DIY: Build Your Own Fly Tying Vise (Budget-Friendly)

Fly tying is an excellent and fun way to improve not only your fly fishing skills but also grow a deeper understanding of the waters where you fish. It's pretty amazing to be out on the water, see a fish eat something, and then take that knowledge back to a fly tying vise and create your own fly pattern. And with those personally tied fly patterns you can then head back out onto the water to try and catch those fish. If the fish don't eat your fly, well then it's back to the vise to modify the pattern based on what the fish are telling you. It's a process of experimentation, trial and error, and letting creativity and curiosity guide you to fly patterns that work for the fish you are trying to catch.

Maybe you don't have the money set aside yet to buy vise (such as a nice rotary vise) or maybe you just want to dabble in fly tying before committing to a larger purchase. With that in mind, this article will cover an easy way for how you can build your own fly tying vise using a minimal amount of materials that can be bought at most hardware stores or easily online.

Building Your Own Fly Tying Vise

This DIY fly tying vise is highly portable and can be clamped onto tables, desks, counter-tops, and any other horizontal surfaces. The inspiration for this DIY vise came from this YouTube video (it's worth watching). This vise is also more robust than the sub-$100 fly tying vises I've used in the past. Here's what you'll need to build this fly tying vise:

• Needle nose locking pliers (I prefer the Bremen 6 inch Long-Nose Locking Pliers which are inexpensive and have a rounded thumbscrew so it can fit into a 1/2 inch PVC pipe).

• 12 inch PVC pipe, 1/2 inch diameter

  • If the PVC pipe is longer than 12 inches then cut it down to length.

• Clamp on vise

  • I like the Bessey 3 inch clamp on vise.

• Heat gun.

  • If you don't have a heat gun ask a friend or neighbor. Some city libraries also have a "library of things" which is a tool lending program. Places like Ace, Home Depot, and Lowes might also rent out heat guns.

• Something to cut the PVC pipe with. You can either use a PVC pipe cutter or...just grab a serrated steak knife from the kitchen like I did (just be careful not to cut your hand).

Once you have your materials and tools then it's time to start assembling.

1. If your PVC pipe is longer than 12 inches then cut it down to anywhere from 10 to 12 inches.

2. Cut a notch (about 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide) into one end of the PVC pipe. This notch will help to better secure the locking pliers and prevent them from spinning around as you tie your fly patterns.
   

   

   
   

3. Attach the clamp on vise to a table or some other flat horizontal surface. Clamp the non-notch end of PVC pipe.

4. Using the heat gun, heat up the PVC pipe around the clamp. As the PVC pipe warms, turn the locking bar on the clamp to pinch the PVC pipe. Warping the PVC pipe like this will prevent it from rotating in the clamp as you tie your fly patterns.
   

   

   

5. After you've heated and pinched the PVC pipe, place the locking pliers into the other end of the PVC pipe and slide the pliers down into the notch. You're now ready to start tying your own fly patterns.

   
   

   

     It's also worth mentioning that this DIY vise is excellent for teaching a group of people how to tie fly patterns. I've brought this DIY vise to school classrooms, breweries, and even down to the waterfront to give lessons on fly tying. It saves you a ton of money from having to go out and buy a half-dozen vises. Additionally, it shows new fly tiers that they can get into this activity without spending too much money. You could even run a class where people build their own fly tying vise and then learn how to tie flies on it, all in an hour or two. And if fly tying turns out not to be something that you or someone else is not interested in, cool, well now you have some locking pliers and table clamp that are just useful to have around the house for various other projects and tasks.