A pin vice is a miniature drill or twist drill, similar to a hand drill. It can hold very small drill bits, reamers, small files and other miniature tools.
It has a chuck head which can be removed for different-sized collets to be inserted. Collets are circular devices that grip an object to hold it securely in the vice.
There are a number of different types of pin vice, including swivel head and ball-headed pin vices.
How is a pin vice different to a pin chuck?
A pin vice is used as a manual drill, creating a motion by hand. A pin chuck, however, is an accessory that is inserted into a power drill – the force then coming from the drill.
A manual pin vice may be used instead of a power drill for very exact drilling.Despite using a slower drill speed, it can still be difficult to be as precise with a drill as when using a pin vice. This is important in tasks such as watch repair where any slip or knock could damage other components in the device.
