On Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:06:38 -0700 (PDT), Jim Wilkins
wrote:

On Jul 15, 12:13*am, wrote:
How much force does a common shop vise develop in its jaws? Google was
pretty unhelpful on this - the only reference I could find suggested
up to 7000 lb. Another paper suggested that a minimum required
clamping force for machining is much less - up to 1000 N.

I am interested because I am trying to guess how much force I can
develop in this press:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312.../set-721576224...

Right now my answer would be "not enough" (see the following photos if
you are interested in the process).

Can anybody suggest how such force could be measured?

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

I just checked the bench and milling vises with a hydraulic load cell,
which is a cylinder of 1 sq inch area attached to a 10,000 PSI gauge.
At a 'reasonable' handle force without hammering the 4" milling vise
reached 1500 lbs, the 3-1/2" bench vise 2000.

Don't you have a 5 or 6" mechanic's shop vise, too, Jim?

I'd be willing to bet that one could do the 7k# force Mikey suggested.
Wilton vises have 25kpsi castings. Another ad suggests 30kpsi.
Tormach uses 80kpsi ductile iron bodies. Neither suggests jaw force.

Cool! I'd never seen an air over hyd vise before.
http://www.posilock.com/Hydraulic%20Vise/Vise.htm

--
Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.
-- Robert J. Sawyer