As I sit at my vise tying I am wondering what type of vise and its attachments other tyers use.
I am using a standard Dyna King Barracuda but have added several attachments . I have , all on the same vise shaft, a McKenzie light and magnifier, small, a bobbin stand and a parachute attachment and less I forget a Griffin hackle guage. WOW!!! Seems like I have a lot of plumbing hanging off one vise.
I also have the vise set up so that the jaws are even with the table edge. To do that I have the shaft inverted, coming up from the bottom???
I use a Griffin Patriot Cam Vise, and the only extras I use are the spring to hold some materials and a bobbin cradle which I hardly ever use. I tried some of the other attachments but with my style of tying they only seemed to get in the way of my big hands. So, I tend to keep it simple and I still tie in the manner I was first instructed so many years ago.
Now put those attachments and vise to work and crank out some flies for this spring and summer.
I must be a minimalist. I use a Regal, sometimes rotary, sometimes fixed. Hackle gage on the vise stem, Griffin waste catcher attached to the stem below the clamp. I had a material clip once, but haven’t seen it for several years.
Good Fishing,
Arnie
I have a Renzetti with all the trimmings. This is what is currently attached to my stem:
[ul]Bobbin cradle - I use it all the time[/ul]
[ul]Profile plate - I’d be lost without it[/ul]
[ul]McKenzie Bright Light - I love it![/ul]
[ul]Gallows tool - eh, it works but it takes some getting used to[/ul]
[ul]Whiting hackle gauge - I use it a lot when preparing materials[/ul]
I also have the Extended Body Attachment but I only have it because I got it REAL cheap on closeout. I doesn’t live permanently on the vise.
It may sound cluttered but after some fine tuning it’s all there and out of the way. I also I bought extra stem doohickeys that hold the various “arms”. That way I can just move the arm to a new prepositioned doohickey rather than readjust all the time.
I have a Renzetti Master and have a McKensie vise light and only a hackle gauge. I do not like to have a lot of clutter on the vise that I don’t need or use.
I have a custom vise I built, basically a cam - action fixed type. I can rotate it to see the other side of the fly or whatever…I added a material spring that I use a lot, and a bobbin rest that I hardly ever use, but it looks cool, and as long as it’s out of the way I’ll leave it there. I let the stuff fall where it wants, and sweep up from time to time. I use a kidney shaped pan I got during a stay at the hospital to put some of the clippings and crap in, but usually do the drop and sweep. I like to keep it minimum so as to leave me room for my big ol’ mitts…ModocDan
I use a fixed Regal that I have had for years. Griffin waste catcher is the only add-on. Regal replaced my original Thompson vise which was a replacement for the forceps I started with. They were placed fingerloops into the slats on the radiator in my bedroom. Things sure were simple then.
My setup is a Renzetti Presentation Clamp model with bobin cradle, Mackenzie bright lite w/magnifier and a catch-all basket. I tie mostly Muddlers and lots of spun deer hair critters for catching our Canadian Bass, Northerns and large Black Crappie. This setup suits my needs quite well and certainly helps contain the deer hair from venturing all thru the house.
We could go back to tying in hand, but then why would you want to use a metal hook at all, you could shape your next hook from the jaw bone of the deer you killed with an obsidian point spear.
This is suppose to be fun, if you want to be efficient and productive, get another job.
Come to think of it, I might start tying in hand, I’ve got to many fishing flies as it is.
I’ve got it all, it helps to have a friend who’s a machinist and a flytyer. Start with with a custom made c-clamp which will clamp on to a 2 x 4 the wide way if needed, put an “L” shaped extension arm into it pointing down (I tye in a low position so I need to lower the vise). Put my Renzetti Traveler vise in the extension arm. Slip a backdrop plate onto the vise shaft (this will hold a parachute attachment if desired, I don’t have it), then add a waste basket to the bottom of the shaft. By the way, the waste basket has a hackle gauge built into it. Top it all off with an accessory arm which holds my portable Ott-light.
I’ll have to post a photo sometime. Like I said it’s nice to have a friend who can make all of this stuff for me.
I own a Dan Vise as well and wanted a waste catcher too. I bought this one: http://www.wildernessangler.com/servlet/Detail?no=382 It was sized to fit the standard size stem loosly and then the set screw was adjusted to tighten the fit. The brass part that slips onto the stem was very soft indeed and it needed to be drilled out just slightly to accomodate my Dan vise stem. It was so soft that I didn’t even clamp the part but just held it in my hand and ran the electric drill in the hole. Proceed at your own risk of course, but that’s how I did mine and it works perfectly.
To the original question, I also have a Peak vise with the brass screw upgrade, the D Arm, and the material clip. This isn’t my vise but it is a stock photo. I did not by the riser since I didn’t require the extended height.
—sagefisher—