Vise advice
 

I have posted pictures to ABPW to illustrate this question.

I have a quick acting woodworking vice that I inherited from my dad. The
front jaw is higher than the rear jaw by about 1/4". The vise doesn't have
one of the sliding dogs and I have previously mounted the vise so the
projecting front jaw sticks up higher than the surface of my workbench where
it acts like a dog. On the positive side, I can use it to clamp work on the
bench, however, on the negative side, as I slide work around on top of the
bench, it catches on the vise and gets dinged.

My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I will
be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this vise. I'd
like to hear comments from the group as to whether people feel that it is
more important to have the dog-like clamping ability (install vise with the
lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise lip).

Of course, I could be looking at this all wrong, and, in that case, I'd be
happy to have you straighten me out.

Thanks,

Bill Leonhardt

"Bill Leonhardt" wrote:

I have a quick acting woodworking vice that I inherited from my dad. The
front jaw is higher than the rear jaw by about 1/4". The vise doesn't have
one of the sliding dogs and I have previously mounted the vise so the
projecting front jaw sticks up higher than the surface of my workbench where
it acts like a dog. On the positive side, I can use it to clamp work on the
bench, however, on the negative side, as I slide work around on top of the
bench, it catches on the vise and gets dinged.

My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I will
be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this vise. I'd
like to hear comments from the group as to whether people feel that it is
more important to have the dog-like clamping ability (install vise with the
lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise lip).

Duplicate of post made to abpw before this propagated he

This is one of those questions that has to be answered "do what is
best for the way YOU work." You've had experience with it, and it
sounds like the dinging is a problem. How often do you use the dog
feature?

If it were my bench and vise, I would be inclined NOT to remount the
vise, add a new surface tot he bench to slightly above the iron of the
vise, and install new vise-liners to be flush with the benchtop
(probably including a strip to fill the dado in the front iron jaw).
If I found the current dogging ability useful, I would duplicate it
with a removable dog. Before installing the front liner, I would clamp
a 1/2" piece of hardwood on the top of the liner, and drill through it
and the liner three 1/2" holes. Then get some 1/2-inch dowel, and glue
it in the holes of the dog piece. Then slip the dowels extending from
the dog piece in the holes in the liner when you want the raised dog
functionality. I'd probably make the center dowel noticeably
off-center, to help with orientation of the dog.
--
Alex -- Replace "nospam" with "mail" to reply by email. Checked infrequently.

In article ,
Bill Leonhardt wrote:
I have posted pictures to ABPW to illustrate this question.

I have a quick acting woodworking vice that I inherited from my dad. The
front jaw is higher than the rear jaw by about 1/4". The vise doesn't have
one of the sliding dogs and I have previously mounted the vise so the
projecting front jaw sticks up higher than the surface of my workbench where
it acts like a dog. On the positive side, I can use it to clamp work on the
bench, however, on the negative side, as I slide work around on top of the
bench, it catches on the vise and gets dinged.

My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I will
be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this vise. I'd
like to hear comments from the group as to whether people feel that it is
more important to have the dog-like clamping ability (install vise with the
lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise lip).

Of course, I could be looking at this all wrong, and, in that case, I'd be
happy to have you straighten me out.

Thanks,

Bill Leonhardt



You can have both: Install wooden jaws on the vise, and position the
vise so that the tops of the jaws are even with the table top. Make
the wooden face on the movable jaw thick enough so that you can
install some type of dog in it when needed.


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

Looks to me like you should mortise the rear jaw into the front of
the bench top, yet lowered the same measurement as the hight of that
lip, so the lip is flush to the bench top.

There would need to be additional spacer underneath to compensate
for the drop.

This way you could screw the rear (bench side) jaw cheek into the
front of the top, yet the screws going into both outsides of the iron of
the rear jaw, using countersinks for the screw heads.

Actually what I think you have is a natural end vise, the lip intended
to be the replacement of a sliding dog, not a front vise. That's a WIDE
one.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

Simple solution. Mount the vise so it is flush with the top and drill the
rear wooden jaw for bench dogs.

"Bill Leonhardt" wrote in message
...
I have posted pictures to ABPW to illustrate this question.

I have a quick acting woodworking vice that I inherited from my dad. The
front jaw is higher than the rear jaw by about 1/4". The vise doesn't
have
one of the sliding dogs and I have previously mounted the vise so the
projecting front jaw sticks up higher than the surface of my workbench
where
it acts like a dog. On the positive side, I can use it to clamp work on
the
bench, however, on the negative side, as I slide work around on top of the
bench, it catches on the vise and gets dinged.

My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I will
be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this vise. I'd
like to hear comments from the group as to whether people feel that it is
more important to have the dog-like clamping ability (install vise with
the
lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise lip).

Of course, I could be looking at this all wrong, and, in that case, I'd be
happy to have you straighten me out.

Thanks,

Bill Leonhardt

"Bill Leonhardt" wrote in
:
....
My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I
will be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this
vise. I'd like to hear comments from the group as to whether people
feel that it is more important to have the dog-like clamping ability
(install vise with the lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise
lip).
...

In my opinion a dog isn't very useful on a front vise. I'd add spacers to
the vise mount to drop its height, mortise the back jaw into the bench, and
add a mortised sleeve over the front jaw. Here's how I did a similar thing
on the bench I built:
http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/workbench04/P8260187.JPG

In my opinion a dog isn't very useful on a front vise. I'd add spacers to
the vise mount to drop its height, mortise the back jaw into the bench, and
add a mortised sleeve over the front jaw. Here's how I did a similar thing
on the bench I built:
http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/workbench04/P8260187.JPG


Is that vise a Record 52-1/2?

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

"Bill Leonhardt" wrote in message
...
SNIP

My bench top isn't as flat as I would like and, in the near future, I
will
be installing a new top. I will, therefore, be remounting this vise.
I'd
like to hear comments from the group as to whether people feel that it is
more important to have the dog-like clamping ability (install vise with
the
lip proud) or the "clean top" (recess the vise lip).


Thanks for the "vise advice". I think I'll go with mounting the vise flush
and incorporate a sliding dog in the maple jaw face.

Bill

AAvK wrote:
Is that vise a Record 52-1/2?

Made in CHICAGO.

Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
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http://www.capwoodturners.org/
PATINA
http://www.patinatools.org

"AAvK" wrote in
news:U9_ye.28272$ro.27474@fed1read02:


In my opinion a dog isn't very useful on a front vise. I'd add
spacers to the vise mount to drop its height, mortise the back jaw
into the bench, and add a mortised sleeve over the front jaw. Here's
how I did a similar thing on the bench I built:
http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/workbench04/P8260187.JPG


Is that vise a Record 52-1/2?


Nope, it's a second rate Chinese clone from Harbor Freight. Works okay but
nothing special.