bench vise

[Tony Zaffuto]

I am in the planning stages of building a new bench and my thoughts are turning to a vise. Do any of you have any experience with Lee Valley's "quick release steel bench vise"? How about Jorgensen's? Finally, how about Bessey's new bench vise (also country of origin of the Bessey).

Thanks,

T.Z.

[josh bjork]

I bought the small Jet vice. It very similar to the bessey but was a bit cheaper and looked more stout if I remember right. Woodsmith had it for $50 something for a 7" one. I don't know what they are online but it seems like it is a modest alternative to the $200 schemes. It has the quick release lever too, I think like the bessey does.

[Jim Newman]

I too have been thinking about bench vises in thinking about my bench. I have done so over about a 10 year period as I have slowly accumulated wood and vises. I bought 2 Record 52 1/2 vises about 12 years ago along with a Veritas Twin Screw and talked with several pros and have arrived at the following conclusions.

For hand planing a tail vise is most useful as the screw is in line with the center of the dog holes. Also make the dog holes about 1 1/2 inches in from the side of the bench, so you can work the edges of wood with good support close by. I have read many user reports of people wishing their dog holes would be closer than the 2 1/2-3" they put their dog holes. Front vises are what you like (ie. best for the work you are going to do and in my case that is doing dovetails and edge work with planes or router), but I spoke to Lie-Nielsen since they have the best vise hardware from Germany (same as woodcraft but LN has done some additional work to the Gebruder-Busch hardware such as welding the tail vise plates so you do not have to depend on a wood spacer, which I will have to do on mine since I bought the tail vise hardware from my local woodcraft store), and they told me though wood vises look better, the iron vises, such as my Record 52 1/2 are actually superior in use so just go ahead and use what I have. If you do woodcarving the best front vise would probably be a patternmakers, but you cannot put the back jaw exactly flush with the apron on the bench according to Highland Hardware and the Emmert vise mounting directions I have seen and read...close, like a 1/4" to 1/2", but not flush. My solution is to use both of my Record 52 1/2 vises on the front (one to the left front with the other one 18" to 24" to the right (kind of like Larry King's bench on page 69 of The Workbench, so if I need to do a large dovetail piece or hold a longer board on edge, I can use the vises as a twin screw with a jaw between them if I want), with a tail vise on the right side and a twin screw on the end, since my bench will be 36 inches wide with an off-center tool tray. I wanted the twin screw on the end if I have to use the bench to hold a large piece, like a door down. Oh I will do overhangs on both ends of the bench top, 24" for the tail/twin screw vises on the right side and an 18" overhang on the left for the Record and that way if I do want to put a patternmaker vise on if I ever learn to do carving, I can on the back side of the left hand side of my bench...also the 36" width is necessary to allow space for the vise screws of the Record and future patternmaker's vises back to back. I already have an old 3' by 8' maple top I will have to rip, plane, double up to make the thickness 3 1/2", add the off-center tool tray, then put on the 6" wide front skirt and 4 1/2"wide back skirt, then the end pieces, including back and front jaws for the twin screw. That was my latest lesson.....vise choices have a big influence on how you have to arrange your base design! Good workbenches look so deceptively simple, yet once you really think about it, there is so much involved, it is mind boggling! I guess that is why so many people make one bench and once they accumulate experience later do another. I try to do it the best I can once and live with it, but realize I am different....did the same in designing and building my home, so that is what works for me. From what I have read, you will not outgrow a 9" front metal vise and it is better for holding stock on edge, so something else to consider. Hope this helps you and good luck!

Jim

[Tony Zaffuto]

Thanks Jim and Josh,

Like you Jim, I have been thinking about vises for a long time (started about the time that I quit thinking about vices!). Anyhow, I already have a bench with an old Morgan and a wooden vise using the good Lee Valley hardware. I've found that the wooden vises leave a bit to be desired and actually prefer the old Morgan.

I was buying a big Record vise for years and never got around to pulling the trigger and wouldn't you know they're gone! Anyhow, I've got a "thing" against the clones, including not only the Records but the various patternmaker vises. The Lee Valley "quick release steel vise" looks interesting and is not a knock-off of the Record in that it has a different type of quick release mechanism. I have not seen one up close though and would like to hear some opinions before ordering. The Jorgensen also looks like a contender as does the Bessey. I would also be interested in learning where the Bessey is manufactured, as their website does not give country of origin.

This bench will last me forever (or at least until it is done and I get ideas for the next one)! I do prefer the metal vises over the wooden ones, and do not want to pay for the premium of a used Record!

Thanks,

T.Z.

[Jeff Wright]

I am in the planning stages of building a new bench and my thoughts are turning to a vise. Do any of you have any experience with Lee Valley's "quick release steel bench vise"?

T.Z.

See this thread

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...191#post564191

and the reference under my post there to another thread that I started regarding vise installs. I really like my LV quick release vises; they are made in Europe. Quality is good, alignment good, easy-to-release mechanism. I got the largest and middle size models.

[John Schreiber]

. . . , I've got a "thing" against the clones, including not only the Records but the various patternmaker vises. . .

I understand how you feel about "clones." The Tucker Vise from Lee Valley is not at all a clone of the Emmert, but is a new design which is supposed to be very good.

The Annant brand is not a clone of Record. When Record closed down their operation, Annant purchased the tooling and transferred production to India.

[Andrew Williams]

I have the big and medium LV quick-release vises. They are extremely heavy, and do their job very well. You may need to keep a small block around in case you use the corrugated metal dog and do not want markings on the edge of the board. I have not needed to do much to maintain them except for tighten the main nuts.

[Alan Turner]

I am a fan of the gravity drop half nut style of front vises. The reason is that if you need both hands to hold your work for positioning, you can close this vise with your hip, and use your knee to get it tight enough to hold, and then tighten it furhter by hand. This is occassionally pretty handy.

The Richards Wilcox is my personal favorite, but only becuase I can find them, from time to time, at a good price. About $50 or so.

The new L-N's use this same mechanism, and while I haven't seen or used one, I am pretty sure they are just fine. The L-N's use a wood front jaw while the Richards Wilcox's use an iron casting, to which you attach a wood face.

[Andrew Williams]

these vises do that, you just have to watch out that the rod doesnt hit you in the leg when it slides down.

[Pam Niedermayer]

I am a fan of the gravity drop half nut style of front vises. The reason is that if you need both hands to hold your work for positioning, you can close this vise with your hip, and use your knee to get it tight enough to hold, and then tighten it furhter by hand. This is occassionally pretty handy.
...

Alan, can you tell from visual inspection that a vise has this feature?

Pam

[Alan Turner]

Pam,
Sure, you can tell. The "nut" for the lead screw is about 3" or so long, and is split in half. A half turn of the lead screw, counterclockwise, and the bottom half of the nut drops away by gravity, and you can then freely slide the jaws in or out. The moment you turn the screw clockwise, to tighten, the half nut is forced up into a position that makes the lead screw effective to tighten the vise.

Note that the nomenclature is mine; I don't know what they are really called, so I think that I just invented that phrase some time back. But, maybe that is actually the name, which I knew, then forgot, then recalled. I am a member of the soon-to-be 60 club.

[Jim Newman]

Alan is "the man" and a very experienced bench builder and helped me, so thanks Alan! BTW great thread and does woodworking count as a vice?

[Pam Niedermayer]

Thanks, Alan, I think I understand.

Pam

[Alan Turner]

Alan is "the man" and a very experienced bench builder and helped me, so thanks Alan! BTW great thread and does woodworking count as a vice?

Yes, and it is among my many vices. Fortunately, it is the one most oft practiced.