Chainsaw work vise on the cheap

[MS260 Fan]

I like that option Jerry. I think I posted that I was hand tightening about 1/2 turn to hold it pretty good. I'll play with this 660 once I get the jb weld to hold. I'll be going with the simplest solution that gets the job done.

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[MS260 Fan]

Got the jb weld on tonight. No pic but it went on pretty easily. The joint between the rod and the ball is definitely the weak link in this design. Hopefully I got enough in the hole.
Yesterday I cut a notch out of the front of the top disc to give me a larger range of motion. I may never use it but I like how it looks.



The notch makes it stable on its side. You'd need a bit of an outrigger to keep it stable bit it definitely looks cool.



This way would work if I bolt the 4x10 inch piece on the back disc for a counter balance.

 

[pioneerguy600]

If you can`t get the threaded rod to stick inside the ball strong enough another option would be to run the rod straight through and recess a nut on the opposite end , then epoxy the whole thing in the ball. The JB should be strong enough bond though as long as all surfaces in contact were clean and oil free.

 

[MS260 Fan]

The JB weld is holding. I took by time prepping the surfaces. After letting it cure for a day I tried laying the saw on its side with the rod completely horizontal. I think that is the best test of the joint. The weight of the power head would be trying to spin the threaded rod. No problem that I could see. I'm going to let it cure some more.

The weight of the ball and steel was more than enough to balance the saw even when pushing down on it.





I think I'm going to like working on carbs at this height and angle.



I'm really happy with the way this turned out. It took a while to get the front 2 rods set to the correct height. Now that I have those locked down I can move the saw and hand tighten the back bolt to hold the saw in position. It'll hold but I use a wrench from there to make sure it's stable. 1/4 turn does it. A 2" lever welded to the rear nut would be sufficient. Otherwise I didn't have to weld anything.

The lower piece of steel keeps it stable without having to bolt it down. I pushed it to the back right corner of my bench after taking the pics. If you had more bench space you could get rid of the lower piece and bolt the lower rotor directly to the bench.

Cost was around $30 if you include some JB weld. I could save a bit by getting rid of the coupler. I'd like to mount a vice on it at some point so the coupler is nice.

Make sure to post a pic in here if any of you guys end up making one!

 

[pioneerguy600]

Looks good Darcy, lots of adjustment in that setup and the saw should be at a good height for working on when sitting at the bench.

 

[LegDeLimber]

I like the idea of welding a couple of 1/2" x 2~ish" bolts to the back nut.
Just put them at an angle 30~45 deg up from level, much like a big wing nut.
Over the years of shop work and fabrication, I've done this trick on nuts or bolt heads many times.
You'll often find it Very useful when you need to be able to turn something while wearing gloves.
I.e. Welding and rotating a fixture to different positions, was a big reason for it.

 

[MS260 Fan]

I like the idea of welding a couple of 1/2" x 2~ish" bolts to the back nut.
Just put them at an angle 30~45 deg up from level, much like a big wing nut.
Over the years of shop work and fabrication, I've done this trick on nuts or bolt heads many times.
You'll often find it Very useful when you need to be able to turn something while wearing gloves.
I.e. Welding and rotating a fixture to different positions, was a big reason for it.

That makes a lot of sense. I've used it once so far when overhauling a husky 353. The adjustable wrench worked fine but while using it I was considering how to weld a bolt onto one of the nut flats. I figured it would interfere with the ball. Your homemade wingnut idea is perfect! Lots of room that way.

 

[LegDeLimber]

A fine pitch thread will give Much better mechanical advantage
for turning by hand.
Which means you can use a stub/handle that's much shorter
less in the way of your other working needs.
Plus they don't tend to wiggle loose quite so quick, while you're working on the unit.
Then put a stack 2~4 good hardened lock washers between two thick flat washers and you've got even better controll over keeping that clamping set at being able to shift it, but leaving a lttle ability to to shift it without having to juggle a flashlight. screwdriver, and the workpiece, all the while you're
also trying to retighten a clamp.
It can take a bit of practice to get that fine balance of clamping technique down.
But it's worth it!

 

[MS260 Fan]

Just an update on this old thread as I really like this bowling ball vice. I drilled and tapped 2 holes in the rear nut so I could make it into a big wing nut. Just a couple 1.5 or 2 inch long 1/4 inch bolts doubled nutted. I ground off the heads so it's easier on my hands. It works great.


I've used this for quite a few saws now and think it can be useful for other tasks. This week a took a few minutes to make a bracket from a piece of angle iron for my chain grinder. Until now I had it bolted to a bench grinder stand that took up some of my precious floor space. I will likely just set it on a shelf from now on.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Its been a while Darcy, how you been?

 

[MS260 Fan]

I've been good Jerry. Got some time off over the holidays and have been tinkering on a few things. I was out your way in Halifax in July. I love it there. How's life with you?

 

[pioneerguy600]

I've been good Jerry. Got some time off over the holidays and have been tinkering on a few things. I was out your way in Halifax in July. I love it there. How's life with you?

Been real good, time goes by way too fast but I enjoy getting things done. Had time off for the holidays myself, great to have time to spend with family and friends. Last two days spent in the woods running chainsaws and gathering firewood. The ice roads are in perfect shape for travelling and hauling right now. Happy New Years