Thread: Benchcrafted Leg Vise

Raf Nathan's take on the Lake Erie Twin Screw:
Lake Erie Twin Screw Vice - Australian Wood Review

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Brett, that is a big part of the attraction of a wooden screw over a metal screw. All the commercial metal screws are around 6 tpi or higher. Most wooden screws are 2-3 tpi. As a result, wooden screws are Fast!

Regards from Perth

Derek

I think the Benchcrafted leg vise has a 2tpi thread (4tpi but twin start) and coupled with the heavy cast iron handwheel and minimal friction allowing you to spin it open/closed it looks very fast. I assume a wood screw would bind a little more? I have a Glide M set but won't be building my bench until July/August so can't comment from first-hand experience yet.

Cheers, Dom

Thanks for the link, Brett. There is one comment that Raf makes that does not make sense (it is the opposite of what I have experienced) ... "In use the low thread count means the handles are a bit slow to wind in and out when changing to workpieces of different thicknesses".

Regards from Perth

Derek

Lie Nielsen Toolworks Australia sell the premium wooden vise screw kit from Lake Eerie for $420. I could use it to make the vise Richard puts on his bench which is a horizontal face vise with the screw on one side and a fixed sliding 'guide' on the other to prevent racking.

But I prefer the look and added depth of the leg vise so that's where I am.

Thanks again to all contributors on this thread - I'm loving the read.

Zac

Zac

I will look forward to seeing the build. You might like to look at Terry Gordon's tail vice too. My plan was to make a Roubo style bench from Spotted Gum, which I have stacked ready to go. I was going to make up a leg vice out of components I bought a while back. It will do me but I doubt I will be able to "spin the wheel" like the Benchcrafted version. I do have an HNT Gordon Tail vise still sitting in it's box. I have to build the shed first.

On the subject of handwheels they could be like this:

Portable saw vice stand 008.jpgPortable saw vice stand 009.jpg

I will be adopting something along these lines. handle in laminated timber in conjunction with the screw from a commercial style vice and a couple of guide rods and lineal bearings. Just don't hold your breath.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Pac man

Fergie I forgot to mention that I ended up buying the crisscross and fitted it because as I also did not want to be bending down and setting the parallel guide.

So what do you think of it Paul? Would you do it again? Is it worth the extra real estate (i.e. total volume)? Regardless of any possibly persuasive arguments (Derek) they sure are a lot of extra timber for a (non-specifically) small gain.....

That is, I'm not yet at the point where I'm converted to a leg vise with sliding DM over the HNT (with handwheel) and sliding DM, and on a few counts ($$, build time & complexity, convenience of use).

For the all up cost of a trip to Perth, I could probably buy both types! Wouldn't be as much fun though...

Originally Posted by derekcohen

There is one comment that Raf makes that does not make sense (it is the opposite of what I have experienced) ... "In use the low thread count means the handles are a bit slow to wind in and out when changing to workpieces of different thicknesses".

No, I didn't get hold of that either.

Just reading Raf Nathan again - maybe he means that it's because of winding the knobs in without the aid of a handle to speed things up? I can see that being a bit slow.

I thought for a moment that we might be getting off track in that Zac asked for opinion on the Benchcrafted vice and to some extent it has morphed into opinion of many types of vice ( at this point I should warn people against some types of vice both in reality and for posting here, as they are not for this Forum), but in a way it is a logical progression.

It is irrefutable that there are some absolutely beautiful vices out there but do they suit the purpose and are they value for money? Again, if money is no object, buy whatever you wish. However, the simple fact is that even in asking an opinion it is tacitly understood that there is the old restrictive budget looming it's ugly head and asking for justification. I am leading up to something here and it is that we should be asking Zac what work he anticipates doing mostly. This really dictates the vice we should recommend.

The cheapest bench I have found is the one designed by Fine Woodworking. The cost is the timber plus four pipe clamps (they say six clamps, but you only need four).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJCc3QPUzU


Finewoodworking bench.jpgFinewoodworking bench detail.jpg

I built one about ten years ago from demolition timber. The cost of that bench was zilch plus about $60 for four pipe clamps, although if I was doing it again, which I would as I find it indispensable, I would buy new 3/4" pipe. I used demolition pipe from an old laundry and it had been slightly distorted by the use of Stilsons. It does most of what the flash benches do.

Bespoke Workbench

Having said all that, I still lust after a flash Roubo style split top bench and if I had somewhere to put it, I would be building it right now as I have everything ready to go!

Regards
Paul

Paul,

First off I love the look of your work bench you linked. It looks properly used.

You asked what I intend to use mine for. 'General use'is the best answer I can give. It's big because I plan to make larger items like bookcases and can use it for assembly as well as the making of it. Larger items mean that you need to plane long edges, so the vise and dog holes in the apron should enable this.

I'm only leaning toward a leg vise because this English style workbench would look awesome with a nice big leg vise on the end, and the benchcrafted vise wheel would take it into the 21st century.

I'm probably going to finish it by next weekend, so I'll put up some pics then without the vise and you can have a look. If needs be I'll use it viseless for a while (almost anything will be better than my current converted outdoor table) while I decide on the vise type and wait for it be delivered etc.

It's most definitely going to have a few dog holes in the top and a planing stop. A tail vise might be added later but I would like to put a moxon style vise on for dovetailing panels.

Again, thanks to all for their time and comments,

Zac.

Edit: heres the bench I'm making. https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com...ish-workbench/

Zac, in that case I would strongly advocate putting an HNT face vise on it:

• it will have a functioning vise within days (delivery time)
• there is nothing different you have to do to incorporate the vise (it just screws up under the bench with four bolts IIRC - maybe some packing out)
• if you either don't like it or want to replace it with a leg vise it is very easily removed and will sell in no time flat in the Market place. If it is in good nick then you won't take much of a bath on the price either (you might lose $100-150)
• if you still want a leg vise, my betting would be that you end up using another part of the bench for it, and keep the HNT as well.....

In a short while I believe you will be able to order the HNT with the handwheels - all the prep seems to be going well, and I know that Terry made an extra 4 of the wider faces too. You could do worse than call him and discuss it. His Tail Vise is also excellent (compact and easy to fit)

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

• if you still want a leg vise, my betting would be that you end up using another part of the bench for it, and keep the HNT as well.....

That's a good point. The bench I made does not have a leg vice, but I did decide I would like a more conventional bench vice as well as the pipe clamps so I stuck an MCW (Micheal Connor Woodworks) aluminium vice on the other side of the bench.

P1030831 (Medium).JPGP1030832 (Medium).JPGP1030833 (Medium).JPG

That was some years ago and well before Terry Gordon made his face vice. Now you have a choice:

Workbenches and Accessories

https://www.hntgordon.com.au/shoptools/bench-vices.html

Interestingly, they are the same price at $550.

I do however like the leg vice in conjunction with a sliding deadman. These are the basic components I will be using to make up the leg vice.

P1030835 (Medium).JPGP1030834 (Medium).JPG

Two linear bearings and a piece of round bar that will be cut in half to make the guides positioned vertically beneath the screw thread( I won't be doing that timber thingy with the holes and a peg at the foot of the leg. Too much bending) and also a timber hand wheel along the lines of those I posted previously. The acme thread screw is a proprietary product. I will remove the fitting for the timber dowel and replace it with the handwheel.

and a big lump of timber :

P1030836 (2).JPGP1030837 (2).JPG

1300 x 200 x 60 Spotted Gum still rough sawn. There is some trimming required top and bottom (make that a lot of trimming), but I should be able to manage a leg vice out of it .

There is the intent . Now I just have to do it .

Regards
Paul

Paul, I'm not sure if you want to make the timber hand wheel (because you can) or just get the best result from it with the least mucking around. Certainly I don't think you'll be able to spin the vise shut (you know, with a big whooska to make it spin) because it wouldn't have the mass (you know this anyway).

This is where I got the handwheel that I sent to Terry. In Smeaton Grange which is just around the corner from fletty, as it happens.
The particular one that I ordered was DIN 950-GG-160-V12-D which is 160 dia, no knob, 12mm square bore (Terry's request), 1.2kgs of polished Cast Iron. If anything some more weight would have been good - on Terry's face vise. There is space above the top of the handwheel which is well below the bench, so a bigger wheel will be ok, but the next square bore handwheel is 200mm and 2.3kgs. That may end up be a little too much momentum for the vise's acme thread. Or at least it might blow the fail safe thread saver. The 200 dia would still be below the bench top. A Special Order of a 180mm w/sq bore would probably be perfect. It was slightly over $100 posted direct to Terry.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Finewoodworking bench.jpg

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

Paul,
First off I love the look of your work bench you linked. It looks properly used.

Now just to clear up any possible doubt.....

I was very recently in The Bushmiller's Shed (actually a small city of sheds for different capabilities). Apart from one or two other possibly hard to spot clues in this picture, I can confirm that it is NOT Paul at the end of the bench. Other than that, it all looks pretty similar.

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