VANDA-LAY INDUSTRIES, Hold-It Plus Jr.

Mister B Racing

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Pro Racer
Nov 6, 2013
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I recently bought a VANDA-LAY INDUSTRIES, Hold-It Plus Jr. rotary tool holder to use while polishing axles and thought I would share some thoughts on it.

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PROS:

- The Hold-It Plus Jr.is made of solid aluminum.

- Easy to assemble with all of the required hardware provided.

- The holder is compact.

- The holder holds my True Value rotary tool really well, but not sure how it would hold other rotary tools without more testing.

- Has 4 mounting holes in the plate, so the holder could be mounted just about anywhere.

CONS:

- The holder is not heavy enough to polish axles without mounting or clamping it to anything.

- No rubber feet provided. The aluminum base could leave scratches on a table if it slides around during use.

The Hold-It Plus Jr. bolted together in about 5 minutes without any problems. There are no instructions provided but its easy to tell where the parts needed to be bolted. I used a small "C" clamp to clamp the fixture to my table to keep it from tipping and sliding around. After clamping the holder to my table I could sit and polish and buff axles without any problems. I have not tried to mount any wheels to shine and buff the sides and tread surfaces, but I will soon. The fixture is not perfect but it's a much better solution than trying to hold your rotary tool in a vice to work on your axles
 
So what would be the advantage over, say, just clamping my rotary into my table vise?
 
I found that when I put my rotary tool in my vice, I had to be careful how tight I would clamp it (I didn't want to damage anything inside). With my work bench vice my rotary tool would keep slipping out of the vice.
 
Mister B Racing said:
I found that when I put my rotary tool in my vice, I had to be careful how tight I would clamp it (I didn't want to damage anything inside). With my work bench vice my rotary tool would keep slipping out of the vice.

Yeah, I don't clamp my rotary often, but I've considered wrapping something with some give around it first, prior to clamping. Maybe some of that springy packing foam that comes in strips.
 
I have one similar (hold it plus), it is very convenient and easy to use. It provides a nice solid base, especially useful for young hands. I only had one problem, it doesn't fit a "Blue Hawk" rotary tool (Lowes brand) without a modification. I had to buy 4 slightly longer bolts for the clamp.
 
The cost shown on VANDA-LAY INDUSTRIES web site is $33.95 + shipping. I bought mine about six months ago and it was on sale at $29.95 + shipping. So they do have sales now and again.

I don't know if this price is a PRO or CON. I bought a Dremel stand that was close to $60 and didn't hold the rotary tool very well.
 
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It has a vacuum base. Wonder if would stay attached to the table while running the rotary tool,