possible mod to wood stockers vise?

[taterbug]

This would be for the Woodcraft vise that was on sale back at the beginning of the year. 

https://jbfnational.com/handwheels-plastic-handwheels/2-spoke-handwheel-folding-handle

What y'all think?  Or is there something else that would work better?

They also make these with aluminum or steel hand-wheels, so not locked into the plastic.  plenty of versions available out there, with different OD, ID, materials etc.  Just need to decide on a size, and a method to adapt it to the vise using only hand tools.  Where the current handle is attached is not threaded, just a haphazardly drilled hole with a rolled pin driven through.  Just threading the end of the screw shaft and adding a jam-nut might be easiest, but certainly open to ideas. 

Yes, I bought one of the vises.  After some work, got it to functioning so I could use it without too much fear.   

There were a couple guys that mentioned the handle sticking out, and the potential for hitting your head on it when bending over, or smacking it with your hand while reaching for tools on the bench.  Haven't smacked my head on it yet, but have hit it a few times with my hand and a couple times the handle got spun around enough to drop the stock.  A bit of a pucker moment.  Rather not do that again!

[Robert Wolfe]

I don't know about fitting it but that would be a nice mod since the handle folds out of the way.

[45-110]

Yes, the hand wheel is a real up grade, I altered mine the same way. Had to bore the hole to right size. Note: I did buy a chrome metal hand wheel.

[Clowdis]

I would think that a polypropylene hand wheel would give some issues when trying to really tighten it up on a project.

[taterbug]

like I said, they are available in aluminum and steel as well and I'm not locked in to the plastic.  The link to the plastic one was just the link I could quickly copy. 

45-110, where did you order yours from?  And did you just drill a new hole to use the roll pin? 

I was considering tapping the hand-wheel and threading the shaft, but don't have a suitable tap/die set in a size that would work for the ID/OD of the parts involved. 

[45-110]

taterbug
I found the wheel handle on Ebay, roll pin hole on vise shaft was not centered (Chinese tolerances) so some finagling required. Bored out the shaft hole on lathe.
kw

[J. Talbert]

Here’s another approach to the problem.




It’s just a piece of 1/4-20 bolt cut off and threaded into the severed section of the handle.  It slips into the hole drilled in the remaining part of the handle.
Inspired by an earlier post on the same topic.

Works great for me,
Jeff

[sdilts]

I did mine the same as Jeff.

[Waksupi]

Something I learned years ago about mounting a vise for gun building, is to lag bolt a 2x6 to the bottom of the bench, with the plank sticking out about 30". Attach another piece below, to support the plank. Then mount the vise on the end of the plank. That allows you to work both sides of a gun without constant repositioning. You can screw wood rails on the top of the plank for a place to lay tools you are using, and I also bored a hole large enough to hold a small spice bottle, that I keep inletting oil in.