Thread: Left hander vice setup

One possibility would be a twin screw vice as an end vice, allows for multiple rows of dog holes and leaves the bench top clear unless you have dogs inserted. Use a 50mm+ board for the moving jaw on the twin screw, and you can run a dog holes in the jaw to coincide with those in the bench. Basically means you have vice capability across about 2/3rds of the bench width, which should leave enough clearance underneath to have a decent sized face vice as positioned. Not sure about price implications, I know the twin screws are fairly expensive but don't know pricing for the HNT.

Nice idea Malb. I do like the idea of a wide end vice. It’d be good to have the extra capacity, and it would be like having a Moxon integrated into the bench itself, which could be nice. It would also mean that with a few rows of dog holes running the length of the bench, I could hold down wide boards, like a laminated tabletop.

My only reservation is it could be bulky. I wonder if it might be annoying for any tasks happening at that end of the bench. Because of the orientation, it will probably be the most used portion of the bench, because it is the most accessible. That’s why the HNT Gordon tail vide appealed to me. It’s very unobtrusive.

Cost is always a consideration… but I realise I’ll need to pay for the things I want. For example, I want a front vice that doesn’t rack… then again, if I go with a twin screw end/tail setup, that’s a very flexible thing will probably sort out the majority of clamping jobs. A simpler and cheaper front vice would then probably be fine. I imagine it being used mostly for edge work on longer boards, with a deadman for support.

I can afford 1 high end vise, but I don’t want to spend thousands on the best of the best…

The pony Jorgensen Pro QR front vice would prob do the job. And a Veritas twin screw seems to be the go to option. Probably get away with it for <$1000, which would be fine.

The tail vise should be at the other end, front vise is correct for a leftie.
A grand for a vise?
To my mind,that seems quite excessive, a $100 second hand Joplin or Carter with a coat of paint is going to do the exact same job, without fuss or bother, leaving $900 to buy other stuff.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

The tail vise should be at the other end, front vise is correct for a leftie.

agree, but it’s gonna be hard up against the wall on the other end.

I know there’ll be times where I want to move it out to get access all around the bench, but I also know I’ll want to leave it in place 90% of the time. my big assembly table is mobile… but I rarely move it

The way you have drawn it will work and given the reasons you have pointed out it sounds fine. We all have to make the space we have work when all is said and done. One thing I would think about is retractable wheels for moving the bench. Sure you can use it with an end against the wall but being a short bench there will be times when longer bits of wood will need to overhang that end. As to a $1000 vice well its your money but since you have a moxon already do you need another double screw vice.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

The way you have drawn it will work and given the reasons you have pointed out it sounds fine. We all have to make the space we have work when all is said and done. One thing I would think about is retractable wheels for moving the bench. Sure you can use it with an end against the wall but being a short bench there will be times when longer bits of wood will need to overhang that end. As to a $1000 vice well its your money but since you have a moxon already do you need another double screw vice.
Regards
John

yep, it’ll get a set of wheels for sure, for exactly the use case you mentioned.

I could get by with the moxon for a while, but it’s quite narrow between the screws, and is really for dovetail boxes, not general purpose. The main advantage of twin screw end vise is that I can put dogs in the chop and use it to hold long boards for face planing. Can’t do that with the Moxon.

I think it’s more like $700 for both vises. Twin screw is about $500, and a reasonable front vise is couple hunge. If I drop the twin screw, the I’ll want either a non-racking leg vise (probably benchcrafted with Criss cross) or a face vise that doesn’t rack (probably the HNT Gordon). Either way, it’s gonna cost about the same I think…

2c

First I'm part blind so I've done my best to look at your drawing and had a quick look at the bench links.

Second I am cross dominant, neither left right handed nor ambidextrous. The weird 4th option...

This may have been suggested above. If I were in that situation I'd stick a full width vice on the open end and a small vice at the top right. If you space your dog holes right you will get clamping off both vices. You could fit those square stepped dogs which drop down flush and you lift and rotate to set them proud of the top.

I realise this places your side vice in the corner, but it would become the second choice when working and if necessary you can roll out the bench when required. If you are clamping long work you'd be sticking an end in the vice and running the work outwards anyway, so if planing for example your only hitting the wall at one end. A bit of rolling would sort it if necessary.

If the end vice is double screw and the screws are down a bit that makes it a very versatile and convenient clamping surface.

Woodsmith had a plan years ago for a very compact bench. I think it had drawer and cabinet also. I thought at the time that if you fixed a twin screw vice at one end and made the whole top to slide it would make a very useful bench for it's size. It was pretty small though, about 2' square. Not everyone has the luxury of a big dedicated space for workshop...

I'm "fiftyhalfty." Some things I do left handed, others right. I like a bench with one end against something solid, preferably a post, so long pieces can sail on through. The other three sides with total access. My end vice is made up of two face vices with three dog holes in each of the moving chops and a corrosponding triple row of dog holes extending the full length of the bench. Face vices are at the post end of the bench, one each side. This set up allows the bench to be used from both sides at once for a left or right handed person. Or, like me, a fiftyhalfty

Originally Posted by damian

2c

First I'm part blind so I've done my best to look at your drawing and had a quick look at the bench links.

Second I am cross dominant, neither left right handed nor ambidextrous. The weird 4th option...

This may have been suggested above. If I were in that situation I'd stick a full width vice on the open end and a small vice at the top right. If you space your dog holes right you will get clamping off both vices. You could fit those square stepped dogs which drop down flush and you lift and rotate to set them proud of the top.

I realise this places your side vice in the corner, but it would become the second choice when working and if necessary you can roll out the bench when required. If you are clamping long work you'd be sticking an end in the vice and running the work outwards anyway, so if planing for example your only hitting the wall at one end. A bit of rolling would sort it if necessary.

If the end vice is double screw and the screws are down a bit that makes it a very versatile and convenient clamping surface.

Woodsmith had a plan years ago for a very compact bench. I think it had drawer and cabinet also. I thought at the time that if you fixed a twin screw vice at one end and made the whole top to slide it would make a very useful bench for it's size. It was pretty small though, about 2' square. Not everyone has the luxury of a big dedicated space for workshop...

Your advice is right on the money Damian. Thanks.

I think a twin screw on the open end is going to be the vise that sees the most action. I’m now planning to use a Lie Nielsen chain drive twin screw. LN recommends a 4 inch top, with 2.5 inch pockets cut to the underside of the bench to enclose the hardware. Instead, I’m going to take the Mike Farmington approach, where it’s a more like a 3 inch top with a 5-6 inch high apron bolted onto the side. This way, the vise hardware can be mounted directly to the bottom of the bench, greatly simplifies the installation, and also giving some good height and screw clearance in the top of the jaws.

Flipping the front vise into the corner also makes good sense. With such a flexible end vise, I will probably hardly use it, and yes, it makes sense to have long boards sticking out the front of the bench, and not the other way around. Since this vise will be less important, I can just recycle my old front vise. It’s nothing special, just a regular plain screw woodworker vise, but it’ll do the job fine as a secondary vise, and saves some money since I already have it.

Excellent. This seems to be coming together.

Originally Posted by rustynail

I'm "fiftyhalfty."

Hilarious! I’ve never heard that one, but I like it, and I can relate. Especially in woodworking!

I suspect fiftyhafty and cross dominant are the same thing...

Just one more suggestion if I may. If you put your side vice down that end an adjustable support on the leg away from the wall will support long work during clamping.

I know people get carried away with $500 vices. They look fabulous and the marketing is skillful, but don't get carried away. If you really want to spend big money so be it, but it's a clamp. It's a tool. Plenty of people have produced very good pieces with average quality tools for generations. From what you say this isn't your ultimate bench, maybe leave the big $ purchases for when you build the special bench.

You mean like a sliding deadman? It’s a good idea.

I ordered the LN chain drive for end vice, and I’m going to reuse my existing front vise for the other side. Timber was $400. This bench will be less than $1000 all in. I reckon that not bad going. It looks like it’s also going to be a fast build. I milled the parts for the top today, and will glue up in the morning.

im not really into the idea of ‘ultimate workbenches’, but… I do like tools that just work!

Originally Posted by rogerwilco

it’s gonna be hard up against the wall on the other end.

I just saw this post too, so i might chime in.

If you're planing towards the wall with the intent that the bench will be up against the wall, you're severely limiting yourself. A lot of planing you do will be with a plane larger than a No.4 or No.5 (a No.7 is an ideal sized plane for jointing). You need to account for the fact that such a plane will be long at the front, and that you typically follow through as you plane, so you need that iddy-biddy extra space for that movement.
Also, by I would say that you would loose efficiency by having the tail vise on the opposite side to the front vise. Not only because you have to walk around to the other side of the bench each time you wish to switch between vises, but it means that if you have anything on the workbench top (such as a square, straight edge etc) you usually push those to the back of the bench as you plane on the front of the bench, reaching over to grab those tools intermittently to check your work or do what you have to do. By having a vise on both sides it means continuously pushing anything (that includes drawings or even a novel item like a drink bottle) across to the opposing side of that which you wish to use...which would be annoying as all heck, to me. It also means it's trickier to have a bench - lamp, which in more recent times I have found is my MOST used tool

Cheers,
Siggy