Handy Bench Vise

thingiverse

This is a bench vise model, complete with plastic lead screw, locking pivoting base, and "helping hands" made from simple ball-and-socket elements similar to "loc-line," but without the need to allow for fluid flow through the assembled string. I used simple alligator clips sourced from Amazon.com. Brass threaded inserts are all (except for the knob assembly) #4-40 tapered inserts from McMaster-Carr, though metric equivalents will work just as well. The knob-assembly uses #6-32. Replace #4-40 with 3mm, and #6-32 with 4mm, if desired. All of the parts can be printed in the material of your choice, except for the ball-and-socket pieces. These are designed to work with PETG specifically. They shattered when I tried to put some PLA samples together. Tougher materials, such as ABS and Nylon, should work well. The plastic lead screw and nut use a buttress thread. The screw might need a little clean-up if you print the supported version. The swivel base nut and screw use a 45-degree profile thread for easy printing, and should work as-printed. Use Krytox grease on all threads and rotating parts (no grease is needed along the main sliding parts). Note that there is an alternate vise anvil and bar that uses a flat anvil, without reinforcements. This buys another ~15mm of travel at the expense of a more flexible anvil. There is also an alternate base, without the swivel function. Both bases are designed to fit into a round pocket or hole. There is also an alternate handle, without the attached spinner.