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We just got a new trailer with a small desk where I can tie flies, but would like to have my vise up a little higher and able to swing out and away from the desk part. Any ideas on how I could build a little platform, then attach it to the wall so it would rotate 180 degrees?
I have this little shelf that would work, if I could hinge it somehow?
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...1/DSCN0083.jpg
Hi Herefishy;
I would think that to build something that would have to swing out 18" to 20" would be unstable. Might want to lower your chair. lol lol Or some other alternative.
herefishy,
A shelf hinged to the wall.When lifted up,a swing out support to stabilize like a drop leaf table.
I put up one of those pull up shelves once and it worked out well, but used a support that I ordered from a woodworking site - how would you build the support - just with a piano hinge?
How 'bout one of those little computer monitor thingies/shelves that attaches to the wall and rotates?
This would probably swing out of the way. Should fit any brand vice with a 3/8" post. May give you some ideas anyway.
http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.ph...y&target=RD001
I am pretty leary, myself, about attaching anything to the wall in my RV. First, most RV walls are questionable whether they are designed to support much weight attached to them. And second, unless you know the construction details, you never know what might be behind the wall - like electric wires, water lines, etc. - not things that you'd want to accidentally drill into.
That being said, I had an Airstream several years ago and I had the factory service guys attach an Omni cantilever wall mount for a small flat screen TV. I would think that something like that would be the ideal thing to use, if you were intent on having a wall mount. Personally, I'd just use a few books under my vise on the desk, if needed.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...isher/omni.jpg
herefishy,
Here's another swing-away vise extender that might do the trick? Hope this helps!
http://frontrangeanglers.com/catalog...ion-adjustable
Best regards, Dave S.
Actually, the problem is not with the height of the desk, it is that if I put the vise on the desk, there's hardly any room for "stuff" - it's a small desk. I want to get it off the desk entirely, and I actually have one of the Dyna King vise extenders - don't particularly like it, but it might be just the thing for this situation - I'll try it.
Betty, I'll look for one of the thingie/shelves, too. How do I google that?
Thanks
I bought an attachment from Feathercraft that lets you swing the vise away from your desk and over your lap. You can adjusgt your vise to any height and no more back pain.
Steve
What about putting a pull out "work surface" under the desktop. I did it with my desk on a much larger scale and it works great. I used to drawer slides and the pull out work surface is stable enough to do just about anything I want to on it including rod building.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...gDesk006-1.jpg
Jim Smith
That's what I originally envisioned, Jim, and if I can figure a way to place the drawer slides that might work. Thanks
You can't see it in the photo, but I actually raised the desktop hieght by about 2 inches to accomodate the pull out work surface. I find that the slightly higher desk for tying is must less tiring and I no longer have upper back and neck aches after a tying session. I got the idea of the raised height by researching what the old timey jewelers used and they worked off of surfaces that are 34-34 inches high whereas most desk tops are around 31 1/2 inches high. Then rather than "wasting" the space I created in raising the surface, I installed the pull-out work surface. Worked great for me.
Jim Smith
Did you lift the top part of the desk off the bottom?
James My Desk is almost just like yours but is older....Yours is much nicer...I have really enjoyed mine.
My desk is actually a combination of two desks aka "Frankendesk". I got the roll top section of the desk at the local Goodwill store for $75 and then picked up the bottom part of the desk off of Craig's list for $35. The bottom desk is an old 1930s "Bankers" desk that has the very old spring-loaded elevating shelf on the left side of the desk intended for storing a typewriter. I use it now for my powered dubbing twister and it works perfectly. To elevate the top, I mounted 2x4 along the sides and back on the top of the old desk. Then I attached the drawer slides to the 2x4 along the sides of the desk and mounted the pull-out work surface which is an oak stair tread that is 1.25" thick. Then I mounted the roll-top portion on top. The whole thing is made out of solid oak including the drawers and it weighs a ton. Well, maybe not a ton but it sure was heavy to move into the house and down the hall into my man cave by myself. I've added a photo of the dubbing twister that sits on the old typewriter shelf so you can get an idea of how I used the space.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...20Desk/080.jpg
I've tied flies on everything from the kitchen table to a board setting on top of two chairs and I promised myself that when I had the space I would make myself a nice desk just for tying flies. I've had this for about four years and it is fantastic. Well worth the money and the time to rework and refinish the desk. Having a good place to tie really makes tying more enjoyable.
Jim Smith
Very nice - would like to find one of those popup typewriter shelves - guess I'll have to start haunting the Goodwill store.
Probably the easiest thing to do, is to move to the kitchen table when not in use. If you are dead set on tying on that little table, then perhaps buying an Oasis fly table will give you the needed height. Your vise can clamp on to both tables to hold them in palce. It sounds to me, like you are really giving yourself a tight place though. Will your materials be nearby?
I am amazed by the number and variety of interesting replies to your initial question.
I should have mentioned earlier, but DaveMac's comment about moving to the table is exactly where I do my tying in our RV. Of course that doesn't always make my wife too happy, especially since we live in our RV 4-5 months a year and I do quite a bit of tying and frequently have a lot of materials spread all over. However, she does a lot of beading and has her materials spread around elsewhere, so our messes kinda offset each other.
If you are looking for more suggestions, you could also post your question on the Escapees forum. Escapees are fulltime RVers for the most part, and many of them have all kinds of craft hobbies, including some fly tyers. It wouldn't surprise me at all if a number of them have already been there, done that, and figured out unique solutions to your small desk space issue. The website is: http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?h...rvnetwork.com/
Not long ago, a guy asked a question on the Excapees forum about how he could heat the cap on the back of his truck so he could sleep in it in the winter while on skiing trips. He wasn't staying where there was electricity to plug a heater in, and he didn't want to run a noisy generator. I used to spend many winter nights in the back of my truck on fishing trips, gettting pretty cold I might add, and I was amazed at the number and depth of the suggestions people on the Escapees forum made. For example, one of these was to get a "bunk heater" something that truck drivers use for overnight stays, and run it on an auxiliary 12V battery. I wish now that I had known about that years ago.
John
Jim,
Would you please explain how you elevate the platform and how your set screw knob works. You may have posted this some time ago but I can't remember.
Ducksterman,
the knob that raises/lowers the platform is connected to a shaft that has a cam shped piece of wood on the end of it. I've attached a gif file of a crude PowerPoint slide that I made to try to show you what I mean. It's very basic, but it works well and gets the platform out of the way with a flick of one finger. I'll be glad to email you the file so you can read it if you're interested.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...ingTwister.gif
I hope this diagram helps explain how it works.
Jim Smith
Thanks for the link to the Escapees forum - those folks have some amazing ideas.
If I spent much time in an RV, I expect I would tie inside sometimes, and sometimes I would be OUTSIDE.
Here are some instructions for making a portable tying table out of a wooden TV tray. You could put a border of wood around it as described (for holding tools and threads), or just drill the hold directly into the table.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2099509_make...ing-table.html
I have seen pictures on the 'net, but can't find one just now. One tyer even replaced the rivets holding the legs in place with pins, so the legs could be removed and the tray used on top of any larger table.