Chuck....Vice Chuck......DIY

Back in December I took a tying class with Brad Bohen, and one of the many things that I left needing to have was a granite vice base. I remember thinking, why the hell didn't I think of that? When I was back in Charlotte during the boom days I could have bought a truckload of granite scraps for what it cost me to get the truck there. The thing that's kept me from doing it since the class is the base to vise connection. There's a machined brass part available that's really nice, but a little pricey, and the fabricated bases are really nice, but I'm broke, so even though 70 bucks is reasonable for something of that quality, it's just not an option. And, I absolutely hate spending money on stuff that I know I can do myself for pennies and minutes. I just don't usually get around to actually doing it. This time I did. I stopped by a surplus place in Asheville for work related things that I somehow didn't manage to procure....Anyway, they have mountains of granite scraps, so I picked one up. 5 bucks is kinda getting robbed for an otherwise worthless piece of rock, but it was the only money I spent on the project, so I guess I'm ok with it. I had in mind a somewhat complicated assortment of tubing and plumbing parts and thumbscrews and taps, and so on.....until I had a rare moment of clarity. Old drill chucks. I have many! Epoxy the thing to the rock and boom, done! So, that's what I did, and so far....it's awesome!

I need to cut the standrod down a few inches since it's a clamp vice, but that's easy enough. Here's a very simple and helpful video that explains how to remove a chuck from a drill. I took a slightly different approach....although equally effective