Thank you for all your comments. I will try to answer the questions that are in your minds.
As I have never yet tied a fly, the design was based on what I saw in other designs that seemed sensible. As I use my hands for work all day, I do appreciate the requirements of ease of use, so that helped to eliminate a lot of clutter. I also am passionate about clean simple design, anything unnecessary must go (which might apply to the Gallows tool - as I can already see a way to make that less intrusive).
The two main uprights are old rollers from an Ink Jet printer that went in the bin a few years ago (minus useful looking bits of metal and plastic). !! The really difficult thing to do in all of this is to drill a rod - with hand tools this is very tricky - as the drill bit slides off the round shaft. Getting it in the middle is essential. There are many cases on this vice where I had to do that. The piece of round steel that holds the bobbin holder had to be drilled right through the exact centre of its length and then twice through the width - each at right angles to each other - and in the centre. That was the most tricky bit. The knurled headed screws I bought for £0.48 each !
Oh, and the piece of magic was attaching the pulley for the bobbin holder - as the rod is stainless I do not have the equipment to form a pin-like head on the end to stop the pulley coming off. So whilst thinking about this in my sleep, I came up with an alternative way to do it. Drill a 1mm hole in the end of the rod (2mm in dia) and then insert the top part of a big-headed steel pin - glue it in place - simples !!
The bent arm that holds the vice needs to be adjustable up and down for different sized hooks, so there is a stainless M6 allen headed bolt on the end of the shaft to clamp it in place. It just happened to have the same size head as my piece of steel - nice! That shaft passes through the collar on the pillar (but it is in two parts) this would be replaced by a lathe turned piece if I had my way.
The rotating friction is supplied by the stainless washers which in turn clamp nylon washers onto PTFE washers which then grip the stainless collar on the pillar. It means that it is tight, but turns smoothly. And thank you for your help with the rotating centre - The design works so well as it is, that I will live with the slight offset which is because the bet arm is screwed to one of the jaws - not in the middle!
The finish on all these bits is easy to achieve in reality. Files, Emery paper and spin in a hand drill to give it a final polish with some fine cloth etc. Oh, and I should say a lot of elbow grease - and blood sweat and tears - literally.
The Vice jaws - well I thought this was going to be the hardest bit, but in the end it was easy. Just very time consuming.
They are hardened steel, so cannot be filed by normal files (without even more blood being spilt) - so they have to be ground to shape by a bench grinder (which had lain dusty in a corner for well over 25 years BTW) - then after some very delicate and careful grinding on the finer wheel to try and true up the faces as much as possible - to reduce the time taken on the next step. It was over to diamond files and hard work. Then finer diamond stones etc etc and a final polish - I intend to blacken them with gun-blue in the end.
As the handles are attached with screws they can be made to move - so now the vice handle points backwards out of the way - in line rather than forwards as it is in the picture.
Hope that all makes it clear
It will - I hope give me plenty of joy - especially considering the cost to me was almost nothing. I am still using an easel I made in 1977 from beech wood. I couldn't afford the one I wanted when I was 18 !!
It all started, because I looked at the prices and thought they were out of my reach - and the cost of a bobbin rest as an accessory - £24 - £39. So that got me thinking - the rest you have heard.
Good clean design works well and lasts.
Take care
Colin
