Self centering vise

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I have but quickly converted to my lathe. I got tired of over-sizing blanks. Spend your money on the lathe chucks. PSI has two types, one for pen blanks and one for larger sizes like bottle stoppers.
 
I have used one for many blanks. It has held up well and the blanks don't have to be square to be used. I put a mark and the blank so I can tell which way it was in when I drilled it. That way if I use a pen mill to square the blank on the drill press instead of lathe it is easy to line up. I mounted it on a piece of board so I clamp it down to use it.
 
I use one if I don't have to get the hole exactly in line with the center of the blank. I mounted mine on a board big enough to clamp to the drill press table. To center it on the bit, I will lower the bit till it can be clamped in the jaws, then press it to the table and clamp it in place. Gets the hole centered pretty well.

Tom
 
I have used this one for several years now and it has worked very well for me:

https://www.amazon.com/Centering-St...argid=aud-801381245258:pla-715100148872&psc=1

I bought mine from Woodriver, but this is the exact same unit and less expensive.

I made up a fixture to set securely and tightly on top of my drill press table. It has a frame on the bottom side that fits snugly around the sides of the drill press table so I can take it on and off in literally a second, yet it keeps it on center when in place. To set it up, I marked a very square blank with a centering tool, placed it in the vise, and then using a brad point bit in the drill press and moved the centering vise to where the my center mark on the blank lined up with the tip of the brad point bit. I then marked for my mounting holes and secured the vice to the fixture with some screws. The mounting holes / slots of the vice are large, so you can use a bit smaller screw and leave yourself with some "play" to fine tune your alignment to the center. Fortunately, I don't drill much else on my drill press, so I'm not moving the table up and down often which will of course throw off your alignment. However, I keep a scrap blank marked for center so I can easily re-align and it's pretty quick and easy once you have it set up once. I probably spent 45 min to an hour in making this fixture, but it is so worth it in the long run if you make a lot of pens.

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Here's mine. I do find that some woods drill better on the lathe which is extra time. Retired so time is valuable. Thinking about going back to work to get sme rest.IMG_20171118_060456492_HDR.jpg
 
I use that one also (or similar enough to be the same) it works well for me. I do not know how accurate it is for segmented blanks because I have not ventured into that realm. I like how quickly I can process pen blanks and the setup is quite easy.
I do agree with KLJ, an indexing mark on the blank and the vise. It helps with re-alignment for using a pen mill.
 
I'm with the understanding that segmented blanks are something else. I think I would turn to round and drill on the lathe.
Edit- my son is in charge of the plant machine shop. He cut a piece of sheet metal, 45-45-90 degrees, to square the blank to the "bed" of the vise. Said it might be off a couple of thousandths. Close enough for pen making.
 
qquake said:
Anybody use one of these? Any good?

Taytools 469003 Deluxe Pen Blank Centering Drill Press Vise, Jaws open to 2-3/8 Inches, Will Drill Center of Blanks Up to 1-7/8 Inch Square - - Amazon.com

Taytools 469003 Deluxe Pen Blank Centering Drill Press Vise, Jaws open to 2-3/8 Inches, Will Drill Center of Blanks Up to 1-7/8 Inch Square - - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...
I have this very vice. I still use it occasionally, but only if accuracy is not an issue and my lathe is otherwise occupied.

Originally I had a different vice with only one guide rod. It was a terrible design that quickly wore at the guide holes and began to side load. So I bought the vice you show, because it has two guides. Unfortunately, I found that over a short period of time it also started clamping at an angle. Especially if I was drilling a short blank that was only in the top portion of the vice.

Now I do 90% of my drilling on the lathe. If accuracy is paramount, such as my kitless work or pieces with a design, I turn the blank to 20mm round and mount in a collet chuck. Nothing will mess up a Celtic knot more than the hole being drilled at a slight angle.
 
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