Bowling Ball Vice Holds Small Work Steady

Bowling Ball Vice Holds Small Work Steady FARM SHOP Tools 24-3-39 When Charlie Foster retired after a career in the military followed by a second one working for a telephone company, he retreated to his shop. "I make knives, miniature cannons, and do a lot of wood carving and other miscellaneous projects," he says. Frustrated at not being able to hold small parts steady and at the right angle for carving or filing, he devised a swivel vice out of an old bowling ball that makes it easy to put work at exactly the right angle. "I drilled and tapped the thumb hole in the ball to fit a big bolt. Then I welded a small 4-in. vice to the head of the bolt. With the bolt and vice screwed into the ball, I've got a vice I can turn to just about any angle," he says. To hold the ball vice steady, Foster used the steel frame out of an old bowling ball bag. "It's sturdy and has four rubber cushions to hold the ball. The ball wedges into the frame so snugly it takes more than a little effort to get it to move once it's put in place," he explains. The ball vice worked so well, Foster made other devices to screw into the ball. For example, he welded a flat steel plate onto a bolt that screws onto the ball. "I drilled holes in the plate, so I can screw pieces of wood onto it to hold them in place to work on," he says. Foster made a couple other screw-in devices to help hold odd-shaped pieces, especially for wood carving. "I'm thinking about attaching a halogen flood light to another old bowling ball. That way, I could adjust the light just where I need it without the need for a clamp to hold it in place," Foster says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charlie Foster, 7962 Center Parkway, Sacramento, Calif. 95823 (ph 916 392-2789; E-mail: tigana@jps.net).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.