Soft Jaws for a Vise (parametric)

thingiverse

I've been using a small bench vise attached to my desk for smaller projects and sometimes the flat metal jaws don't grip well or leave marks on the item I'm trying to hold. So, I decided to create custom soft jaw covers in OpenSCAD and print them with NinjaFlex for added softness and traction. After making a set of smooth-faced jaws (printed in blue), I realized that they still didn't hold round objects securely enough, so I designed grooved versions to improve their grip. The first set had horizontal grooves to hold 8mm rods, then I created a second set with vertically oriented grooves of various diameters. If you're printing with NinjaFlex, it's recommended to use around 75% infill for the grooved jaws to ensure they can firmly grasp your workpieces, while smooth-faced jaws might be sufficient with less infill. Although designed specifically for NinjaFlex, these jaw covers would likely be gentle on your workpieces even when printed in traditional plastics like ABS or PLA. The OpenSCAD file should be straightforward enough for you to customize it according to your vise's dimensions. Please share a photo of any prints you make.