture put an end to that.

There's a huge Lockheed plant in my town, adjacent to the Naval Air Station and Dobbins Air Force Base. A lot of the those guys were gearheads.

It's amazing the pounds of things like drill bits, carbide cutters, AN rivets and fittings, and assorted AN hardware some of those gentlemen would bring by the shops where I worked.

Somehow, I don't think they bought them. 

PS: I once found a brand new cylinder assembly for a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 on the shelf at a resale/salvage shop just down the street from one of the Lockheed/ NAS/ AFB gates.  

Edited February 12 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY and ACCURACY

[redscampi]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

There's a huge Lockheed plant in my town, and a lot of the Lockheed guys were gearheads.

It's amazing the pounds of things like drill bits, carbide cutters, AN rivets and fittings, and assorted hardware some of those guys would bring by the shops where I worked.

Somehow, I don't think they bought them. 

PS: I once found a brand new cylinder assembly for a Wright R-2800 on the shelf at a resale/salvage shop just down the street from one of the Lockheed gates.  

There was an urban legend at work that a guy walked out of the front gate with an entire roll of heavy gauge copper wire wrapped around his torso under his coveralls. Supposedly he fainted from the weight and stress and they found it when they undid his zipper to give him some air. I hired in while they were doing mandatory lunch box checks at the gate.  Guys had to prove there were no tools or  fasteners in their boxes. Still, a lot of local hot rods were put together with airplane grade hardware.

[Bainford]

22 minutes ago, redscampi said:

There was an urban legend at work that a guy walked out of the front gate with an entire roll of heavy gauge copper wire wrapped around his torso under his coveralls. Supposedly he fainted from the weight and stress and they found it when they undid his zipper to give him some air.

haha that reminds me of a story; The rigging shop was forever disposing of steel cable (wire rope) when it is out of date. When I was an apprentice, my work-buddy was getting into off-roading and needed some tow cable. A little dumpster diving turned up over 100' of 3/8" wire rope. Before leaving work that day, he got a couple of us to wrap the cable around his mid-section, over which he wore his winter parka, so he could smuggle it out the gate. My buddy was a pretty big guy and a smoker, and lived within walking distance of work, at the top of a pretty steep hill. I walked home with him to give him a hand, and it's a good thing I did. Half way up the hill he started breathing heavy, and soon started to struggle. The wraps of cable were constricting his chest, and the rhythm of breathing was causing a ratcheting action of the cable whereby he could exhale but not inhale. By the time he realised he was in trouble, he couldn't speak. I saw his struggle, but didn't understand at first. He was trying to flail off his parka in an absolute panic, now unable to breath. Suddenly I realised what was happening, pulled off his coat and started frantically unwrapping the cable from his chest before he passed out. Poor bugger nearly died right there on the street.

[Ace-Garageguy]

34 minutes ago, redscampi said:

There was an urban legend at work that a guy walked out of the front gate with an entire roll of heavy gauge copper wire wrapped around his torso under his coveralls. Supposedly he fainted from the weight and stress and they found it when they undid his zipper to give him some air. I hired in while they were doing mandatory lunch box checks at the gate.  Guys had to prove there were no tools or  fasteners in their boxes. Still, a lot of local hot rods were put together with airplane grade hardware.

Last airplane shop I worked at, same thing. I was working three jobs at the time, very early morning as an A&P, afternoons at a hot-rod shop, evenings several days a week at a composites shop...so I'd often carry a toolbox in and out at the airport.

"Stop and frisk" didn't bother me much, because I am, after all, the most honest person on the planet.  

The guy who owned the aircraft shop was ex-Air Force, so he probably had a pretty good idea about how parts grow little legs and scamper off.  

 

[bobss396]

There was always something going onto the trash at work. I have more drills and end mills than I can use in a lifetime. 

We did retrofits and got permission to take the old hardware home. Real high end exotic stuff. Expired shelf life items too. All good to use on the cars.

[Bugatti Fan]

Wow!   Interesting reading about the sheer volume of good 'stuff' that gets dumped! 

Bob's mention of not having to spot using PCB drill bits on a Bridgeport Milling Machine is good to know keeping the bits movement vertical.

[bobss396]

16 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Wow!   Interesting reading about the sheer volume of good 'stuff' that gets dumped! 

Bob's mention of not having to spot using PCB drill bits on a Bridgeport Milling Machine is good to know keeping the bits movement vertical.

A buddy of mine owns a large machine shop, he started using circuit board drills on very small holes in aluminum. He was able to hold a +/- .001" location tolerance easily. We used to make our own PC boards at work, that was outsourced, that is where my drills came from.

[Straightliner59]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:04 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

PS: I once found a brand new cylinder assembly for a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 on the shelf at a resale/salvage shop just down the street from one of the Lockheed/ NAS/ AFB gates.  

That sounds like a nice piece of decor!

[BDSchindler]

On 2/11/2024 at 1:00 PM, Pete J. said:

I got tired of it also, but I took a different solution.  I bought 3 more pin vices when I found them on closeout at Tamiya.  You would be surprised how handy it is to have an extra or two around. 

I did something similar.  At last years Mid-Atlantic NNL, there was a vendor in the corner of the main room that was selling various tools and supplies.  I bought 6 pin vices for $10 from him and have various sized drill bits in each that are the most used on my bench.

[bobss396]

9 hours ago, BDSchindler said:

I did something similar.  At last years Mid-Atlantic NNL, there was a vendor in the corner of the main room that was selling various tools and supplies.  I bought 6 pin vices for $10 from him and have various sized drill bits in each that are the most used on my bench.

We have a local tool vendor that attends shows. I always stop by his display, maybe this is the same guy you mentioned.

[customline]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:39 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yeah, I get obsessive about that. Every time I need something I don't have I'll buy it. I may never use it again, but if I need it, I'll have it.  

Yup. It's like us gun nuts say : "it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" 🥴 

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, customline said:

... "it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it" 🥴 

Yes indeed, my motto as well. Been sayin' that for decades.