The Tool Shed - 2
Obviously, one solution for this frustration is to purchase four
of these pin vises and have each one set up for each of the dif-
ferent collets. I actually did this but I still don’t use these pin
vises that often. That is because I have realized over the years
that many pin vises are too large for the tiny drill bits we typi-
cally use.
I think that a pin vise should have a mass as small as possible
since a heavier pin vise makes it much easier to break a small
drill bit. A lightweight pin vise can be used with a light touch.
For years now, I have been using the Secure Grip Sliding pin
vise (Item No. MT1079) from Model Expo (
. This one pin vise works with drill bits from No. 80 to
slightly larger than a No. 61. The sliding collar works well and
small drill bits center easily in the tool. But, most important to
me, the light weight of the pin vise doesn’t overpower the drill
bit, thus making it easy to use very small drill bits without the
threat of breaking them due to excessive side pressure on the
drill bit.
Drill Bit Holders
Of course, a pin vise needs a selection of small drill bits in the
range of 61-80. While one can obviously buy just the drills
needed for a particular project, I have long had an entire selec-
tion of drill bits ranging from 61-80 (together with another set
in the range of 1 to 60 for other projects).
Regardless of how you buy small drill bits, you need an easy
way to store them so that you can easily find the one that you
need. There are a couple of choices for storing small drill bits
in the range 61-80—all of these choices require that you pur-
chase an entire set of 61-80 drill bits in order to get the case.
MRH-Mar 2013
