DIY Metal Drill Vise

If you tried to drill something, you know the amount of vibration involved and how hard it is to keep the object still. A drill vise secures an object in place while you drill it, eliminating the stress involved drilling a moving object. Metal drill vises provided durability and strength to the device, for long lasting use. Use carbide-tip blades and drill bits to cut metal, since they are built to withstand the hardness of metal.

Three 1/2-inch steel sheets
Table saw
Carbide-tip blade
Vice grip
Power drill
1/2-inch carbide-tip drill bit
3/8-inch carbide-tip drill bit
1/2-inch thread drill bit
3/8-inch thread drill bit
Two 1/2-inch leading axle, length of 6 inches
Four 1/2-inch grub screws
3/8-inch clamp screw, length of 6-inches

Instructions

- 1
  Cut three 1/2-inch steel sheets to the dimensions of 2-by-2 inches, using a table saw and carbide-tip blade. The steel pieces are the support, jaw and movable jaw.
- 2
  Position the three steel pieces on top of each other and insert them into a vice grip.
- 3
  Drill two holes through all the pieces, using a power drill and 1/2-inch carbide-tip drill bit. Position the left hole ½ -inch from the left edge and ½-inch from the bottom edge. Position the right hole ½-inch from the right edge and ½-inch from the bottom edge. The holes are the leading axle holes.
- 4
  Remove one piece, which is the jaw. Position the other two pieces on top of each other and insert them into the vice grip.
- 5
  Position the hole in the center of the two pieces. Drill a hole through one piece and a ½ inch indention into the other piece, using a power drill and 3/8-inch carbide-tip drill bit. Do not drill through both pieces. The hole, which is the clamp screw hole, and the indention, which is the clamp screw indention, form a triangle with the holes in Step 2. The piece with three holes is the support. The piece with two holes and 1/2-inch indention is the movable jaw.
- 6
  Insert the support into the vice grip and thread the clamp screw hole, using a power drill and 3/8-inch thread drill bit. Insert the movable jaw into the vice grip and thread the clamp screw indention, using a power drill and 3/8-inch thread drill bit. Do not thread through the movable jaw. Only thread 1/2-inch into the movable jaw.
- 7
  Position the support, movable jaw and jaw vertically and parallel to each other. Insert two 1/2-inch leading axles with a length of 6 inches into the each of the leading axle holes. Insert 1/2-inch grub screws into each end of the leading axles and screw them in place. The support and jaw are secured in place.
- 8
  Insert a 3/8-inch clamp screw with a length of 6-inches through the clamp screw hole of the support. Thread the clamp screw through the support and into the clamp screw indention hole until it is locked in place. Insert an object into your new vice and turn the clamp screw handle to the left and right to adjust the position of the movable jaw.

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