Easy Vise Handle Replacement

[Jeremy Scuteri]

This wasn't my idea, but I don't recall where I originally saw it. I have had a vise which has been missing a handle for quite some time now. I finally got around to replacing it. I used black iron pipe from Home Depot and a rubber washer to keep it from slamming too loudly when the handle drops and the endcaps hit the vise.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jMDSwEpluN8ic4-wLltW2llRfpm_YnVu

 

[MarkE]

Nice! My Grizzly end vice also came with no handle. I used a length of 1-1/8" dowel (closet rod) with a wood knob screwed to each end. Also used the o-ring trick. :thumbs_up

 

[Canuck]

Used 1" oak dowel rod with a rubber cane tip superglued to each end. Has worked well too.

Wayne

 

[danmart77]

Hey Jeremy
Not to throw a damper on the handle progress but I have the metal(lighter weight) handles on the vises on my bench. If I had a dime for every time I have pinched my hand with those things I'd be able to go to the auction in Greensboro.

After a short while you might find you have the same trouble? Easy fix: turn some wooden handles

​

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

That could very well become an issue. The handle is relatively heavy, which may not feel too great. I'll give it some time and see how I like it. At this point, I am just thrilled to have a handle at all. Sometimes it's the little things...

 

[TENdriver]

Jeremy, There’s some really nice and choice vise handle stock hiding in the firewood pile.

Split out a straight piece for your handle. The riven stock won’t have the grain runout of sawn wood. The split stock will make a great turning blank that’ll be plenty strong and the price is usually pretty good.




BTW, while a riven wooden vise handle won’t win you as many cool points over on the Ridgid plumbers forum, us woodworkers will get it!:rotflm:

 

[Mike Davis]

View attachment 29710

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Man, tough crowd. :wwink: Many of the solution here are undeniably better, but don't necessarily fall into the "easy" category. This was definitely more of a "get-er-done" thing. How much time and effort do I really want to put into making a nice handle for the vise on my harbor freight workbench? :nah:


That being said, I did enjoy hearing about (even better seeing) how other people tackle this.

 

[Gofor]

Just get a wooden dowel or cut off piece from an old rake handle that is the right diameter, and then cap it with these. https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=furniture+leg+caps

 

[TENdriver]

Just get a wooden dowel or cut off piece from an old rake handle that is the right diameter, and then cap it with these. https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=furniture+leg+caps

Mark, Those rubber tips look like a neat solution. I agree that a well made tool handle might be an option, but a poorly made tool handle or a common home center dowel is a potentially unsafe solution.

If I could post some photos from my phone, I’d show you why (along with some fresh blood) but grain runout is the issue with most dowels.



If you look at the second photo in Mike’s post, you can actually clearly see the runout. His handle may be a larger diameter and the portion (runout is less acute) of “long grain” in his handle may be strong enough to take the pressure, but runout is what I try to avoid in dowel, chair and leg stock.


BTW, I wasn’t kidding about the blood:no:

 

[Gofor]

Mark, Those rubber tips look like a neat solution. I agree that a well made tool handle might be an option, but a poorly made tool handle or a common home center dowel is a potentially unsafe solution.

If I could post some photos from my phone, I’d show you why (along with some fresh blood) but grain runout is the issue with most dowels.


If you look at the second photo in Mike’s post, you can actually clearly see the runout. His handle may be a larger diameter and the portion (runout is less acute) of “long grain” in his handle may be strong enough to take the pressure, but runout is what I try to avoid in dowel, chair and leg stock.


BTW, I wasn’t kidding about the blood:no:

I agree, and shouldn't have mentioned dowels. I have found most rake and broom handles have fairly straight grain for sections long enough for a vise handle, with rake handles being the preferred. Silly me: I thought everyone kept old handles around in the scrap box like I do!

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

My vise originally had the rubber grips on it, something that looked much like the cane covers. They did not last, which is what led to the eventual creation of this thread. Maybe Harbor Freight skimped out on the adhesive, I don't know....

 

[Mike Davis]

My handle is pernambuco wood and does have a little run out, I think not enough to matter. It is plenty strong.

If it were pine or even maple then it might be an issue.

That is my first and probably last user made bench and I wanted a nicer handle.
I have used pipe before and I didn't like the feel.

 

[TENdriver]

Mark, I don't have a "Scrap Box" but I do keep a selection of small stock conveniently piled in the corner



Mike, I was pretty confident that your handle wasn't an issue. I wouldn't have mentioned the runout if I could have posted another example. Your photo was just too convenient and I couldn't resist.

 

[Mike Wilkins]

I did the same thing when I mounted an old vise to my bench. Got a 12" black pipe threaded on both ends, added end caps and added some rubber O-rings and was back to work. Faster than making one of the lathe.

 

[TENdriver]

So I teased Jeremy pretty hard about his new vise handle.

Truth be told, my post about blood was in reference to breaking the handle on my own “offshore “ workbench.

It took until tonight to practice what I was preaching about firewood sourced vise handles. Pulled some scabby split oak, mounted it between centers and went at it with a skew. The results aren’t pretty and I wanted white instead of the red oak I found. But, it passed the initial stress testing so I put that vise back into service.