Jorgensen 12" woodworking vise jaw options

[John Padgett]

Hello. I finally got a heavy bench vise and got it mounted. The cast iron is marking my boards, not bad just leaving black marks. I bought some leather from the local place here and was wondering if I need blocks and the leather or just glue the leather right on the face of the cast iron jaws. I also thought about using oak for the blocks and someone suggested rare earth magnets on the back one (against the bench). Has anyone used magnets to hold the wood there? Does it slip any?
Thanks.

[Paul Sidener]

That vise should be predrilled to attach wood in the jaws. I would line it with wood.

[Reinis Kanders]

I have the same wise, it is pretty decent, but my quick release is sticky. Is yours smooth?

I put home depot 3/4" red oak for jaws and rubber cemented thin leather on the moving jaw. It holds well, I have even mortised some stool legs in jaws and grip was good. I like mortising in the vise, but feel bad for the vise

[John Padgett]

The back jaw is drilled and tapped but I don't know what size screws to use. Any idea?

[John Padgett]

Quick release is not sticky on mine. Works very well.

[Tony Shea]

That is a very respectable vise you have there, imho one of the better options out there for a face vise at that price point. Anyways I would def go with wood jaws lined with leather and just send a wood screw through the holes into the wood to keep them in place. I wouldn't bother using the tapped out portion to line up machine screws through the wood jaw into the vise. If need be I wouldn't hesitate to drill out the hole a little bigger to fit a decent size wood screw through. I can't imagine any scenario where the threads would ever be useful.

[Winton Applegate]

For a metal jawed vise I can recommend fairly soft wood for the jaws.
When this was my main woodworking vise I also used it for some metal working applications so I set it up so I could have the smooth iron when I needed it and then the softer non marring wood jaws for all my woodworking.

I used the vise to make my Klausz bench and there was no problem with the jaws. They worked well.

I used dowels into blind holes in the back of the jaw pads and through holes in the vise. I forget the exact wood I used now but I research it and sought it out just for this application. It is either lime wood or lemon wood. No kidding.
If you care I can look it up in my notes.

Then when I put jaw pads on the Klausz I glued the leather right to the jaw with no softer wood. I wanted to see how I would like that since it is traditional. Works great.

Over all I am a big fan of sacrificial soft vise jaws in my vises. Aluminum for metal working and the softer wood for woodworking . . . as opposed to trying to make the jaws long lasting and bomb proof. Hard jaws mar the work.

PS: I would recommend thicker leather rather than thin.

[Jim Belair]

PS: I would recommend thicker leather rather than thin.

I used thin leather secured with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive and the leather has a tendency to creep under shear load. I don't know if the problem is the thin leather or my choice of adhesive. But thicker leather wouldn't stretch like the thin.

[Winton Applegate]

creep under load

I figure the thicker, but still fairly hard (not soft and supple) leather can maybe conform to some shapes where that is desirable.

When I glued mine on I wanted a rigid glue as opposed to say contact cement.
I wanted reversible so I could replace the pads down the road.

I used liquid hide glue.
the ready to go stuff in the bottle
or did I ?
I might have used Elmers Kids white glue, the washable school glue stuff . . .
One of those anyway.