Roubo: do I need an end cap for End Vise?

[Kevin Rose]

I want to put this vise on the end of the Roubo-inspired bench I'm building. The plate has 4 screw holes so you can secure it up from the bottom of the bench. I've noticed almost all end vises are mounted on an end cap that's either dovetailed or lag bolted on. I assume this is so the vise doesn't pull itself out of the end grain of the benchtop? Oddly I've found zero documentation on end caps, people just use them without ever mentioning their details very much. Frustrating.

Anyway, on to my question: Is it a bad idea to just lag bolt this vise into the end of the bench without a cap? Is this something that will realistically pull itself out with hobbyist use? It won't get super heavy use nor will I be cranking on it.


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Anything helps. Thanks.

[Noah Magnuson]

No reason. It just looks nice. My top is 5" thick sycamore and I just cut it nicely with a hand saw and planed it smooth before mounting my end vise. You will probably put leather on it anyway, so looks is irrelevant. Some vises have lags going in the face and underneath, but unless you used drywall screws, you shouldn't get tearout at the face.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I don't think it's necessary for that vise. It doesn't mount to the end grain, but to the long grain from underneath. As long as the mounting screws aren't placed too close to the end you will be fine.

The end cap is required for the wagon vises that usually get put on modern Roubos. It can serve as a sort of breadboard end, perhaps keeping the top a bit flatter (though this effect is doubtful with a thick top). In your case, it might make for a nicer rear jaw to the vise than the end grain of the top, but the end grain should work, too, and you will probably mostly use it with the dogs for clamping on the bench top, rather than between the jaws. Beyond that, it's decorative.

I agree that there is not much documentation on end caps. I recall feeling that same way when building my bench. I think the reason is that people who document their bench builds get pretty tired by this point in the build, are seeing the finish line ahead, and revert to get-it-done mode. So the entry for the end cap and vise installs is not much more than "and then I installed everything". I pretty much did that on my bench build blog, ha.

[Mike Brady]

Looks like a nice, sturdy vise, good for an end-vise application. Just be sure that the guide rods and center screw don't interfere with your bench dog holes. You might want to find a thumb screw to replace the bolt that adjust the built-in dog on the vise. An alternative would be to put a dog hole into a new wood face so you can just place a brass dog there. If you go that route, drill a hole in the wood face to allow finger access in case the dog gets pushed down too far. Show us a pic when you get done.

[Kevin Rose]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll see if I can remember to post some progress here.