Woodpeckers Router Bit Vise

[Ken Nagrod]

So I ordered this router bit vise for clamping router bits while changing out bearings, cutters and thickness washers.  It arrived tonight.  I got the 1/2" shank size plus the jaws for handling 1/4" and 8mm bits.  This is one of those really cool items that I'm just not sure if I really need it and how useful will it be.  They prevent damage to the shaft of the bit and damage to the router collet when changing stuff on the bits while mounted in the router.  It also has a convenient tray for holding bit parts.  Weigh in on your opinion.
These things are quite heavy, aluminum stock and stainless steel jaws and remind me of tooling you'd see in a machine shop.  I can definitely see the cost justification.

If anyone else got these let me know what you think, pre-use and post-use.

 

[upscale]

These things are quite heavy, mostly aluminum stock and remind me of tooling you'd see in a machine shop.  I can definitely see the cost justification.
If anyone else got these let me know what you think, pre-use and post-use.

Guess it all comes down to how much it costs and how often you have to change bearings, cutters or thickness washers.

And yes, I do admit that once in a great long while, I've purchased a tool or apparatus that wasn't really necessary for me to own, but I happended to like the fit and finish of the tool. In this case for changing bearings, it's been a number of years since I remember having changed one. YMMV

 

[ajones]

Ken

I can see it could be usefull but I have never thought if only someone made a ..........

 

[GreenGA]

I saw that too and since the price did not seem to bad, had considered ordering it.  [unsure]

We change bearings when using our roundover/beading bit collection and could see its usefullness.

 

[Sjoerd]

For the benefit of those who miss this beautiful Woodpeckers tool, here is some good news.
The concept for this tool was originally licenced to Woodpeckers by the inventor and patent holder, Valfor Tools. This company has now opened its own website and shows a new, improved (because simpler) version of this tool.  It is available on the website www.valfortools.com, along with two other pretty unique set-up tools.

 

[skinee]

For the benefit of those who miss this beautiful Woodpeckers tool, here is some good news.
The concept for this tool was originally licenced to Woodpeckers by the inventor and patent holder, Valfor Tools. This company has now opened its own website and shows a new, improved (because simpler) version of this tool.  It is available on the website www.valfortools.com, along with two other pretty unique set-up tools.

are these valfort tools available in europe? the shipping costs quoted on this site(to the UK) are huge

 

[Sjoerd]

We currently have the GrooveCenter and the 2-Axis Depth Gauge in stock in the Netherlands. So shipping those to the UK would be very easy. The Bit Vise is currently only available out of our US inventory, but we are working on building up a European inventory.
I suggest you send an email to the "contact" address you'll find on our website, so that we can find an acceptable arrangement.
Sincerely,
Sjoerd van Valkenburg.

 

[tiralie]

Any one got one of these they want to sell?
Tim

 

[rvieceli]

Tim - You may be able to buy the developer's version of this at:
http://www.valfortools.com/bitvise/

But if you have a vise, a serviceable version is pretty easy to whip up. After seeing this thread, I popped out to the shop and managed to make a workable one out of some scraps I had lying around.

I used a 2.5 inch wide piece of oak about 4 inches long.

Drilled a 1/2 inch hole and a 1/4 inch hole centered in the width. Chamfered the tops of the holes with a countersink. then put a saw kerf down the middle of both with the table saw. I stopped at the 1/2 inch hole but if you felt you needed more clamping pressure, you could extend it through the hole a bit.

Insert the router bit, clamp the whole thing in a vise and there you go  [big grin]

 

[tiralie]

Tim - You may be able to buy the developer's version of this at:http://www.valfortools.com/bitvise/

Thanks I have one.
It sucks or I busted it, probably I busted it.
I couldn't get enough pressure on the bit to keep it from slipping so I made some adjustments and bent the hex bolt.

Insert the router bit, clamp the whole thing in a vise and there you go  [big grin]

I need to break down and get a good metal working vise.
Thanks for the pictures and help. Much appreciated.
It is important not to damage the shaft of your router bits.
I used a wrench to hold my adjustable tongue and groove bits and damaged the shaft which unbalances the bit and screws up the groove when I try to cut it. Had to buy a new one.
Tim