Vice question

[Matt Calder]

All,
I am building a bench and have a question about how the vice should operate. When working with the vice, one turns the screw to tighten the vice on the work. However, when loosening the vice, is it traditional to unscrew and then pull the vice open, or should the vice jaw open as one turns the screw?

This question may sound odd, but I am making the vice from raw parts and I have it so that when the screw is turned it tightens, but when turning the screw in the opposite direction, nothing is pulling the vice jaw open. It is easy enough, once the screw is unscrewed, to pull the vice open by hand, but I'm uncertain if that is how it is supposed to work or not.

I could attach a collar to the vice's rod, and fit that under the flange that attaches to the vice jaw. That would provide pull when unscrewing. But in pictures I see of commercial vice parts, it does not appear to me that such an action is provided for. I don't want to make extra work for myself either.

I don't have any experience actually working with a vice of this type, and don't entirely trust my impressions of what stock vice hardware can and can't do. Any help would be appreciated.

Matt

[Benjimin Young]

Hi Matt, I also do not know too much about building vises but I have used both "opening" types, ones that open when you counter screw, and ones that you have to pull open after unscrewing it. I find the later often necessitates the need for a third hand. If you can build in the "unscrew" feature you may appreciate not having to look for that third hand. By the way, I acquired two threaded screws assemblies a while back and hope to make a vise with them so I'll watch this thread closely and maybe learn something.

ben

[Joe Chritz]

An unlocking feature is nice so you can pull the vise open wide for larger pieces without having to spin the handle all the way.

Both styles have their advantages and I doubt any one is "correct" so to speak.

I generally use vises design for metalworking because it is what I have.

Joe

[Steve Schoene]

I'd definately attach the collar so that the jaws both open and close. What you see commercially without the collars are screws meant for such functions as veneer presses.

[Matt Calder]

All,
I finished the vice and wanted to share the pictures. Here is the vice working, and the individual (metal) parts.

Matt

[Matt Calder]

... and here are some detail pictures from the bottom.

[Matt Calder]

It helps to have tools like these, though they aren't necessary. (I hope is it OK to make a tool gloat about machines older than I am and ones for which I am only beginning to attain extreme-novice status).

[John Schreiber]

I am making the vice from raw parts

When you show that mill and metal lathe, it puts new meaning to the phrase "from raw parts." Next you will have to smelt your own iron.

To respond to your question, all the modern vises I've seen have a piece which keeps the jaw attached to the outer side of the screw so that you don't need to move the jaw separately. I think I remember from Scott Landis's The Workbench Book, when he describes Mike Dunbar's bench that there is a name for that piece, but I don't remember it. On older vises though, especially with wooden screws, they don't always have that function.

[Matt Calder]

John,
That piece was the collar I was unsure about. I added it and everything works (both coming and going) now. As for raw parts, I can't claim to have threaded the rod. I actually bought the rod for a router lift I thought I wanted. That took a back seat to other stuff. Then I saw these bench plans and thought, 'hey, now I can use that $10 threaded rod and save $50!'. That was several hundred man hours ago, but hey, the bench is almost done. And the tuition was real cheap for a first class education, for both metal and wood.

Matt

[rick fulton]

Matt,
Your vise looks terrific. You've got a great start on a first class workbench. Progress pics are helpful learning tools for us lurkers. I'm afraid to post my progress pics since I often take two steps backwards for every step forward.
What are you using for a front vise? I'm looking forward to seeing further progress pics on your bench. Thanks for sharing.
rick