Making some TASTY kant style clamps | CRAIG'S WORKSHOP
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- I have a fair few clamps, but not many machinist clamps. So - why not build some?
I'll be following some excellent plans I bought from Doug Gray. His online shop is here:
d-gray-drafting-and-design.my...
Enjoy!
If you would like to help me to make these videos, here is my patreon link:
/ craigsworkshop
Take a look at my website here:
craigsworkshop.net
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:17 Preview
0:32 Sheet metal
0:57 Detour!
1:50 Back on track (sheet metal)
4:49 Knuckles
6:47 Screws
9:58 Pins
10:28 Jaws
14:18 Parts so far
14:24 Brass bits
16:09 Assembly
17:42 Done (Thanks for watching) - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Good stuff, man! Always rewarding when your nicest of a tool is one you've made! There were also a couple subtle things you did that I like. Using the back of the mill vise jaw as a filing stop and using the caliper to set your combination square. Neither has ever even entered my brain before... but that's not saying much. Also on the choppiness you mention while thread turning, I've run into this a lot as well. I suspect there are a couple things going on. One is possibly running too slow of a cutting speed, though this can be scary to increase if you're not on your A game. The other is just how long of a thread you were cutting. It gets unstable in the middle without a follow rest. I've done similar aspect ratio threading unsupported and have even been lucky enough for them to snag and yank themselves right out of the lathe 👌👌 Either way when I get that choppiness I have a triangular pin file and emery cloth I run through the threads a few times to smooth them out. Keep at it, man! Loving the videos and projects
Thanks Brandon - those are some good insights. I will certainly try the small triangle file idea - good thinking. I'm glad you picked up some other ways of doing things from the video. I'll also try threading faster next time, I did leave a big "runout" or gutter, so it wouldn't be too hard to disengage at the right moment. Thank you for the ongoing encouragement, it's great to have you watching and commenting on the videos. Cheers, Craig
so you're the reason this fella showed up in my reccomended list :D But, there can never be enough good machinist channels on youtube :D
Thanks Nico 👍
@Craig's Workshop your most welcome, been following Brandon here since he uploaded his 2nd video and was instantly hooked, and since then, it's been Machining porn galore, everything from smaller items all the way up to huge stuff for earthmoving machines done by a channel called cutting edge engineering 😁 and now you've been put on my subscribe list too.
I think that might have been me on the lapping, I enjoyed those minutes 😊
If so, I thank you for the inspiration to do a (potentially) funny bit :)
Nice Video. You're right - you can never have enough clamps. Extra Kudos for Rusty the shop dog!!!
Thanks Joe. Still don't have enough, but getting closer clamp by clamp. 🙂👍
@@CraigsWorkshop Makes for a good project video, too. Keep up the great work. Put more of Rusty in there running the mill !
@@joecnc3341 🤣
Another project meticulously done Craig. Thanks for making and sharing.
Thanks Quang! You'll be pleased (relieved) to know that I was able to complete this without needing your lathe :) So we'll arrange soon to get the lathe over to you. Thanks for your generosity with that. Cheers, Craig
There is no pressure there, Craig
Man, cutting out your own plates. That's hard core! Those of us less gifted or terminally lazy just buy the laser cut ones. Just to add to your 10mm standardised tooling, get yourself a smallish key less chuck and mount it on a 10mm plain shank. They are great for small drill bits and don't need a lot of headroom to change.
Cheers,
Preso.
Thank you preso. I had not thought about a mini chuck on a 10mm shaft. Great idea!
Good stuff there, Craig. Nice work.
Thanks Richard. I appreciate the feedback
Those clamps will be super useful when you want things to stay put 👍👍😎👍👍
Thanks Joel 👍 I look forward to using them for years to come.
Beautiful work Craig. 👍
Thank you Rob! 👍 Give me a hoy if you are ever down this end of the state, it would be good to meet you.
@@CraigsWorkshop I definitely will mate.
I would tell Rusty the same thing I tell my wife when she says, "Isn't it easier to just go buy (whatever it is I'm making)?" I reply, "It's the process of making it myself that I enjoy. The end product is just a bonus."
Thanks Matthew. I'll see how he responds to that. Something tells me that I'll get a confused look, but I think it's worth a shot. :)
That coordination refresher......I think you can find it free online 🙂
Sadly, I think that's a therapy we could ALL utilize because we ALL excell at screwing up - it's what I do best, not to mention everyone I know....
Anyway, you stumbled through it and came away with a couple of very nice and useful clamps!
May your stumbling, bumbling, and brain farts always result in miraculous successes! 🙂
Thanks Arthur - agreed on all points! Cheers 😁
@@CraigsWorkshop 🙂!
As soon as I heard “I’ll start by tracing out some rough outlines onto this stainless sheet” my eyes bulged and I though 'there'll be some swearing in this one!'.
But I was wrong!
Another project completed to a really high standard.
Thanks for sharing.
If I ever get round to making some, they'll be mild steel 😉
The stainless might not have been the best choice but I am a stubborn fool and I was determined not to waste it. 🙂 Thanks Matt for watching and commenting. Great to have you as a subscriber. 👍
I saw a good tip from Amob on removing “collars” of parts like your brass ones. Instead of using pliers, place the part in your mill vise jaws loosely with the collar above the top face and tap them in the Z axis. This will shear the collar off flush, it works very well.
That is a great idea. Thanks 👍
Dear Craig, no you Kant drop your bundle too many times or we’ll get the completely wrong thread. Beautiful work.
:) Thanks Peter
Love the use of printer rods, always kept them around when I disassembled some for electronic parts, never used them though...
Yes, they are a handy source of good material.
Thanks for sharing 👍 most useful clamp in my workshop.
Thanks Craig - I do love these things already. I think they will be my go-to clamp, unless I have good reason to use something else.
@Craig's Workshop might want to scale up or down depending on what you do. I build a lot of scale models and built some smaller ones.
Great stuff mister! Well done.
Thanks Matthew - I appreciate the comment!
Hi Craig, Nice work and they'll be most useful in the shop.
With the thread cutting it looked as though you had the tool setup to cut on both sides of the tip. This produces a lot of tool pressure, hence the poor finish and material deflection over that length of thread. Search YT for the '29.5° compound thread cutting' setup. Using this method cuts the thread on only one side of the tip reducing tool pressure and leaves a better finish (normally) and better used when cutting long threads on smaller diameter stock.
Nice editing..
Regards
Kevin
Thanks Kev. Yes I know about feeding into one flank of the thread and that's how I have been doing it for years. But, the compound on this lathe needs a new gib and a new gib retention method, so I have it locked down at the moment, and had to feed the tool in perpendicularly as a temporary work around.
If you punch and drill the holes first you can bolt the roughly cut pieces together using pieces of threaded rod and coupling nuts, then mill the “block” of plates.
Faster than shaping individual pieces.
If you have a rotary table you can side mill the block in one setup, but it helps if you draw the shape in CAD and mark all angles, radiuses and lengths for moving the workpiece.
Thanks Ro K. I considered bolting the stacks together, But it would have meant I couldn't shape the stacks as a group as easily, using the face of one plate as a square reference for the edges of the stack.
I also have a rotary table and the mill, and I considered rotary milling, but I didn't have a set of dimensions to work from, just an outline. I could have redrawn the shapes in CAD, overlaying onto the existing outlines, but with the method I used, I could save that whole step. The shaping did not take that long. The belt sander makes quick work of it.
I thought that on balance the way I did it was likely to be the quickest way to get the parts shaped and kept within tolerance. Your suggestions would definitely have worked though - just with a different set of compromises/challenges.
Thanks,
Craig
Next time you might thinking about plasma cutter to save time. You did an awesome job by the way! And don’t stop making me laughing!
Thank you. I think a plasma cutter would result in just as much clean up work as the bandsaw! (And more sparks and mess). I like that the bandsaw is quiet and clean and no sparks. 👍
Hi Craig, turned out great, lots of work but I agree, much more satisfying than just buying some. Well done. Cheers, Jon
Thanks Jon 👍 Thanks also for your email back. I am equally terrible with emails and sticker posting times, but I will try to get them out soon! 🙂
Outstanding work 👍👍
Thanks MASI 👍
They came out looking great!
Thanks Tom 👍
I don't have them, but I've read nothing but good about these clamps. Gary makes great designs.
Thanks Rusti, it is always nice to get a comment from you. The clamps are a great design and really great to use. Obviously it is a bit of a commitment to make them. 38 parts went into these two clamps. But it is a straightforward build - I think you would love making them. 🙂👍
I am glad those boomerangs came back to you. I would hate to see this project unfinished. LOL!
😁 Thanks Tom.
Craig, thank you for your hard work on your clamps and your videos. Your videos rank up there with some of my favorite machinist videos like Inheritance Machining and Blondihacks. Keep up the good work, I can't wait for your next one.
Thanks Pudster, you are very kind. Those are some big name channels. And IH is actually my favourite channel. I will do my best to keep the videos coming. Thanks again.
Totally agree with the Inheritance Machining / Blondiehacks / Artisan Makes / Ade's Workshop comparrison.
I've literally only watch this vid, but new subscriber and definitely gonna binge on the back catalogue!!!!!
Keep up the awesome work
Thanks Mr. Random Person, I'm most happy with the latest half dozen or maybe ten videos, some of my earlier stuff is very much experimental and me learning to drive a camera and talk to the mic etc. So don't look too closely :) Cheers, Craig
Gday Craig, these are really great clamps, I’ve found I use mine more then I ever thought I would, I have considered making a smaller version but Ive been lazy, great job mate, cheers
Thank you mate. Yes they're a lovely design, and I love the end result. I would really like a dinky little 25mm set. Maybe a future build.
"They" are correct!
I reckon you have all the makings of big views and subs. Keep at the content and it will grow. Another well done video, thanks Craig.
Thank you James. Fingers crossed!
Hello Craig, I’d never have thought of welding the stack together to keep them aligned. That’s clever and expeditious. Nicely done! 👍
Thanks! I've got to admit I borrowed this idea from Matty, I saw him do some mig welding on a stack of parts to keep them aligned, and it worked well, so I tried the tig version. Works great!
One trick you can use for faster tool changes is to get 2-3 extra collet nuts. You can pre-load them with collets and tools.
That's a very good idea. Thanks for that.
"Brain on holiday", yep, I can relate to that! BS aside, nice job.
Figure 8 Lapping, definitely. I've lapped hundreds (minimum) of injector nozzles and bodies and they have no gaskets just metal to metal and over 2000 psig, no leaks. So I know that method of lapping works.😊
Thanks Peter. Yes, that method does seem to make a nice flat surface and it's fairly easy to do. Cheers for the comment! Craig
Nice job Craig👍 Looking forward to the boat build 😁
Thanks Bill, but that's as close as I get to boat building 😁
Nice build and very well presented Craig! I'm so glad you found the plans to your liking.
Deckchairs and boomerangs LOL
Hey Doug. Thank you. I'm glad you found the video! I also bought plans from you for the knurler and the toolmakers clamps. Hopefully they will show up in future videos of mine, because they are both tools I'd like to make. It's good of you to share the plans in the first place, and at such a good price. I would not have bought all three, if the prices weren't so reasonable. Thanks again. Craig
I was having trouble drilling stainless. I watched a video with an older gentleman who suggested just using water and it worked for me.
Thanks Cee Jay, did you have any issues with water getting into and under the vise and causing rust?
@@CraigsWorkshop No, I just I just wiped everything down with some WD40 afterwards and I keep the screw and mating surfaces well oiled with NUTO H32.
@@Cee.Jay.71 Thanks - that's a good plan 👍
Nice looking clamps👍
Thanks HP - much appreciated.
I make most of my projects from other people's junk but it never occurred to me to butcher dead printers for precision ground round bars 😄The clamps turned out great; I'm looking forward to seeing them in action.
Thanks Stefan. The idea for the printer rods was not my own, I once saw a video a few years ago, from Matthias Wandel who showed harvesting some useful parts from a printer, and those rods are one of the prize components. I have a few in stock of various mystery grades of metal, but they are all precisely sized, and made of nice material that is a nice level of hardness, but still machineable. Thanks for warching! You will see the clamps in use in many future videos :)
Ideal job for a band saw because it stubbornly refuses to cut straight lines had me rolling on the floor.
Glad my tragic tales have you laughing 😂
Well done, I love the kant clamps, you can get so much clamping force out of them. Great project to try yourself given how expensive they can be off the shelf
Thanks Godfrey, I am very pleased with how they came out.
New subscriber after seeing you mentioned by Matty on his channel. Really excellent craftsmanship, and you present it very well. Look forward to watching past episodes, and the new material to come. Nice work!
Yes, Matty's a good friend and a great bloke in general. Thanks for stopping by.
Very nicely done! I look forward to making my own, even if I'll happily have the sheet parts plasma or laser cut.
That's probably the smart way to do it. But I have only recently made this belt grinder and the novelty hasn't worn off yet 😁 (And I had the stainless in stock)
Nicely done there Craig.
I'd admit to wanting to try a Kant Twist for ..
Decades.
Someday...
Btw, even slower on that stainless
Thanks Carl. Even slower? Ok - that's what I'm doing wrong. Thank you for that pointer, I'm a total novice with stainless and don't want to wreck my tools. Yes, these clamps are an excellent design, came out even better than I hoped. I can really recommend the plans they are good quality, and cheap. Or - you can just buy the clamps ready made - they are not too expensive, especially given how much time you'd put into making a set. Cheers, Craig
Great idea on standardizing on 10mm. I’ve been doing similar!
Preso suggested that I get myself a small keyless chuck and put it on a 10mm shank too. Great idea! Those small chucks use much less headroom too. A chuck used strictly for drilling doesn't need much bend stiffness, just needs torsional stiffness mostly.
Nice job Craig, and love seeing the belt sander you made for roughcut 2022. Betting you shop mate was wagging his tail when done ? Bear
Thanks Bear. He's always happy and wagging his tail 🙂 Probably because I give him too many treats. 😂
Five years ago I would have watched this and tried to make my own clamps only to find that my skills don't even come close to a professional TH-camr. Reminds me of Norm Abrams, where everything he does goes together with just a puff of sawdust. Nowadays, I just say, "Dang this guy is good" and appreciate their awesome skills.
Thanks Waiakalulu1 - what a generous comment! Maybe the ad revenue gods can take a leaf out of the same generosity book, then I really will be a professional TH-camr :-) Cheers, Craig
@@CraigsWorkshop For people who educate and problem solve, TH-cam should set aside special compensation for them! I really like how you selected your materials. The stainless steel is going to make them last a very long time.
"Who doesn't love hand filing stainless steel" and this viewer raised his hand
😉 me too, just quietly.
Good job mate 👍👍👍
Thanks John - I appreciate your comment!
well done!
Cheers :)
thanks for the video
No problem. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Hello Craig,
They turned out well... I must admit I could do with some, Doug's plans always look very good.
Take care.
Paul,,
Thanks Paul. I suggest having a look at doug's pricing too. Too good to miss in my opinion. No affiliation etc. When I bought the machinist clamps (what he calls this design), I noticed he had other plans too. Soon after buying the machinist ones, I went back to buy the toolmakers parallel clamp plans, and the knurler plans. I'm pretty frugal, so hopefully that says what the plans are worth to me. Cheers, Craig
Well done mate it's trevor mattys mate. I think it's time for me to make a set I think mattys got the plans
G'Day Trev. It was good to put a face to the name (and voice) in one of Matty's recent vids. Thanks for watching my vids too. These are a great build, good fun, I like the size of these 100mm ones, but as I was saying to matty I'd like a 25 or 50mm (1-2") set too. In fact a pair of all the sizes would be nice, but that's a lot of work and I am lazy! cheers, Craig
Very good 👍
Thanks Art!
Very nice indeed
Thanks Peter!
Nice build Dude! TFS, GB :)
Cheers Graeme. Thanks for watching
No co ordination classes we enjoy laughing at you.
🤣 Thanks Mathew
great video.
Thanks David, glad you enjoyed!
You could have turned the brass rings a tenth of a milimeter smaller on the inside, then heated them before pushing them onto the ends of the handles. When cooling, the contraction should have been enough to lock them in place.
That's a good idea. A shrink fit would have been ideal in this situation. 👍
You mentioned the 10 mm collets / tooling...I know for me just the thought of having to change collets too many times decreases the chances I will dig into a project in the 1st place
Exactly. I heard someone say years ago "if it's not easy, you won't use it", and that really resonates with me. So now I kind of design my workshop/workspaces around being super easy, and I think it works, I get more done, more easily. It is a slow thing to do, but worth it. 👍
very very nice
Thanks Kimber. Glad you enjoyed. Your name pops into my head every single time I open my taps.and dies drawer, and see all the lovely UNC and UNF taps you kindly sent through a couple of years ago. 🙂👍🙏
Muy buen trabajo,
Gracias. Me alegro de que lo hayas disfrutado 👍
Unless your in a production environment it's generally best in my experience to ignore drill speeds when drilling stainless.
For example, I was cross drilling brake rotors for my Yamaha XS650. (70's Japanese bikes are well known for having brakes that don't work in the wet)
'Correct' rpm, drilled four holes, drill needed sharpening. Dropping rpm to 200, I then drilled 160 half inch holes in 7mm stainless plate (I was doing dual rotor conversion) It also lightened the discs by over a half pound each which was a plus.
Thanks for that, that's really good info. A friend of mine who also commented (Carl) also said slow it down even further, so I think I'm sensing a pattern here. I'll try slowing it right down (using your 200rpm/half-inch as a guide) and I'm sure it will help a whole lot. Thanks again.
I just checked the numbers and I think my chart says 25 m/min for stainless. Your number equates to about 1/3 that, which I think will make a big difference. Thanks again.
@@CraigsWorkshop I forgot to add, it was 'ordinary' HSS drill, not even cobalt and years before TiAN was a common coating (not sure it had even been invented?)
Комментарий в поддержку канала и ролика, а также труда мастера.
Спасибо. Я ценю вашу поддержку и эти добрые слова. Увидимся в следующем видео!
Nice work, actually been wanting a few tiny ones for my model building but can't find any that doens't cost a fortune... Guess there's no mass production of these 😁😁
Thanks ficklampa. I do know that "kant-twist" is the brand name that most of these designs are based around so have a look for that in your local country and see what comes up. I don't know how small the clamps they offer go, but it's worth doing a bit of research. I myself would like to make some 25mm capacity ones some day. The ones I just built are pretty substantial and have 100mm capacity. Thanks for the comment, Cheers, Craig
@@CraigsWorkshop Yeah, I was looking around before and I didn't find much in my country. And the ones I found on for example eBay was a little silly in the pricing. But it's okay, I have some regular plastic clamps in the meantime.
Very good job on those clamps! I bet it was really boring bandsawing those frame sides for the clamps.
Thanks Dermot. Bandsawing them didn't take too long, really. It was a lot quicker than angle grinding or hacksawing would have been! 🙂
Can't blame you for getting frustrated with the band saw table, it looks small enough to be used by elves.
It would be spacious only to the kinds of creatures that live in the beards of elves. 🙂
I'm with Rusty. Bought clamps and then onto building something
Thanks union.
@@CraigsWorkshop I get it that there are some who take great enjoyment out of making "kit" I have built machines myself including a gear cutting machine etc. But I have always been a steam engine builder, traction engines and locos. Do you have something in mind to build or are you just enjoying the journey?
Tools and machines interest me in probably the same way as engines and clocks and cars interest others. Also, because I'm buying older machines that are in need of repair or restoration, that's a natural source of projects.
And since I'm unable to afford to buy everything that I need, new, making them is a good option, and a good learning exercise, and it's great fun.
I'm self-taught, and consider myself a lifelong learner, so I don't see any of this as a waste of time. Sorry if it doesn't float your boat in the same way an engine build would.
@@CraigsWorkshop Not at all, I fully get it. I have just written an article for the Model Engineer on making guards for a milling machine. It is all relevant!
I have known many good model engineers though who set out with great intentions and got distracted and ended building nothing. They had fun along the way though.
I'm getting the sense that you think I need to build engines or have a specific bigger goal in mind, before I can build my workshop and make videos charting my progress.
I think that's where we maybe see things a little differently. I find it highly enjoyable and worthwhile to make and fix tools and machines, to fix and make parts for friends and acquaintances, and to build an all-round useful and general-purpose workshop. That is _already_ a great intention, and not a distraction.
And it's certainly not building nothing, just because it isn't building engines.
Yes, these values are subjective. That's why I wouldn't try to impress them onto others. I get that others have different values and different goals.
That's not to say I won't build an engine sometime later, but it doesn't excite me in the same way it obviously does for some people. And for me it's not the be-all-end-all (And it's fine if we want different things from our workshops. If we were all the same, this conversation would be a lot less fun.)
Thank you for making me clarify my thinking about this, and getting me to put it out in written words - I think this has also been a worthwhile thing.
Cheers, Craig
Very nice work…just buy them next time you proved your point!
Thanks the real me. I like making things like this though. :)
I was surprised those collars fit, near the end, because I'm pretty sure you lapped them wrong, although it's hard to tell -- maybe you should include a little more lapping footage next time.
Thanks - good idea, I'll consider it! :)
Why green instead of maroon scotch brite?
I tend to use three colors. Grey, green, maroon. Roughly 800, 600, 320.
Or were you going for final polish?
Great job on the clamps.
It's the most easily accessible scotchbrite like substance (AKA non-woven abrasive) that's available near me in bulk, not sold sheet-by-sheet but in packs of 10, and it's super cheap. Sold in the cleaning section of our hardware shop. So I have one choice of grit :) Thanks Dan!
Nice. I may have a go at this at some point. I even have some 1/8" or 3mm thick stainless.
Do you know if your stainless is 304 or 316. I find it makes a big difference - 304 isn't too ornery, 316 can be a right pain and does work harden much worse.
Thanks Mats. From what you've said, I'm going to assume it's 316. I have had reasonable luck with certain pieces of stainless before, but then sometimes a piece comes along and defies all my attempts to make it play nice. Perhaps I should stop using scrap and start buying named alloys, just so that I can have half a chance at knowing what I've got. Thanks again for the advice 👍
PS: Definitely have a go at making some they are a good fun project, nothing is too critical, dimensions wise, and you get something out at the end that you'll use on a near-daily basis. I think this is what is drawing me towards making tools and fixing machines more than the other kinds of projects.
@@CraigsWorkshop Of course, there's 4731 (estimated) other possible mixes of metals that are all grouped under the title of "stainless". So, it could of course be "neither of those two".
Buying fresh stock does help, but only if you keep track of which bit is what material! I have a few bits and pieces that I don't even know if it's stainless or some high grade stuff, but not stainless... :)
I picked up a good habit from Stefan. When I buy some new stock that is a known alloy, I use the Dremel and a burr to engrave on the end what it is. That might be O1, 4140, 1045 or 12L14, etc. Then I work from the other end of that bar. The problem is, 90% of my stock is not acquired this way, so until I give up being a cheap magpie for materials, and work through all my stock, I think I will be in for some mystery metal surprises 😑
Rusty doesn't understand that we need to justify our machine purchases so we can sleep at night.
I think he'll learn, over time. :)
Nice work Craig. Was the stainless specified or have you just decided to reduce your de-rusting load?
Thanks Russell. I hadn't thought about the time saved de-rusting. :) Truth be told, this was the only sheet/plate that I had which was about the right thickness. So the decision was easy! I don't know what alloy it was, but I am assuming it's one of the hard-to-work ones.
@@CraigsWorkshop Good old serendipity.
The austenitic stainless steels (commonly known as the 300 series, typically 304 and 316 in sheet form) work-harden readily. Don't try "sneaking up" on a dimension or pushing on with a dull cutting edge. If corrosion resistance is important in a corrosive environment and the part has been welded, the heat-affected zone should be passivated using a "pickling paste" which is made of some very aggressive acids. Your tack welds are unlikely to cause you any problems.
@@russelldold4827 Thanks for the info Russell, very useful.
show it in use
You are right, I should have 👍 I will definitely be using these in future videos, stay tuned and you will see them used a lot I am sure.
@@CraigsWorkshop great work..keep it up. will wait to see its application.
I Kant even... :D
Ah - that's good. I wish I had thought of that for the caption on the thumbnail photo :)
I never saw your nipple clamps on the wall mate.
I haven't seen them since you borrowed them. That was years ago now. They're as good as gone!
First
Congrats YAK, you win eternal glory :-) Thanks for commenting.
I hate stainless, I have learned, chasing the threads on new nuts and bolts stops them galling, I do hope those pecker marks in the mill vice are from the previous owner, can't see you letting that happen.
How old is your red kelpie? i have a black n tan, Sadie, she is coming up 12 months, my best mate
The mill vice was second hand yes. Even with the visible faults and pecker marks all over it, it's all true and flat and precise, (well, since I stoned it with precision stones), and it's actually a great vise and the price was right. New ones this size are outside my budget.
Yes, Rusty's probably between 4 and 5 we think. He's my best mate too. They are awesome creatures, and I'm so very glad we got him when we did. I love him to bits.