Workbench Vises - all the different ones in the same thread - contributions please

VERITAS QUICK RELEASE FRONT VISE
US$295 + freight

It would be interesting to know how much thread jumping (if any) this vise does. Just thinking about the mechanics of Quick Release vises, I have difficulty seeing that thread jumping can be avoided, but Veritas are known for their great engineering, so maybe they have overcome it somehow.

It would appear that they are aiming this vise at people who have thinner workbenches, and certainly when mounted in a thin bench there is only potential to hold the workpiece by the bottom 50mm or so.

HOVARTER QUICK RELEASE FACE VISE
US$375 + freight

This vise seems to have some real potential for clamping large workpieces such as drawers.

The handles can be spaced from 450-625mm apart, so that it can accommodate holding a job about 600mm wide, but more importantly there is nothing preventing the job going right down to the floor if necessary.

You know, one of the things that frustrates me with far too many websites is either incomplete information (of the fundamentally important type), or having to dig around, even read reviews to get this bloody important information. Would you believe that I cannot find what the jaw opening is, fer crying out loud? It might be there somewhere, buried, but this should jump off the page at me. :(( :banghead: :punching:

It looks like the jaws open to about 250mm, which is surely ample. All this essentially means that you could hold a piece of timber (disregarding weight) that is 600x250mm by around a metre high. That's a pretty big workpiece!

There is also a slightly cheaper single handle version, and the reviewer (link on the site) stated that he went single handle because he needed three hands for the two handle jobbie. I think he may have missed the point entirely. You can operate either handle because they are linked.

That is a real bonus, and coupled with the general operation of "slide the jaws up to the job, and then a 1/4 turn to secure, this vise sounds like a real winner.

I know of one or two members who have a Hovarter, so I'll PM them to invite comment.

HOVARTER LEG VISE
US$345 + Freight

Contrary to what I said before, there is another Leg Vise on the market, and guess what? IT'S QUICK RELEASE.......

It operates on the same principle as the Face Vise, so there are no thread, therefore no thread jumping in the quick release.....

I say, this is starting to look very interesting indeed. I do particularly like the concept of Quick Release/Engage, but the thread jumping is a deal breaker. Len Hovarter has solved this problem completely by eliminating threads. :2tsup:

Video Demo of his Leg Vise and there's a few others there, including Timbernut (who created a very sexy little wheel get up for moving his bench around).

HOVARTER QUICK RELEASE WAGON VISE
US$240 +freight

This appears to be the same as the Benchcrafted Wagon Vise, but with the Quick Release Mechanism.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

HOVARTER QUICK RELEASE FACE VISE
US$375 + freight

This vise seems to have some real potential for clamping large workpieces such as drawers.

The handles can be spaced from 450-625mm apart, so that it can accommodate holding a job about 600mm wide, but more importantly there is nothing preventing the job going right down to the floor if necessary.

You know, one of the things that frustrates me with far too many websites is either incomplete information (of the fundamentally important type), or having to dig around, even read reviews to get this bloody important information. Would you believe that I cannot find what the jaw opening is, fer crying out loud? It might be there somewhere, buried, but this should jump off the page at me. :(( :banghead: :punching:

It looks like the jaws open to about 250mm, which is surely ample. All this essentially means that you could hold a piece of timber (disregarding weight) that is 600x250mm by around a metre high. That's a pretty big workpiece!

There is also a slightly cheaper single handle version, and the reviewer (link on the site) stated that he went single handle because he needed three hands for the two handle jobbie. I think he may have missed the point entirely. You can operate either handle because they are linked.

That is a real bonus, and coupled with the general operation of "slide the jaws up to the job, and then a 1/4 turn to secure, this vise sounds like a real winner.

I know of one or two members who have a Hovarter, so I'll PM them to invite comment.

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I've got one of these but haven't finished the bench to put it in :doh:
seems to be well made and the instructions seem to be well written
I think the opening would depend on the jaw size. I'll see if I can work it out tomorrow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

HOVARTER QUICK RELEASE WAGON VISE
US$240 +freight

This appears to be the same as the Benchcrafted Wagon Vise, but with the Quick Release Mechanism.

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I reckon it would be different - no threaded rod

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

I reckon it would be different - no threaded rod

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Yeah, I mean in terms of function.

Have you seen Timbernut's video? I had another look this morning, and I noted that when he pushed the face vise in it jagged a couple of times (a problem brought about by two parallel rods). Just wondering if it would help if the rods were in a couple of brass bushes protruding to the inside of the leg - or maybe it might make it worse?

Overall Hovarter would appear to be excellent vises.

I wonder about the necessity for the big long handle and bulky hub though. Handles sure do get in the way of things, and there is potential to have four of them on a bench (two for the face vise, and one each for the leg vise and wagon vise).

Given that final tightening is only a quarter of a turn it would be better (for me, anyway) if these were operated by a steel wheel similar to the Benchcrafted wheel. You wouldn't need the handle/knob that BC incorporate because that is for speed (QR sorts that out bigtime). It would be pretty compact in terms of not much sticking out from the vise face (any of them) and no blasted handle to crack you knee on or get other stuff caught on.

There are various wheels available from suppliers here such as this one from RCS Products in Melbourne

A couple of solutions for a "pinless" leg vise:

Maguire Pinless Leg Vice - £245.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

and of course

Chain Vise | Ancora Yacht Service (as tested by Derek)

Thanks Mr B.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

HOVARTER QUICK RELEASE FACE VISE
...

You know, one of the things that frustrates me with far too many websites is either incomplete information (of the fundamentally important type), or having to dig around, even read reviews to get this bloody important information. Would you believe that I cannot find what the jaw opening is, fer crying out loud? It might be there somewhere, buried, but this should jump off the page at me. :(( :banghead: :punching:

It looks like the jaws open to about 250mm, which is surely ample. All this essentially means that you could hold a piece of timber (disregarding weight) that is 600x250mm by around a metre high. That's a pretty big workpiece!

...

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Had a look at the installation instructions for the one handled option
The rods seem to be 21 3/8" long
take off 5" for the mechanism and the 3/8 for the circlip etc leaves you with 16 ish inches
two 2" thick jaws leave you with an opening of about 12" or about 300mm


not sure on the hub and the handle as will experiment when I make mine (I bought without handles and hubs)

Ah, interesting Nick. I hadn't got as far as seeing if they could be supplied without hubs/handles. Was that a special for you or regular option?

In that case, how does the hub attach to the shaft? Without watching the assembly video (yet) it looks like the orange flange sits on the end of the 1" rod (not quite sure why the hole is ovoid) and then a couple of screws through the flange into the wood. Am I close?

If I am, then it looks like a handwheel with a 1" mounting hole would work. That brings up another thing to be considered - because there would be quite significant force applied to the hand wheelin (oops, a typo, but I'll leave it:U) in that last 1/4 turn, a simple grub screw (regardless of size) would fail on the first tightening. Hmmm :think: the same thing would happen with the hub, so maybe there's a rod that goes through the small hole in the hub and through what looks like a corresponding hole in the 1" rod.

I have been reading this thread with interest. I wasn't going to post anything but if your mentioning Zyliss then I'll chuck in the progrip system.

You can mount progrips back to back or side by side. With 4 clamps of a suitable length they turn any bench into a clamp for doing face work like sanding or routing.

One of the big advantages is the plastic jaws won't marr the surface of the job or the table (table - Like the boss's furniture).

Clamping force is limited, but the system is relatively cheap and of course portable and versatile.

Youtube for videos and peachtree woodworking for pictures.

2c.

Just finshied a new bench with a Veritas Twin Screw at one end and a Veritas Sliding Tail Vice at the other.

Veritas Twin Screw.
Despite my bench being built with a lot of accuracey (+/- 0.5mm), with the vice install as per veritas instructions using the bench apron as the vice rear jaw (the simplest and most accurate method), the vice still starts to bind when opened up more than 100mm. It never binds to the point of stopping but the increased tension on the handles is a PITA. In time it would probably wear in.
On the plus side its a great vice and does hold the work well.

Veritas Sliding Tail Vice
The most important issue with this vice is the positioning of the fixing plate, it correct location is critical, as is the condition of the timber adjacent to it. The blurb from veritas would have you believe that this vice can be easily retrofitted to an existing bench by just simply attaching the fixing plate, well yes that is all you need to do but changes are the sliding timber block will bind against your bench top. If I were to fix this vice to an existing bench, I wouldn't attempt it without turning the bench up side down on it's top. The instructions advise a 1/4" offset from the edge of the bench, but unless your bench top underside and edge are exactly square, straight and flat along the front bench edge, I would cut that down to around 1/8" or less. Its not much but it will prevent the moving jaw binding to the front edge of the bench top.
Again, this is a great vice but pretty limited in what it does - it doesn't get used all that often but when you need it, its because nothing else works.

Mark, does that mean that if you had your time over you might use something different?

To make this thread a reference for future woodworkers, you may want to ask for it to be made a "Sticky".