Replies

1. 
   Pippins | Apr 04, 2007 04:20pm | #1

   forestgirl, is there a nut behind the second 2X4? I cannot see it in the picture. Without seeing the vice, I suspect that the 2X4s were captured behind an apron on the front of a bench. 

   As long as the screw threads are OK and there is a nut of some sort on the back of the 2X4 you should be able to make this one a workable vice.

   Here is a broad outline of how I would proceed.

   1) Clean up all of the iron parts and make sure they are in good working shape. If the threads are missing in areas, damaged, or the nut missing, I would think twice about investing any more time or effort. 

   2) Remove the pipe and turn a nice hardwood handle. Use O rings as a cushion between the rod and the end cap. You can leave this step to the last. 

   3) Clean up or repair the front block and replace the two hardwood rods if worn. The purpose of rods is to  keep the front block square so they should be straight and true.

   4) Replace the 2X4s with a hardwood block about 1 1/2 inch thick and sized in height for the bench thickness. Bore the three holes to match the spacing on the front block. The center hole can have some clearance but the holes for the rods should be a snug fit. Wax the rods.

   5) You will have to mount the hardwood block under your bench top. Depending on the design, you may have to bore three holes through the apron.

   6) The square block with the bolt looks like the dog. It should move up and down. Repair/replace as needed. Once you have the vice mounted, bore matching dog holes in the bench. 

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 04, 2007 07:56pm | #2

   Nut in the back.  You mean like this?

   View Image

   Thanks so much for your detailed instructions.  The threads seem fine, moves stiff -- cleaning should fix that.  Turning a handle's not an option for me, but several places sell them, so I can pick one up.  The wooden rods seem in good shape, straight and not cracked.

   If I wanted (ever) to replace the front block, should I make it any bigger, or is the 10.5" wide a good size?

   Dog....yeah, figured that out once I got some sleep.  Sheesh. 

   Thanks again!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Pippins | Apr 04, 2007 08:26pm | #3

   forestgirl, that's what I had in mind.

   I would not recommend making it any bigger. This is good size for general use:

   Boards flat can be held between the vice and bench dogs.

   Boards vertical can be held in the vice to one side if the rods. Beware of racking if too much screw pressure is applied.

   Boards on edge can be held in the vice alone or with the vice and a jack to hold up the opposite end.      

   Keep in mind that if you change the size significantly you would have to change the rod position and diameter to compensate. It would probably be better to get a modern vice than to try and modify this one. 

   Steve

2. 
   JohnWW | Apr 04, 2007 08:31pm | #4

   The vise is almost certainly a home made one using a commercially made screw.  You can scrap the wooden parts if you wanted to and salvage the screw to make a new vice.  Unless the wooden elements have some historic value there is little reason to use them if they don't work well.

   John White

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2007 12:20am | #6

   Hi, John, thanks.  I think the oak front-block will look kinda neat when it's cleaned up.  I will replace the 2x4's once I figure out what size I need.  The wooden rods seem in fine shape.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

3. 
   highfigh | Apr 04, 2007 10:41pm | #5

   You can make your own handle- square up a piece of whatever you want or have as scrap and use the round over bit in your router table that gives you the right diameter. The blank needs to be longer that you need so you can leave the last few inches square (and it won't roll). The ends can be done the same way and if you bore one end out with a Forstner bit of the same diameter as the dowel, you can cut the end off and fasten it to the dowel after shaping the ends as needed. O rings remove the shock from the handle dropping in the vise and if you use a screw to hold one end cap on, you can remove it if you want/need.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2007 12:21am | #7

   Thanks for the info.  MIght give that a try.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   highfigh | Apr 05, 2007 12:24am | #8

   When I made mine, I set the fence just at the bearing and there were no routing marks at all. Nice and round. My Forstner bit was a hair smaller than the end so I shaved it a little but it works great.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   zolton | Apr 05, 2007 04:56am | #9

   I struggled for years with a vise made with a screw similar to the one you showed in the photograph. Because of the wooden rods, the vise always seemed to flex too much to be of much use. It would "sort of" clamp a piece of wood, especially if the wood was mounted off-center in the vise. And the minute I'd try to do anything with it, the wood would slide down or shift.

   In the end I bought a great Record vise, #88 maybe? It's all cast iron and steel, weighs about 50 pounds, and once it's reefed down nothing caught betwixt its jaws moves. Plus, it's got an instant-adjustability feature that allows gross sliding of the movable jaw in or out just by toggling a catch on the front of the vise. That's a real timesaver, and something I use every day.

   So, if you're looking for a good vise, the one you have might serve you better hanging on the wall of your shop; buying one new would yield better results.

   Zolton

4. 
   BruceS | Apr 06, 2007 02:56am | #14

   While restoring my Emmert pattern makers vise I did a little research and read that many vises are damaged because pipe handles were installed.  Thus more force is exerted than necessary and enough to break some cast parts.   The original Emmert had a wood handle per patent.  I exchanged the pipe for a curly maple one that I turned.

   So get a grip on it,  and turn a new wood one.  ;-)Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 06, 2007 04:39am | #15

   Thanks, Bruce.  That's very good information!  I will tur.....rout another one.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   BG | Apr 06, 2007 11:47am | #17

   FG,

   Picking up on Pippins suggestions, I'd mount the two 2x's on a larger square with lag bolts and lag bolt the square under the workbench top...flush with the apron. then I'd laminate a chunk of hardwood to the top of the movable part so it was flush with the workbench top.

   There was an article a few years ago in FWW about mounting a vise. You may want to remove a portion of the apron  to accomodate the vise face (fixed portion).    

2. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2007 07:50pm | #13

   Pippins, look at what was languishing in hubby's storage space.  Makes the other vise look pretty presentable, eh?

   View Image<!---->forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   ctsjr | Apr 06, 2007 05:01am | #16

   FGIf you look closely at the photo, you can make out the worn inscription "Mayflower"...:) Sounds like you are not intending to build a dream bench, but a tool to use in the meantime. Good luck with it. Have a great weekend. Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"

2. 
   philip | Apr 07, 2007 01:59pm | #18

   Jamie, how big is that one? It looks a better bet to me than the other one-but I am biased , not being a fan of the traditional type. With this one the advantage is that unlike the first one, it is not invading the bench-it merely sits screwed on top if I am not mistaken. Easy to install, this being a quick and dirty bench after all.Philip Marcou

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 07, 2007 03:51pm | #19

   Hi, Philip, nope it wouldn't be a good main-vise candidate -- the picture doesn't show dimensions well, but the clamping jaws are only 4" wide, and actually narrow down at the tip.  If I can find the "Mayflower" inscription, I'll send it to the Smithsonian.  ROFL!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

3. 
   Pippins | Apr 09, 2007 04:28am | #20

   forestgirl, looks great. It is amazing to me the quality of work that can be turned out with these 'crude' tools.

   This look like an early version of our modern bench tp machinists vice. 

   Steve  

4. 
   Patto | Apr 09, 2007 05:59am | #21

   I love that vice - suspect it might be a carving vice, but it certainly seems designed as an auxilliary vice to be secured through a dog hole when required. It would be worth cleaning up.

   you might like to consider the design in the current Australian Woodsmith - http://www.australianwoodsmith.com.au/index.html

   Very little hardware required and tou could do the basic bench quickly and the storage areas when you had a bit more time. It is clearly designed for limited space and doesnt need a vice (mout a metal workers vice on a piece of 2*4 and clamp it in the top if you need one.

   Dave

2. 
   EdHarrison | Apr 05, 2007 07:04am | #10

   FG,
   Have you seen the commercials where the lady places a Moen faucet on the table and says "Build me a house around this faucet?"
   Well, I think you need to build a workbench around that vice. You were asking about a quick and dirty bench - that won't do. You need to build an expensive one with hardwood and dovetailed corners and exotic insets. Build it around that vice, replacing the wood parts and cleaning the metal. Have fun. Good luck, Ed

1. 
   philip | Apr 05, 2007 10:13am | #11

   Jamie, clean up the vice, buff up the metal parts, dollop some blo or similar all over and set it down to rest to look nice somewhere out of the way, forever.
   Build a bench with 4x2's according to the best plan submitted and put a decent woodworking vice on it made of metal, or fit an engineers vice on it which I dare to state is far more useful and versatile than a woodworm's ''vice''.
   A bench of dimensions you have stated will not take a big vice anyway.Philip Marcou

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 05, 2007 07:17pm | #12

   Sorry, Philip and Zolton, no money in the budget for vises for awhile yet.  If the ones I have (this one, plus 2 of those standard metal vises) aren't likely to work, I'll just build John White's bench and do without.  I'm hoping a couple years down the road to have a bigger shop, and more understanding what's needed in a better bench, and the money to get a modern vise or two.  This summer, we're dropping about 10K on our floors and a new deck -- priorities, ya know?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)