Making a Crank Handle for your Vise

At Grip-All Jaws, we put a crank handle on the vise that comes on the Tilt-Top Portable. It faster and more convenient than the sliding handle on most vises.

So here's a video on how to make one for your own vise.

If you would like written instructions click here for a PDF.

The Internet is Broken!

We had a problem with Qwest and we're not afraid to say it. Qwest took down our internet connection for nearly a week and it's just now up and running.

Gourd Show at the Leiser Farm

There is a gourd show and sale and all manner of things coming up at The Greg Leiser Farm in Knights Landing, California. It'll be on May 14th and 15th. Check it out here.

We won't be there but Grip-All Jaws will be. Swing by Lisa Toth's booth and see the Orbital in action and she will be happy to show you how it works. She can sell one to you as well.

We want to extend to Lisa a laurel and hardy handshake to go along with a big ol' thank you for helping us out. Thanks Lisa!

Artman Show in Oregon City

Winestock Wine Bar in Oregon City appears to have been an old service station at one time. Well, now it's a trendy, happening place to explore and buy wine.  You can sit and have a good time talking to friends, meet new ones, write pages for your book, watch the world go by, or see fine art. It was the latter that drew we Grip-All Jaws folks on Friday the 6th of May. Rob Artman had a showing and reception of his carved masks and other pieces.
Your humble scribe did not go but the inventor did and said it was a great experience. I can imagine sitting on the black leather couch with a fine Pinot Gris discussing the nuances of the Wicked Messinger. Well, see for yourself:

Inside Winestock

Check out Rob Artman's Website.

What the Orbital can do

At the end of April we visited a meeting of the Olympic Peninsula Entrepreneur Network (OPEN) in Port Angeles, Washington. It's not Canada, but you can see it from there. We wanted to find out about ways to get more word out about the Grip-All Jaws System. The folks there were really impressed with both the Tilt-Top Portable and the Orbital Holding System.

First of all they were a great group of like minded, intelligent people who had some really neat ideas on the whole game of invention. There were software and hardware engineers, artists, technical people, and one fellow who had made a good living from his inventions and now is in the business of helping others. They're a great group. Check out their website.

One of the fellows there was quite impressed with one demonstration that we show. We clamped something large and heavy, a tree root, as I recall, and it held just fine.The Orbital can hold anything that fits inside the 14" reach of the jaws and weighs about 25 pounds or less.

Here, gourd artist Cecile Garrison holds a large gourd in hers. But R.P. Myers then took the root out and clamped a light bulb in it tightly enough to keep it from moving and it didn't crush the light bulb. Finally, he did this one. This is the one that got their attention.

These are blown eggshells and he clamped them in the Orbital tightly enough that you could carve them with a rotary tool but it did not crush the egg. These eggs have been used for demonstrations from the beginning. 

So we just wanted to show everybody the versatility of the Grip-All Jaws Orbital holding system. 

Rob Artman Show of Work in Oregon City

Rob Artman is a master wood carver whose 3-D carvings spectacular artistry and skill. Most of his work centers around masks. The best thing to check out Rob's Website for yourself and see what we mean.

Rob is presenting a show of his beautiful work in Oregon City May 2nd through the 29th. The show is at the Winestock Wine Shop and Wine Bar at 820 Main Street, Suite B in Oregon City, Oregon. It's right downtown. They don't have a website but we provide a Yelp link to show where they are.

There is an artist's reception there, at the wine bar on Friday May 6 at 6:30 pm. Call 503 656-WINE (9463) for more info.

Rob uses mostly northwest woods for his carvings and most of them are of Native influence. Enough chit chat, here are some examples:

More on Rob's show later...

Shawn Cipa tries out the Orbital and the Tilt-Top. Wow!

World renown woodcarver and author Shawn Cipa has used Grip-All Jaws for a while and he sounded really impressed.

We don't like to brag (well, OK we do but it's so much better when a professional does it) but Shawn's work is known around the world and he knows what works best for him. we'll just let him tell it:

As a professional woodcarver, I constantly search for products to help me accomplish my goals more easily.  Clamping and securing my work effectively has always been a source of frustration; since I often create unusual shapes and work with natural pieces, I have never been satisfied with what the market has to offer.  Then along came Grip-All Jaws!  This product is truly what I would call I uniquely "creative" solution to the universal clamping problem.  No matter what the task is, Grip-All Jaws systems deliver with rock solid stability while maintaining a gentle, non-crushing hold on the subject at hand.

Although the Tilt-top system's main feature is portability, I enjoy it because I can adjust the working height without having to bend over so much - no more lower back pain!

The Orbital system is like having a third hand; it's perfect for working on smaller pieces that you would normally hand-hold while whittling.  It provides a much safer carving environment, and is great for painting and finishing as well.

I have found these products to be a truly invaluable addition to my workshop, and I look forward to more groundbreaking products to emerge from the clamping genius that is RP Myers' Grip-All Jaws systems.

~ Shawn Cipa

Thanks for the nice words, Shawn! Look for his article in the fall issue of Woodcarving Illustrated magazine - due out at the end of summer. And check out Shawn's site and see some his fine work.