Friday, April 20, 2007

A $10 VISE IS... A $10 VISE
Friday, April 20, 2007

Last weekend I snapped a spoke on the cog side of my rear wheel. So over the weekend I identified the type of freewheel and ordered spokes and a Park Freewheel Remover.

Wednesday the tool came (the spokes are backordered, so they're going to take a bit longer) so I inserted it into the freewheel, lightly screwed down the axle nut, and attached my largest, longest wrench. No luck. Tried hammering the end of the wrench handle. Nada. Clamped the wrench in a wood-working clamp and tried turning the wheel... still no joy, though I did manage to snap another spoke with one especially vigorous twist.

Park Tools recommends holding the FR in a vise and turning the wheel, since this can provide better leverage. So today I stopped by Harbor Freight and was delighted to find a $10 vise. Came home after teaching a karate class and a bo class, and installed the vise on the bench in the basement. Clamped the FR in the vise and applied pressure to the wheel... nothing... nothing... then SNAP!

No, I didn't break a spoke or loosen the freewheel. I snapped one of the jaws off the vise.

I guess when you buy a $10 vise, you get exactly what you paid for.

Looks like my wheel will remain unrepaired until I can afford a better vise.

JMH
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