Fisker tube tool

Getting a good tool for your tube fly tying can be both difficult and expoensive. Amongst your commercially available alternatives are the Renzetti Tube Vice and the Kennebec Tube Tool. Both are very nice tools, but their price tags are hefty. If you just want to get into tube fly tying, it's too much.

The tool in the vice (above) and a detail shot (right) showing the groove that holds the tube (1) and the plate that will fit most vices (2).

Danish alternative

This Danish tool might be an alternative. In spite of some minor drawbacks, it's a very good tool at a very reasonable price. It's made out of plastic and should fit most vices. It didn't exactly slip into my Waldron, but I managed to get it to sit tightly. The tool comes with a series of metal rods, that go into the tube, and the assembly is then fastned in the tool. There are six rods in three different diameters. I would rather have seen six different diameters of the same length, as my selection of bought and home made tube contained a few samples that didn't fit any of the rods. Supplying new rods from scrap metal is no problem, though. Fisker should still have saved the money for the three short rods and supplied three more diameters.
Another small drawback is the shape of the groove that holds the tube (see photo above). This groove should have a recess for the small collars that is often found on tubes. a tube with a collar will tend to flex a bit in the tool. Without a collar, the tube will sit very tightly.
The tool comes with an assortment of Fiskers's new and classical tubes and assecories.
At a price of DKK 100.- (approx. US$15.-) this tool is a bargain.

The tool comes with rods in three diamaters and two lengths (below) and a selection of tubes and accessories (right).

Availability

This tool was introduced in the late nineties and was included in many international catalogues and was widely available, but disappeared again. Now it's been reintroduced as FF Tubefly Adapter by Danish FutureFly, and sold for about 25 US$.