My pliers drawer is becoming a real mess. I have a pliers rack but it is too full. It occurred to me that clearing out the vise grips would free up some much needed space.
To the metal rack! Found a strange piece of chromed oval that I got out of the salvage bin at the steel yard. 20 inches should do.
On to the mill. Pilot holes were drilled
and then some slots added
and now we have this
Which works like so
Need some brackets. Some 16 ga steel sheet from under the shear. Dykem and lines scribed
Sheared, bent, punched and dimpled
Weld them to the ends of the oval tube. Paint the raw mild steel with whatever is at hand and screw to the side of the tool box, realize you made a mistake and move it down one inch so it doesn't interfere with the vise handle 
and then start populating it
This thing is awesome. Best half hour build ever
You should patent that immediately. Call it the Vice Gripper. 
Half an hour... This is why I need to build something, anything, more often.
Ransom wrote:
Half an hour... This is why I need to build something, anything, more often.
That would be a half-day project for me.
That's cool but you have to slide all of them out if you want the one in the middle. Maybe a version where they clamp on so that it is easier to get the one you want?
I knew I needed a mill! I knew it!
I like this a lot.
You should put a large diameter hole at each end of the track so you don't have to remove 5 grips to use #6.
Great idea!
Ian F
MegaDork
3/3/17 8:12 a.m.
That's a really cool idea. I'd also probably add holes and both ends of each slot so only half would need to be removed to get to the one in the middle. Plus, maybe a slight lip at the hole so it's not quite as each for one to accidentally slide out when moving the box around the shop.
Most of my Vise grips are of two types. The standard 8" locking pliers and the C Clamps. There are a few duckbills and welding clamps but for the most part there is a lot of duplicates and I very rarely use just one at a time. I use them to clamp body panels together to check fit, then cleco or weld. Having to shuffle them around or remove 5 to get at one isn't an issue I am concerned with. I am pleased with two tracks...... for now 
It did occur to me last night that a 5/16" hole on the top of the tube at the end of the slot right before the large keyhole would allow for a padlock for less secure shops. Not an issue for me. This tool box is around 2000lbs so I don't move it often and when I do it is slowly.
I was actually going to mount this on the wall but it ended up on the side of the box. Co-worker saw it and now he wants some. We will probably build more.
That's pretty clever. I just clamp them to a cheap towel bar.
Rather than removing five to get the one you want you could drop another hole in the middle of each slide; slide one over and pull the next out.
Awesome idea!
