"Bernard Arnest" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
I'm interested first in machining a ball vise for engraving, and more
ambitiously, making my own rose engine.

I'm a freshman in college now, and we have a machine shop. I took an
intro class, in which we made a crude flashlight out of aluminum. Mine
wasn't perfect, but it covered all the basic skills. My point being
that I'm not that experienced yet at machining, although I do at least
have basic experience, and additionally the shop managers can help me
with what I don't know how to do.

At your level, any project will be either crude, or only an exercise. I
don't mean that to be condescending in any respect, but you should have
reasonable expectations before spending 100+ hours on a vice.

I had to do extensive bench work during my apprenticeship and having a nice
bench vice which runs smoothly and works *correctly* was crucial. While it
would be reasonably simple to create a vice which resembles a professionally
built ball vice, building one that feels and functions correctly is probably
beyond your capabilities right now.

I built a small bench vice (fits in your hand) during the first year of my
tool and die apprenticeship. It works well with little backlash, virtually
zero sideways slop and smooth action. It took 60 hours and I had some ~1,500
hours experience on the machines when I started, if that gives you an idea.
(I can send you a photo if you're interested)

If you do decide to build the vice, I would recommend you build the one you
want the first time. While larger work pieces do take more time to machine,
this extra time is trivial compared to the time required to machine a
slightly smaller piece of the same design.

HTH.

Regards,

Robin