I made a tripod holder "knockoff" of the one that CTALMADG had machined. (Although it has no pistolgrip...)
Home Depot has "Grounding Clamps" that accept the mounting screw from the standard $5 cheapo tripods. 1 1/4" for $1.99 (part# 05141161101 at my local Home Depot)
I just lined the teeth of the clamp with some shelving padding and superglue.
Voila - cheap, sturdy clamp with no machining. It will accept Aries sized and smaller lasers just by screwing it down.
**update** I just superglued dimes into the screwdriver slots on the screws. (I would have replaced them with thumbscrews, but the end of the screws is "stripped" by the manufacturer to make the screws stay in the clamp.)