{"title":"Gifts for people who make things","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor the person who already owns a caliper and still wants to know how things work. Desk engines that actually run, and tools that are a pleasure to hold.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fractal-vise-stainless","title":"Fractal vise, stainless steel","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome parts have no flat sides. A watch case, a ring, a cast bracket, a piece of carved bone. Put one of those in an ordinary vise and you are clamping on two small points, so it either slips or you crush it trying to stop it slipping.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore anything else, so nobody is disappointed when the parcel opens: this is not a part for the drill press.\u003c\/strong\u003e It does not bolt to the machine, it is not an upgrade to it, and it must never go under a spinning bit. This is a vise that sits on your bench, next to the machine, and you work in it with your hands — engraving, filing, setting a stone, polishing a case. Buy it because your hands could use a third one, not because your drill press needs something.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFour jaws, not two, and that is the whole point\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis vise carries \u003cstrong\u003etwo kinds of jaw at once\u003c\/strong\u003e. One pair is flat, for square stock and anything with parallel sides. The other pair is fractal: a stack of stainless segments that slide independently, close in until each one meets the part, then lock as a set. The jaw becomes the negative shape of whatever you put in it, so the grip spreads over the whole contour instead of two contact points.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat that means in practice is you stop swapping tools. Square work goes in the flat pair, a ring or a bezel goes in the fractal pair, and the vise stays on the bench either way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThere is a spirit level built into the body\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA small bubble level sits in the casting between the jaws. It is there so you can set the vise flat on a bench that is not, before you start filing or engraving. Nobody else in this price bracket puts one in, and the seller does not make anything of it either — we are pointing at it because it is the detail that tells you who this was designed for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe numbers, and where they come from\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOpening 90 mm (3.54 in)\u003c\/strong\u003e on the outer setting, \u003cstrong\u003e45 mm (1.77 in)\u003c\/strong\u003e on the inner one.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e160 mm (6.3 in) long overall.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStainless steel body and jaws.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNon-slip silicone base.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eM6 holes drilled through the base\u003c\/strong\u003e so it can be bolted to a bench. \u003cstrong\u003eThe screws are not in the box\u003c\/strong\u003e — the seller says to use your own, and we would rather tell you that now than have you open the carton and go looking.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese figures are the maker's, read off his own dimensioned photographs, not measured by us. \u003cstrong\u003eWe have not had one of these on the bench and we have not ordered one.\u003c\/strong\u003e Jaw height and weight he does not publish, and we are not going to lift those off a similar-looking vise and present them as this one's.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere it belongs in the shop\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThink of the bench as two halves. On one half the machine drills holes, and everything that clamps to it — the drill press vise, the sliding stages, the base plate — lives there. On the other half you do the work that only hands can do, and this is what holds the part while you do it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe two halves do not compete. A person who owns the drill press still needs somewhere to hold a ring while he cleans up the hole he just made.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWe had this page wrong, and here is what it said\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eUntil today this page described a vise with two fractal jaws made of thin blades, claimed an anvil face on the back of the body, and said the supplier published no dimensions at all. All three were wrong. The vise has four jaws in two styles, there is no anvil on it, and the dimensions were sitting in the supplier's own photographs the whole time. The page also mentioned the level nowhere, which was the most useful thing about the tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe are leaving the correction here rather than quietly swapping the text, because if we got this much wrong once you should be able to see it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eStraight answers\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the jaws mark the part?\u003c\/strong\u003e They are steel, so on soft gold or a polished case you still want leather or tape between. The design spreads the pressure out; it does not stop steel being steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I bolt it down?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, through the M6 holes, with your own screws. Or leave it on the silicone base, which is what most people do.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSo what does hold work under the drill?\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/drill-press-vise\"\u003edrill press vise\u003c\/a\u003e. That one mounts to the machine and holds the part square, which is the job this one does not do.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat is in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne vise. That is the seller's whole list, and ours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada alike. \u003cstrong\u003eTwo to three weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e This one is heavy stainless and comes from a workshop rather than a parts warehouse. We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mikrabench","offers":[{"title":"Yellow","offer_id":50491916517567,"sku":"MB-VISE-FRACTAL","price":159.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S815995c5547c46fa9fcf1ad1d00ea979s.webp?v=1789551845"},{"product_id":"horned-bench-anvil-128-mm","title":"Horned bench anvil on a wooden base, 128 mm","description":"\u003cp\u003eA proper little horned anvil, bolted to a wooden block. It sits on the bench like it belongs there, and it earns its place the first time a ring goes oval or a rivet needs closing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCast anvil, 128 mm end to end, with a ground flat face of about 75 × 26 mm and a square hardy hole\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA tapered horn for bringing rings, bezels and links back round\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWooden base, 119 × 54 × 21 mm, with the anvil fixed to it by four bolts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e84 mm tall overall, about 770 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat it's for\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLight forming at the bench. Riveting watch straps, doming, straightening bent findings, rounding small rings, flattening sheet, tapping pins. A jeweller's or chasing hammer is the right partner for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it isn't working, it's the best-looking thing on the desk. A good gift for anyone who makes things with their hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e 30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50487741481151,"sku":"MB-HORNANVIL-128-BASE","price":69.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S8ebdaa598c284f6a8bc0d553ec648559v.webp?v=1790396821"},{"product_id":"precision-electric-screwdriver-68-in-1","title":"Precision electric screwdriver, 68-in-1","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA pen-sized electric screwdriver for the screws that strip if you look at them hard.\u003c\/strong\u003e Watch cases, model engines, laptops, the grub screws on a small drill press.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt turns slowly and stops at a low torque, which is the point: on an M1.4 screw in brass, a normal driver strips the head before you feel it go.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAdjustable torque, five settings\u003c\/strong\u003e, per the maker. The seller's chart gives about 0.2 N·m at the low end and about 0.35 N·m at the top. Those are their numbers; we have not put one on a torque gauge.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e64 S2 steel bits\u003c\/strong\u003e in an aluminium case, plus the driver, per the seller's photograph: Phillips, flat, Torx, hex, triangle, Y and the odd shapes found in electronics.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCharges by USB-C.\u003c\/strong\u003e The maker quotes 50 minutes to charge and about 400 screws per charge.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA slot in the case magnetises and demagnetises bits, so a screw stays on the tip, or does not, as you prefer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a precision driver. It will not break loose a seized screw or drive a wood screw into a board, and it is not meant to. For those, a hand driver with a proper handle is still the right tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have not had one on our own bench yet. When we do, anything we find goes on this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"68 in 1","offer_id":50499866689727,"sku":"14:350850#68 in 1","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/Se6dfbfb9ab0a49ccb2a872da2ec24b9ap.webp?v=1790304611"},{"product_id":"low-temperature-stirling-engine","title":"Low-temperature Stirling engine, runs on a cup of hot water","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStand it on a mug of hot water and give the flywheel a flick. It keeps turning for as long as the water stays warmer than the air.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo fuel, no batteries, no switch. A Stirling engine runs on a difference in temperature, and this one is built to need very little of it: the big flat chamber takes heat from the mug underneath and loses it through the top plate, and that difference is what drives the piston and the flywheel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHow to start it:\u003c\/strong\u003e set it on a cup of freshly boiled water, wait a minute for the base to warm, then spin the wheel by hand. If it stops, the water has cooled.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWhat it is made of,\u003c\/strong\u003e per the maker: mirror stainless steel base, glass cylinder, bearing-steel shaft on precision bearings, zinc alloy flywheel, gold finish. Runs dry, no oil.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn the box:\u003c\/strong\u003e the engine, assembled. Nothing else.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it is for\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSomeone whose desk already has a caliper on it. It is a physics lesson you can leave running during a coffee break, and it is quiet enough to do that in an office.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat we have not checked\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe have not run one ourselves yet, so we are not quoting a speed or how long it keeps going on one mug. The maker gives no dimensions beyond the photos. It is a model, not a toy for small children: the glass cylinder is thin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"Gold","offer_id":50499919085759,"sku":"14:350850#Gold;200007763:201336100","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S884d94c8e0094fadaea1dc12024cbc35W.webp?v=1790306040"},{"product_id":"stainless-steel-utility-knife-6-in-1-18-mm-blade","title":"Stainless steel utility knife, 6-in-1, 18 mm blade","description":"\u003cp\u003eA knife and a pocketful of tools in one piece of steel. Open the parcel, cut the tape, crack the bottle, turn the loose screw on the way out the door, and never go looking for a second tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe whole body is stainless steel. No plastic shell, no rattle, nothing flimsy when you lean on it. It takes the standard 18 mm snap-off blade, and a thumbwheel locks the blade where you set it, ready for cardboard, tape, rope and leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat is built into the handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA retractable 18 mm blade with a locking thumbwheel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA ruler scale along the side for quick measurements\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA bottle opener at the tail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA flat screwdriver tip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSnap off the dull segment and you have a fresh edge in two seconds. Replacement 18 mm blades are the most common size there is, so it never ends up in a drawer for lack of a part.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA gift that actually gets used\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the one who opens every box in the house. For the guy with a bench in the garage. For the colleague who borrows your cutter and never gives it back. It looks like a proper tool, it feels like one in the hand, and it will be in use the same day it is unwrapped. It also makes an easy add-on to any bigger order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGood to know\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShown with a blade fitted. Spare blades are sold everywhere.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt is a sharp knife. Keep it away from children.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67497816686783,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/Sb3558dc6c8b640208bf1bcee47465240A.webp?v=1790365553"}],"url":"https:\/\/arvonelle.com\/collections\/gifts.oembed","provider":"ARVONELLE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}