A good bench vise is a shop tool that a person may not truly appreciate until the day that the bench vise isnt there. In the case of bench vises being used to clamp onto a workpiece that is to be filed or sawed, the workpiece may shift under the persons work. In these instances, a person may feel frustrated at the inability of the workpiece to remain in place while performing the necessary task.
However, with the purchase of a solid bench vise, such frustrating instances can be eliminated. Not all vises are create the same, though, so it is important for a person to understand the main types of vises available before selecting one for there shop. The difference between some of the types of bench vises includes the way that each type grips onto the workpiece, the amount of space that is required for each vise to set onto the workbench, and how much abuse can be placed onto each type of vise over time.
Some of the designs of bench vises have originated as ancient designs, yet they are unbeatable in the performance of certain tasks. Other designs were created in the moddern age to solve a specific problem that a person might not even notice exists within the shop. The varieties of bench vises will be discussed in order of the way in which they are discovered when shopping for a new vise in most wood and metal shops.
Common Types of Bench Vises for Your Shop
1. Parallel-Jaw Vises
Each type of vise has its benefits, but also its tradeoffs that a person should consider prior to making such an investment in a new shop tool. Bench vises that are known as parallel-jaw vises are the type of vises that the average person most commonly thinks of when the concept of a bench vise is discussed. The jaws of these vises are maintained in a position that is parallel to one another when the vise is opened or closed.
These vises are generally constructed with a heavy screw that passes through a nut that is secured to the movable jaw of the vise. Because the jaws are maintained in a parallel position, these vises are typically used for precision tasks in the shop. Bench vises of this type are one of the most common vises that are available for purchase for home shops.
Many of these vises come with soft-jaw inserts that are constructed of aluminum, wood, or plastic inserts that are added to the vise in a matter of seconds. These soft jaws are used to protect finished workpieces from being damaged by the vise. The weakness of these vises is that the deep throat that is created by the jaws can be a problem for workpieces that is tall in nature and need to be placed up against the edge of the workbench.
Despite this weakness, though, a person who is purchasing only a single vise for there shop would be hard pressed to find a better option for a bench clamp. The next of the most common vises are machinist vises, which are also referred to as precision vises or a toolmaker’s vise. These types of vises are generally smaller in size than other types of bench vises, are constructed of hardened steel, and often have a base that allows for the vise to be rotated in a full circle.
2. Machinist Vises
The jaws of these vises are ground to be square with one another to within a fraction of a thousandth of an inch. These features allow for a person to use the vise as a piece of measuring equipment in there shop. These types of vises are typically used for situations where a person wants to have the same setups each time that they use the vise.
A person can set the vise to a specific measurement and call upon the vise for each task. Additionally, their compact size allows for these vises to live on a milling table or next to a drill press. The tradeoff with the machinist vise is that the opening within the vise can be limited to only four or five inch in width.
Thus, one of these vises will not be used for tasks like clamping onto a two-by-four board, but may be of benefit for wood or metal craft tasks. Another variety of bench vises are woodworking vises. These types of vises take the idea of the parallel-jaw vise and adapts it to softer materials and larger workpieces.
3. Woodworking Vises
Woodworking vises are often referred to as face vises, and their wooden jaws are typically taller than they are wide. Many woodworkers even make their own woodworking vise jaws out of thick maple wood. Another feature that woodworking vises have incorporated into their design is a quick-release mechanism in the handle.
When a person pulls on a trigger on the handle of the vise, the jaws can be quickly released from the workpiece. This can save each and every person minutes each and every day in there shop. Additionally, because the workpiece is constructed of wood, it will not leave a dent in the expensive wood boards that are clamped within the vise.
The downside of such a vise is that metal chips will become embedded into the jaw of the vise, which can leave scratches onto the next project that is clamped onto the vise. A metal insert for these vises can solve this problem, though, and is an item that each person should own. The next of the varieties of bench vises are leg vises, which are also referred to as shoulder vises.
4. Leg Vises
These types of vises are mounted onto one of the legs of the bench. A large wooden screw passes through the workpiece and the movable jaw of the vise to a nut that is set into one of the legs of the bench. Because this screw is located low on the vise, the force that is applied to the workpiece is applied near the top of the bench.
This placement avoids flexing of the bench while it is in use. The benefit of using a leg vise is that a person is able to clamp onto one end of a board with the leg vise, then place the other end of the board on a deadman or a peg. This setup creates rock-solid holding of the workpiece without the bench itself rocking in its placement on the shop floor.
This vise does not maintain the strength of its jaws in a parallel position to one another, though. The jaws will follow the arc of the screw when the vise is opened. Skilled woodworkers may use a guide for the vise or place a wedge between the workpiece and the vise to keep the jaws in a true, even position.
This type of vise can become somewhat addictive for tasks like planing the ends of long stock. Another type of vise that is produced in workshops and machine shops alike are engineer’s vises. These types of bench vises are made for metalwork projects.
5. Engineer’s Vises
Engineer’s vises are constructed with thick sections of ductile iron or steel. The anvil portion of the vise behind the movable jaw is hardened so that people can use it to hammer metal workpieces without damaging the vise. Additionally, the vise generally features a swivel base that allows the vise to be locked into any position by a single lever.
Engineer’s vises are used in situations where metal workpieces are to be cut, welded, bent, or pounded. The jaws of these vises are serrated. Many engineer’s vises also feature a pipe jaw that is separate from the vise’s main jaws.
This separate jaw is shaped in a way that allows it to grip metal pipe without crushing the pipe. The downside of these types of vises is their weight. A six-inch engineer vise may weigh sixty pounds or more.
This weight is fantastic for metal workpieces, yet terrible for moving the vise from one part of a shop to another. These types of vises will typically have a permanent home on one corner of a workbench for the career of a shop. Another type of vise that is available and one of the more common modifications to bench vises are quick-action vises.
6. Quick-Action Vises
Quick-action vises were created to eliminate the waste of time that people waste when opening and closing the vises by spinning the handle. The jaw of a quick-action vise can be rapidly moved into place by sliding it, then the spinning of the handle will clamp the workpiece into the vise. Some quick-action vises use a lever instead of a handle to move the jaw.
Instead of having to use a screw to move the workpiece, this quick-action lever or handle will save a person time. These types of vises are of the most benefit for tasks that require a person to change setups with the workpiece with frequency. Woodworkers who perform tasks like dovetailing or batch carving will find quick-action vises to be of great benefit.
The tradeoff for quick-action vises is that the vise will have a slight loss of clamping force with the jaws compared to a plain screw vise of the same size. This loss of clamping force will not be noticed for most projects, though. Only in tasks like bending thick metal will a person become aware that there is a loss of clamping strength.
A newer type of vise that is available today is the vacuum vise. Rather than using mechanical force to clamp onto a workpiece, a vacuum vise uses the force of atmospheric pressure to clamp onto the workpiece. A pump that is either hand- or electric-operated removes the air from the area beneath the workpiece that is clamped onto the vise.
7. Vacuum Vises
The atmospheric pressure of the remaining air presses against the workpiece, clamping it to the vise with hundreds of pounds of force. The benefit to vacuum vises is that nothing clamps onto the edges of the workpiece, allowing people to machine or carve the workpiece to its edges without having to reposition that workpiece. This is of great benefit to people performing small and intricate tasks like jewelry work or crafting guitar inlays.
The limitation of vacuum vises is in the fact that the workpiece must be flat and even for the atmospheric pressure to effectively clamp the workpiece to the vise. Porous or rough-sawn workpieces will not work within a vacuum vise clamp. Another group of vises that is worth discussing are those that feature an integral pipe jaw.
8. Vises with Integral Pipe Jaws
These types of vises have a jaw that drops into a V-shape jaw that is located beneath the main, flat jaws of the vise. These features allow for a person to drop a metal pipe into the vise to be welded, cut, or threaded. Those who work with metal pipes in workshops, whether plumber, steamfitters, or metal fabricators will find this feature to be of benefit.
The tradeoff to these features is that the added mechanism to allow dropping of the pipe into the vise adds to the bulk of the vise. Thus, these vises may prevent people from accessing workpieces that are close to the edge of the bench. This feature is likely to be included on vises that are used for both metal and wood work.
Regardless of the type of vise that is chosen for a shop, there are a few general guidelines that a person should follow in the placement of the vise onto the bench. First, the vise should be mounted near one of the corners of the bench. This allows for the bench itself to extend the vise’s functionality.
Additionally, it is important to leave room behind the vise for workpieces that are long and need to swing past the vise. Finally, a person should always have a few sets of soft jaw pads for the vises, because each person will eventually forget to bring these with them into the shop. Though relatively unglamorous, a good bench vise will be found near every workbench.
A vise will sit idle in a shop until needed. Once selected, however, it will be the one shop tool that helps to make all others in the shop more effective. The most important task for each person in the shop is to purchase the right type of vise for the work that they perform, and to provide it with a permanent home on the workbench.
By doing so, a person will recieve decades of silent and rock-solid service from their bench vises.
