Fractal vise - GIF, video, and patent

[Nitrous]

Is this a commercially available vice or a "one-off"?

[WmRMeyers]

Is this a commercially available vice or a "one-off"?

Neither, at the moment. They WERE commercially available a century ago, and may be again.

Bill

[Moldyjim]

Eloquently put!
I'm itching to get back into working on instead of gathering materials. Started about 2-1/2 years ago, then on hold a year.....attacking a different way now.

Sounds like a good collaborative project.
A number of us arrange to each build enough parts for a vise or two per participant.

That way on person builds say ten bases, another builds twenty jaws, a third builds x number of large pivots, etc.

Everyone makes one type of part, trying to equalize the costs and labor between the different parts.

Once everything is made all the parts are distributed and everyone gets a vise.

Should be possible with the skills here. Fitment might be tough, but still possible with todays accuracy.

Logistics would be the biggest issue, shipping costs, and agreement on the distribution of labor/material costs.

It's nice to dream though...

[Toolmaker51]

It's done in Europe all the time, some towns focus on it, ie Eibar Spain. The general term is 'cottage industry'.
You were thinking farther outside the sphere (Frank S's visualization; infinite points of reference compared to a box). My central goal is an operative Toolroom facing the public, and some manufacturing from within.
Collaborative manufacture takes a group of tricks. It starts with the distribution of equipment, and proximity to shipping points, relatively easy compared to inspection and assembly. Real impasse is funding, worst hurdle of all.

Recent as 70's-80's, an articulating vise was available, with 3 pivots. It was the "Morton" and expensive enough that I put off getting at least one. Equipped better now, making a proper DIY is not insurmountable

One thing remains, articulating jaws are suited to short run or prototypes, conforming jaws work best with long run jobs.

[Frank S]

Sounds like a good collaborative project.
A number of us arrange to each build enough parts for a vise or two per participant.

That way on person builds say ten bases, another builds twenty jaws, a third builds x number of large pivots, etc.

Everyone makes one type of part, trying to equalize the costs and labor between the different parts.

Once everything is made all the parts are distributed and everyone gets a vise.

Should be possible with the skills here. Fitment might be tough, but still possible with todays accuracy.

Logistics would be the biggest issue, shipping costs, and agreement on the distribution of labor/material costs.

It's nice to dream though...

First we would have to discuss which measurement system we are going to use Afterwards fitment should be no problem

[Moldyjim]

First we would have to discuss which measurement system we are going to use Afterwards fitment should be no problem

Snort,
Yeah, we wouldn't want to hit Mars prematurely....

In the words of the great mid 20th century philosopher, Maxwell Smart. "Missed it by that much..."

[metric_taper]

So here is my cheap "Servo style" (I think that's what they called it) drill press vise;

This came from the local home supply story 25 years ago. I've not seen them since then. Quick search ebay could not find one.