Thread: Benchcrafted Leg Vise

Paul,

Yes I was referring to your ‘lived in’ bench rather than the new one pictured. I also note that you’ve added suede lining to your aluminium vise.

Brett,

I’ll give the HNT Gordon vise some thought, thanks. Any knocks on a vise made from aluminium rather than cast iron? Bending or deforming of the jaws for instance? I’d be a bit afraid of them bending if I clamp on one side only. Do you know what size the larger vise will be?

Thanks again,
Zac

Len Hovarter is into Handwheels now:
https://www.hovartercustomvise.com/

and scissors leg vise (he calls it a-Link):
https://www.hovartercustomvise.com/p...ors-mechanism/

Video on the X-Link leg vise:
https://www.hovartercustomvise.com/2...-installation/

In the vid he shows a bench with a Lake Erie Wooden Screw LV on one end, and a Hovarter X Link LV on the other. If you don't want to watch the installation you can look at the first and last 60 seconds (at say 13:00 mins). He seems to think the bench is heavy, but I doubt Paul will be convinced.

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

I’ll give the HNT Gordon vise some thought, thanks. Any knocks on a vise made from aluminium rather than cast iron? Bending or deforming of the jaws for instance? I’d be a bit afraid of them bending if I clamp on one side only. Do you know what size the larger vise will be?

I think it's about 350mm wide (certainly 300mm).
The alum is one inch thick. The force required to bend it would waaaay exceed the fail-safe that is installed on the thread. Terry maintains that you just don't need that amount of force to successfully hold woodworking jobs. It is not designed for having the crap beaten out of it with a metal working hammer.

The same philosophy applies to his Tail Vise. There is only so much pressure that can be applied to the length of a (thinnish) board before it bends upwards - obviously not desirable. So his TV won't let you put that much pressure on - but it will hold a board still for planing. That is not to say that a more robust Wagon Vise (or indeed a Shoulder Vise) doesn't have it's uses, it just means that if you are using a TV for planing boards then you can very successfully use a very lightweight version, such as the HNT.

When his face vise closes up (using the standard knob currently provided) it rotates until it doesn't, which feels really good. None of this "give it a bit more hooch" just in case.

The wider faces come from his forthcoming Pattern Maker's Vise which will also rotate and tilt (he has one on his demo bench at shows etc). When I was playing with that a couple of weeks ago it occurred to me that there may be a way of modifying the PMV to act as a more or less leg vise. One of the tilt or rotate functions would have to go, so probably best to lose the tilt. I can see a rotating vise being universally useful to almost everyone. Maybe remove a pin to allow the rotation and replace the pin to get it back into correct alignment.

When is the Perth Show? Early August I think. You could inspect Terry's 3 vises and use them there, if you can wait 9 weeks.

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

I’d be a bit afraid of them bending if I clamp on one side only.

Forgot to say that Terry's vise doesn't rack, so it doesn't need an equally thick piece on the other side. Also to do with not needing excessive force to hold things in place, especially with the suede glued to the face.

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

Paul,

Yes I was referring to your ‘lived in’ bench rather than the new one pictured. I also note that you’ve added suede lining to your aluminium vise.

Brett,

I’ll give the HNT Gordon vise some thought, thanks. Any knocks on a vise made from aluminium rather than cast iron? Bending or deforming of the jaws for instance? I’d be a bit afraid of them bending if I clamp on one side only. Do you know what size the larger vise will be?

Thanks again,
Zac

Zac
Thanks for mentioning the "lining" of the vice jaws. I deliberately took a pic so you could see that and then forgot to mention it . Aluminium does in my opinion require some form of a cushion on the jaws for grip and to avoid marking from the raw aluminium (this is not an issue if it has been anodised). You have very kindly described the material as suede, but I have to tell you it was a very old welder's apron that had been discarded and I picked up from the local tip about thirty years ago! I finally could not wear it any more and I now salvage small pieces from it for purposes such as this. It is a failing of mine to do such things. Steptoe has nothing on me!

As the faFF team (FenceFurniture and Fletty) will testify from their recent trip when they called in at Millmerran, one of my favourite pieces of trivia is to ask people which is heavier: Glass or Aluminium? The answer is Aluminium. Not by much but it is RD is 2.7. The majority of glass that we come into contact with is less than that at around 2.5. (However some glass is heavier such as lead crystal and other specialised glass is heavier again.) My point is that aluminium is not the flimsy material we associate with soft drink cans. A lot of semi-trailer truck bodies are made from aluminium.

It also has the advantage that if your prized tools come into contact with it the tools will not be damaged. This of course is more of an issue with the traditional steel face vice than a leg vice.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Video on the X-Link leg vise:
https://www.hovartercustomvise.com/2...-installation/

In the vid he shows a bench with a Lake Erie Wooden Screw LV on one end, and a Hovarter X Link LV on the other. If you don't want to watch the installation you can look at the first and last 60 seconds (at say 13:00 mins). He seems to think the bench is heavy, but I doubt Paul will be convinced.

Brett

What can I say? Heavy? Without trying to sound like a clone of Crocodile Dundee, That is not heavy. Firstly, it is made of Cherry (American Cherry is ~560Kg/m3) so the legs would need to be about a foot square! But I am being dramatic. Please ignore the literary histrionics. Just look at the video. At 11:10 minutes he closes the vice and the bench scoots a few inches across the floor. At 11:22 he lifts the bench one handed (Don't care how many hours you spend at the gym, you shouldn't be able to do that) and at the end of the video he demonstrates the flimsiness by wobbling the whole bench.

But I liked the video and his use of hand tools. I was unsure why he was wearing ear muffs when using his frame saw (or was he wired for sound). It was also informative and done in a modest and practical way.

I am unconvinced about the weight. However if he wishes to change my mind on any point I can be contacted by PM whereupon I will advise him what alcohol I drink.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

At 11:10 minutes he closes the vice and the bench scoots a few inches across the floor.

Yes, I guffawed at that (after he said how damned heavy it was). I think there might be some racking too. It just looked bloody flimsy! Just goes to show how spoilt we still for timber choices in this country. People from UK, Europe and the USA just don't get how radically different our timber is. South Americans and Africans would have a reasonable understanding.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I am unconvinced about the weight. However if he wishes to change my mind on any point I can be contacted by PM whereupon I will advise him what alcohol I drink.

I suspect fletty and I can prolly do that on your behalf.

I've got to say, that video didn't do the vise much justice because the bench was so wobbly! And it was a newly made one! Time to put some cross bracing in I think.

Zac

Just saw the edit in post #26. Looks like a good strong bench and well braced unlike some that could be named.

https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com...ish-workbench/

Regards
Paul

Ok, time for an update on the workbench. I had planned to finish it last long weekend, but chose instead to spend the time at my parent's farm and visit some relatives. This, plus impending exams means that it is not done, but I did make some progress on it today during study breaks (or should I say I did some study during shed breaks).

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I'm now at the stage of flattening the top, and next will be to smooth the top and other external surfaces. After that I'll give it a few coats of linseed oil. I'll post photos as I go. I'd like to say that the vise is ordered and let everyone know which way I've gone, but Ill be making that decision in the next few days.

Thanks for reading,
Zac.

Bench is looking good Zac.

Regards
Paul

And here it is with its first coat of oil.

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The good light was on the rear of the bench, unfortunately.

Edit: I've also made some enquiries to Len Hovarter and Terry Gordon about their vises and will inform the Forum of my decision once it has been made.

Thanks again,
Zac.

The oil certainly changes the look. Workbench becomes dining table!

Regards
Paul

Now that everyone has seen the bench, what do you think would look best as a face vise? A more traditional leg vise with a chop from the same material as the bench (maybe with a shiny handwheel), or the more blingy HNT Gordon aluminium vise with brass highlights? Opinions are welcome.