Anybody here have experience with the Rockler Pen Press/Drilling Jig? My PSI Drilling Center vise just broke and while I could probably fix it it is about worthless. While I don't like to knock vendors stuff too muchI think I will write a review.
If I didn't own a Paul H Vise then the Rockler is the one that I would want. I have no experience with it but I have read a lot of good comments on here about it.
Ok, I have a stupid question related to this. I have a PSI vice, which is clamped to my drill press. Overall, I find it to work fairly well. It does not always drill in the center because my drill table moves left and right when I raise and lower it and at other times when I set the drill into the blank while drilling...it will slightly shift to the left or right. It drives me crazy, but for the most part i am able to drill a straight hole. So, I guess my first question is does anyone have any tricks to help improve my drilling? My second question is that I have thought about getting on the list for a Paul H. Vice, but from the pictures, I can't tell what makes it different than the PSI vice other than design. Can anyone that has it offer any insight into why it works so well?
Well I have a chuck for the drill bit but I don't have anything to hold the other end...And I'm not sure what I want to get. Also I've got a pretty small mini with MT1 and only 1/3 hp so I'm not overly confident that it will do for drilling. Heaven knows I'm not in love with drilling blanks with a drill press.Smitty:
If you have a chuck for your lathe forget the vise and drill on the lathe. When I started I had a POS vise and drill press and was on the list for the PH vise. Finally gave up on the POS vise and started drilling on the lathe and no, you don't have to have a perfectly square or round blank to drill on the lathe. BTW, I finally got the PH vise and it is every bit as good as drilling on the lathe, but if something ever happened to it I wouldn't even think about another vise I would use the lathe.
Kevrob:
I don't think Smitty meant his post to be as harsh as it sounded, things always tend to seem meaner in print than with the spoken word. Believe me, I've had enough of my humorous posts and emails misinterpreted. Start your own thread and I'll be glad to answer there.
Well, I apologize. I didn't know I was hijacking your thread. I figured more than one question could be discussed within one thread as long as they pertain to similar topics. But, I guess not...
If I didn't own a Paul H Vise then the Rockler is the one that I would want. I have no experience with it but I have read a lot of good comments on here about it.
The problem is, I think his are so good there's about a 8 year wait for one of his Vises and at almost 73 I might not live that long.
I bought a Rockler pen vise and have used it as a press several times. I plan to get dome MDF faces for it to prevent the metal from marring the parts. But I never once used it as a drilling vise, as I learned about drilling on the lathe shortly after I bought it! Wasted money, as I'll never ever go back to using a drill press. For $80-90, just get the Barracuda 2 if you don't have a scroll cuck, or the Beal Collet chuck.
Smitty, you couldn't get the parts to fix your pen vise or you are not too happy with it's quality; and Rockler, I am reading all the psots and getting mixed messages, so is it good or not?
Smitty, do you have a woodcraft near you?
FWiW, I have the Woodcraft "deluxe" pen vise and its great. Flawless actually.
The PSI Pen chuck is not very versatile. I would spend a little more money and get one of the Barracuda chucks. You can do more with them and they can hold any shape blank.
The PSI Pen chuck is not very versatile. I would spend a little more money and get one of the Barracuda chucks. You can do more with them and they can hold any shape blank.
I know the pen chuck looks like it is limited to square blank. What I can't seem to find a picture of is how the barracuda chuck is actually utilized to hold the blank......
Smitty, do you have a woodcraft near you?
FWiW, I have the Woodcraft "deluxe" pen vise and its great. Flawless actually.
Something over an hour away is the nearest (at least the nearest I know about) but I can buy on-line from them.