A Must Have

If you drill multiple blanks at a time this really is a must have. I had no idea how much time I was wasting setting up my regular drill press vise, adjusting for the differences in blank size each time. With this you set it up once and it's done. No more adjusting where the vise is on the drill press table, no more needing to mark the center of each blank. HUGE time saver. The base is a bit small but it hasn't been a problem for me to clamp it down.

A must for drill pen and bottle stopper blanks!

This is a great tool for holding pen blanks and speeds up drilling several blanks. The handle is super smooth you use and well made. The only down side if this is the wood base is too small you clamp on my 10 inch drill press. I fix this problem by mounting it on a larger board that is the size of my drill press base. This gave me more area to clamp it. I give this tool a 5 star!

Great to have

After trying to drill perfectly centered holes on my drill press by tilting the table 90 degrees and trying to clamp my pen blanks with a level I decided to break down and get this. I looked at other devices at other web sites and a local woodworkers store but the reviews were poor the the one in the store was cheap plastic. I was pleased when I got this due to its heavy weight and seemingly quality design. It drills great holes every time if it is centered properly; I mount my drill bit and run the spindle down until the bit is low enough to move the vise and clamp it lightly on the drill bit then clamp the vise to the table. I think the base should be several inches larger in width and length but I will take care of that when I mount the entire unit on an MDF base with holes for mounting to a new table with T-tracks I am making to mount on my drill press table...use thru-hole knobs with bolts in the T-tracks and problem solved. Would recommend this PSI tool over all others I have looked at online and handled in person, top quality.

Good product for drilling blanks

I agree with most that the base does need to be bigger and I would also like it to be higher/deeper to allow for taller blanks to be drilled or to adjust the blank upward with long drill bits while still holding the blank secure. When drilling something tall like a letter opener or coffee scoop I see a lot of "wiggle" and end up with a hole that requires extra CA to fill.

Nice for the price

After using this vice I can honestly say that while I liked it I as though there should be some sort of anchor system to lock it onto the drill press table. I just wish Penn State would make a dedicated pen chuck for the #1MT like the one they have for the #2MT.

Centering vice

Once it is set up this vice makes drilling your blanks a lot faster, the only trouble that I had with it was finding clamps that did not interfere with the vice I had to modify 'C' clamps to use with it.

It's OK

Not great but ok - I can get the hole close to center most of the time. The is a bit of play and backlash.

Not solid enough

The Vise isn't really built as solid as you would expect it. Mine had too much movement that I had to return it. Note that for the price you can get cast iron.

New style pen blank drilling vise

This new design is so much better than the old style. I have both. The old one would not let you drill anything of descent size. The new one however opens up like the Grand Canyon. I hated to spend the money twice but for ease and convenience you cant beat it.

Easy action for drilling

I have added this self-centering drill vise to my drill press and am impressed with the smooth action and firm holding. I have it clamped in another drill press vise that moves in two 90 degree planes. One must still be carefull to have the drill press alligned properly to insure the pen blank is exactly parallel to the drill bit or the hole will still be off-center; so it is not a cure-all but certainly aids in allignment. I have retired my handmade wooden version which served for many pens but this one is worth the investment and should last forever.