Official Luthiers Forum!

On sale https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-patternmakers-or-gunstock-carving-vise?trk_msg=D4R4O1INTVK4TBJGQ8L0G9UBN8&trk_contact=9TRUTCMHJ3P0ACMJ4S5LB386TS&trk_sid=B0BM2J8675I2Q8D9GRMEVBGRDS&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Shop%20Now-%20WoodRiver%26%23174%3B%20Patternmaker%26%2339%3Bs%20or%20Gunstock%20Carving%20Vise-%20Save%20%2450&utm_campaign=December%202020&fbclid=IwAR31wtINLfxJ9X6EpRy6tA9pM884d6KzzVt1B76U1PvBgLNJSCGZJPx1c6I

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I've thought about making a light duty version of that, but thinking is as far as I 've gotten.

Couldn't live without mine. I use that and a Parrot vice but mostly the patternmakers vice.

Thanks!

_________________
Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

I have one already.
This is my light duty version, a parrot vise, jaws lined like frets.com, I have uses for both.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Hi Colin,
I bought a parrot vice. One of the comments said the patternmakers vice was bigger than it looks. I am trying to get an idea of how big it is. What are the dimensions of the metal rails the screw runs between?

Not near my shop just now, video gives some idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3b4wVCGTWA&feature=emb_logo
Weighs 32 lbs approx, jaws open to 6"

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Dan has a video showing another way to mount the vise. It lowers to the bench at the expense of limiting some of it's motions :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYAS6jp874

Thanks - look like Christmas to me

Ed M

Side rails are 50mm x 365mm
Edit - added pic with parrot vise for comparison

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Please excuse this "stupid" question, but what do you all use your pattern-maker's vices for, mostly? Coming from a furniture background, I've never needed one, and have been making guitars without as well. Makes we wonder if there are things I'm doing the hard way?

I should mention that I do all my neck carving on a shave horse, so maybe that's why I have managed without one? Also, I have a troji vice and a Vacuum vise.

Thanks in advance!

I own both a parrot vise and a version of the patternmaker's vise referenced here. I use the patternmaker's vise when the item I need to grab does not have parallel faces or edges. The jaws pivot to allow grabbing things that are tapered. Necks and headstocks are tapered, so the patternmaker's vise comes in really handy for grabbing those.

I use wooden jaws to which 1/8" thick leather has been glued. This both helps the grab and helps avoid boo-boos.

It is an interesting looking vice. But what is the appeal? What is it that it will do for me?

One of the key features of the pattern vice is the jaws swivel to fit what ever you put in it. With the wooden clamps lined with something like rubber or leather you can hold a guitar by it's neck in it and work on it. It also rotates 360 degrees on it's base.

Mike

If you have never seen this vice in action, it is pretty good. My daughter (brooklynlutherie.com) has one of these and a parrot vice on her bench at opposite ends. Stew Mac changes the crank to a wheel,a nd adds some sort of padding to the jaws, but otherwise same functions

Ed M

I've had a Versa Vise, the vise that the Parrot Vise copied, for 40 plus years. It's a great all purpose vise--I have various pads that protect from the jaws including one that allows clamping tapered objects like necks. I've also had a pattern makers vise like the one on sale for probably 30 years. I use it to clamp objects too big to fit in the Versa Vise.

Dave

The swiveling jaws are the differentiator IMO. I also have Stew-Mac’s nut making vice, and it’s awesome.

What do those of you with the parrot code use them for? I’m not familiar with them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1 on the Stew Mac nut making vise. It really is great--only problem I have with it is that I clamp it up in my Versa Vise and then clamp the nut in the Stew Mac vise. The number of times that I've loosened the Versa Vise jaws instead of the nut vise jaws and dropped the whole dang thing on the floor is rather embarrassing...

Dave

Same here. Not actual dropped the nut vise on the floor yet, but loosen the wrong one all the time.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Much the same actually, but -
You can add a curved/swivel jaw lining to the parrot vice to clamp tapering things like necks.
The parrot vise can also hold things in a vertical grip off the side of a bench, thanks to the second mounting hole at 90 degrees, pic below.
Also you can mount it in the middle of a bench, which I do to hold the guitar by the neck when I'm working on the bridge - saddle slotting, pin holes and slots for example.
The advantage of the luthier's vise for me is mostly down to it's real serious grip and sheer mass.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I've got a parrot type vise from Garrett Wade that adds another axis to it's use and additional locking knobs for the other axes. I also made the curved back jaws to hold tapered items. There are magnets embedded on the back of the jaws to hold them in place. Much more pricey though https://www.garrettwade.com/ultimate-ve ... -vise.html.

Thanks guys. And I'd like to thank autocorrect for changing "parrot vise," to "parrot code," in my original post.

Did you remove the base from under the patternmaker vise? Looks like it in that picture.

Couple things I don't think mentioned yet about the pattern makers vise are-

It is about a 10" tall so on a typical bench of 34-36" high, it brings the fine work of luthiery up to a very nice working height. I have a few mini benches that I stick in the PM vise to bring fine work closer to eye level for fingerboard, rosette and other kinds of detail work. I do about half of my work on them. Super handy and saves a lot of uncomfortable leaning over the bench when you aren't doing work you have to lean into.

And I like the urethane lined wood jaws Stew Mac has. I have two on my bench, one from StuMac and the other an "off brand", identical except had to add the jaw material. They aren't often under $100. I love them.

_________________
Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Kind of - moved it from above to below the mounting point. Lowers the height to a better place for me.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.