Thread: Leg Vise help

I think you need to drill holes in your parallel guide and use a pin to prevent it from racking (i.e. dropping) vertically. Or use a "criss-cross" mechanism.

The bench is looking amazing. Have you tried waxing all the components? Or possibly packing a small piece of paper or veneer behind the top of the nut for the vice to get the alignment correct?

Thanks for replies

Originally Posted by KahoyKutter

I think you need to drill holes in your parallel guide and use a pin to prevent it from racking (i.e. dropping) vertically. Or use a "criss-cross" mechanism.

Thanks, i'ts always hard to describe by words. This issue of sticking jamming is before I get to clamp something. If I do ½ to say 2 turns in or out the parallel guide sticks in the vertical direction ie tilted horizontally looking sideways. I cannot turn the crew more than the above without having to pull the chop in or out manually at the level of the guide to continue to turn the screw. For example if the vice was closed and I was to clamp a piece 150mm / 6" wide I would have to manually pull the chop at the bottom several times to open it up.

The pin / St Peters cross etc comes into play when clamping force is applied to keep the chop parallel at the top (stop the bottom moving in) to grip the piece. I will be using something similar to the chain tensioner which works well when clamping which I have fitted and it works well for clamping. A criss cross requires more vertical space than I have available on this Moravian design.

The only other thing to try would be enlarging the mortice vertically but not sure if running the screw through the nut tilted all the time would cause problems down the track.

Originally Posted by DerekC

The bench is looking amazing. Have you tried waxing all the components? Or possibly packing a small piece of paper or veneer behind the top of the nut for the vice to get the alignment correct?

Hi Derek, trust you and yours are well. No I haven't waxed yet, was waiting until after I oiled everything, the colours will show up more then. I have tried shimming the nut to tilt the screw up slightly. This helps with the screw rubbing on the through holes but does not help the guide sticking. I have a few screws to choose from, I chose the tightest one that still moved well in the nut ie least play. Maybe I could try a "sloppier nut" but don't see the reason why that would be better unless its the screw sticking and not the guide visually it looks like the guide.

Was there a reason you had wheels on your vice guide? - to keep everything in alignment and a smooth action?

Here is a pic before I started the vice - I'll do a write up here eventually.

IMG_2006.jpg

Originally Posted by skywarka

........This issue of sticking jamming is before I get to clamp something.....

Sorry, I misunderstood.


Is the problem only at maximum extension or close to it?

I noticed in Derek C's vice he had wheels above and below the guide (only below at the front after installing the chain tensioner). I could put a wheel on the bottom of the chop. Or go to a thinner, smaller, lighter chop. Or I could make the mortice in the back board taller. However, this later option does not solve the issue of the screw binding on the through holes and may make it worse.

Skywarka, there are two Dereks on the forum with a surname beginning wth C. The other Derek lives in Qld. It may be less confusing for my mother if he added a surname!

Anyway. I would not use wax on the bench top. You do not want the top to be slippery. Mine is slightly roughened. A coat of Danish Oil is good, mainly to prevent glue sticking.

I notice that you spotted that one of the wheels I used at the start was removed when I added the chain tensioner. Now that wheel is just waiting to go to a new home! Let me know if you want it for your leg vise and, if so, you can collect next weekend.

Regards from Perth

Derek

No problem, It allowed me to write a better explanation (too long as I tend to do).

Apologies to all DerekC's for creating confusion.

Thanks for the offer of the wheel. Not sure yet, I could put it under at the front but would need to cut a mortice in the chop to allow full closure. Might be simpler to just put it on the bottom on the floor as long as I keep it clean.

Definitely no wax on the top - oil only.

TTFN

Tony

Tony, you could turn the wheel up side down, attach it to the lower end of the leg vise chop, and run it along the floor.

Imagine this reversed ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

First year as an apprentice we were "tethered" to a bench fitted with a LV. It was a massive contraption designed by a masochist. You could easily dislocate a shoulder trying to pull the thing open. Upon success, the bloody thing would then take a graceful bow towards the floor! A small brass wheel mounted on the bench leg, directly below the horrizontal guide rail, solved the problem. A mortice in the leg of the chop to accomodate the wheel when the vice was closed and the job was done. Open and close with a finger.

Evening Gents

Thanks for your thoughts derekcohen and rustynail so I did some checking / experimenting today. Firstly I checked the measurements of the guide mortice on Will Myers video. It was supposed to be the guide height plus ¼" / 6mm. Mine was 4mm less 1mm of slippery plastic (sticky back teflon sheet) I put on the bottom. So I opened up the mortice to plus 5mm at the top. I could see gaps at either side of the mortice and the guide so it was not binding anymore. Helped a bit as I could now "power" through the sticky bit and it was now the screw that was very stiff. I could see that it was drooping the further out the chop went and the stiffer it got. I can see dark jarrah screw tracks on the lighter tuart on the bottom of the back through hole (not on the top) confirming the droopiness. The screw is also becoming shiny / burnished.

I had a spare 2" straight castor so screwed it to a block and temporarily clamped it under the guide so that the screw was central in the through holes at the closest position. Whilst this helped in close as soon as it was open a couple more inches the centre of gravity made the chop start to droop again. As my chop is 20mm off the floor I moved the wheel to the inside of the chop at the bottom on the floor adjusted so the screw was in the middle of the through hole at full open (400mm - don't know when I would actually use that). This worked well and I was able to turn the screw with low effort until about 2" out. As you can see in the pic above I can fully close the chop with the wheel in this position as there is no leg there in the Moravian design. I am guessing the floor isn't quite parallel to the screw and it was binding again. If I manually try with my other hand to keep the screw central I can turn it more easily.

Tomorrow's test will be one of the slightly looser smoother screw. Just got to make the nut slightly shorter to fit in the antitwist mortice on the back of the leg and be central to the through holes. I'll let you know what transpires. Then I might go ahead and oil key parts so I can wax them which will help of course.

So in answer to my original question at the start, I think a chop can be too heavy. Funny though until derekcohen's and rustynails comments I had not seen anyone with wheels on their LV's ie Y-T examples. I like solving problems especially with help from fellow wood wranglers.

TTFN

Tony

You do realise kind sir we both have the same Icon and our names are so close but we are not related thank goodness

Also looks like we are partial to bacon. Anything is better with bacon. Although Gammon comes close.

I don't post often so I am not up on the intricacies of all the settings. In forum views does the icon / avatar appear normally it doesn't seem to in my views. I can see it in my profile page but not on posts or anyone else's posts. So I guess I have a setting turned off somewhere edit found it - I'll change mine you might like it.

If my memory serves me correctly, the horizontal rail ran between two stretcher rails, one above and one below the horrizontal rail.The freeplay was excessive due to either shrinkage and or wear but once the wheel was fitted, the horizontal rail of the vice was running nicely against the top stretcher which fixed the droop. I might also add, the horrizontal rail length was the full width of the bench minus the thickness of the back leg.

Tony, I see a much better solution to a wheel on the floor. Place the wheel under the parallel guide.

To do this, you need to remove the lower end of the chop (which is unused). The wheel runs under the parallel guide, supporting the parallel guide and chop ...



One on the outside ...



And one on the inside ...



Regards from Perth

Derek