Thread: What type of Vice ?

Lawrence, my main vices are to much alcohol and bad women, but for your vice if you are only giong to use it at this stage as a hobby, forget the shoulder and tail and buy the best and biggest front vice you can afford

Originally Posted by redwood

......forget the shoulder and tail and buy the best and biggest front vice you can afford

Hi Lawrence,

I am in a similar situation to you in that woodwork is just my hobby. I pretty much did what 'redwood' advises when I bought my vise. I settled on the Irwin Record 53ED Quick Release Vise. I only bought it the week before last and I installed it on my bench last weekend. So far, and I admit it is very early days at this stage, I am very happy with the vice. The 53ED is $242 at Carba-Tec. It is 265mm wide and opens 380mm.

Below are a couple of pictures of the vise on my bench. My bench, which occupies a corner of my garage, doesn't sound as nice yours. The top of mine is just 3 lengths of 240 x 45mm pine screwed onto a pine frame. One day I'll build a nice bench with a laminated hardwood top, but for now mine does the job.

Regards,
Mirboo.

Lawrence,

I also have one vice, Record, some years old. My bench has a 45mm top, with a 90mm x 45mm strip along the front. The overhang allows me to clamp long pieces when needed, with one end in the vice and the other end clamped to the front of the bench. seems to work OK for me.

Tex

Thanks, I will use your advice wisely and go with a front vice.

dont forget to include dog holes on your bench to go with your new vice. Get a Record. dont touch Torquita and i seen the Jet vices not long ago and looked excelent value for money. when your interest and skill grow get a good tail vice - Veritas highly recomended

Originally Posted by redwood

dont forget to include dog holes on your bench to go with your new vice.

I actually bought some tassie oak dowel and an auger bit yesterday in preparation for drilling some dog holes in my bench and making up some dogs. I've also made up a wooden dog to replace the steel one in the front of my vise. I didn't like the idea of hitting the steel one with any of my planes.

Regards,
Mirboo.

Carba-tec and Timbercon stock the Chinese-made Record knockoffs (of the 52 1/2) for about $80. They are very well made, just not as smooth as the Record in the sliding quick-release area. I have used two of them for several years.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I also have Record imitations, 2 of them, that I bought second hand. They work fine.

If you want to go up-market, you could look at the Aussie icon vice, the Dawn. As well as traditional front vices of various sizes, they have an interesting variation, the Pivot Jaw Vice.

You can have a look at the Dawn range at http://www.dawntools.com.au/prod02.htm#Pivot%20jaw%20WW

Cheers

Rob

When applying the face to the vise, remember that the pressure is transmitted at 45 degrees. So, if you want a wide face, you should make the face thicker to allow for it.

Hi Lawrence,
I'm in the state of planning to build a workbench, and I think of buiding it with a Veritas Twin Tail Vice and a shoulder vice. I think there are some advantages in a shoulder vice other vices don't have. For example you can clamp a board verticaly without any guiderod being in the way. More about it can be read in " The Workbenchbook " by Scott Landis. The only snag with this kind of vice is that you have to build the bench accordingly. It would be a major task to retrofit it to an existing bench.