# How to widen a groove after gluing up



## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

Hi there 

I have been making a chain driven vise. It’s almost done. The groove for the chain is just right for the chain but I have made a mistake in not measuring the fast link’s width. It is slightly big for the groove. 

It is 2 3/4 “ deep and I need to increase the width by 1.5mm. 
I can use a router plane but it’s not going to reach to the bottom of the groove. Even the plung router is not long enough. 
I can use a block and chisels to pare it but a piece 900mm is not fun to pare. 

Does anybody have a cleaver idea? 

See the pictures please.


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## MikeG. (17 Dec 2018)

Does the chain go in? I mean, does it just run too tightly, or does it not fit in there at all? If it runs too tightly you could just pull the chain back and forth by hand for a while until it wore away a groove by itself.

(Pare).

I'd pare it. It would only take 5 or 10 minutes. Or you could run it through the bandsaw and slip in an insert before re-gluing. This is one of those jobs that would be quicker to just get on and do than to ask advice about.


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## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

MikeG.":32spqf3m said:


> Does the chain go in? I mean, does it just run too tightly, or does it not fit in there at all? If it runs too tightly you could just pull the chain back and forth by hand for a while until it wore away a groove by itself.
> 
> (Pare).
> 
> I'd pare it. It would only take 5 or 10 minutes.



Hi Mike 
It is just about 0.1mm right. It goes in but gets stuck in. 
Can I use a router plane to take it down to 3/4 inch and then pare it?

I thought about using a band saw ( I don’t have one). But inserting anything will affect the hardware of the vise as the screws and shafts have been cut to size on this piece.


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## CHJ (17 Dec 2018)

Sheet abrasive stuck to a sliding fit wood blade should remove .1mm reasonably quickly, suspect you need a bit more clearance than you envision to cater for atmospheric wood expansion, chain lubrication contamination etc.


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## MikeG. (17 Dec 2018)

You could use a router plane, but it would be far quicker to just scribe a line and pare to that. From my understanding of what you are trying to achieve, it doesn't have to be a clean and neat mortice. You just need the clearance. Get a gauge out, get a mallet and chisel out, and start work. You'd have finished already if you'd have started when I wrote my last post.


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## Sgian Dubh (17 Dec 2018)

SMALMALEKI":2o5hhb91 said:


> I have been making a chain driven vise. It’s almost done. The groove for the chain is just right for the chain but I have made a mistake in not measuring the fast link’s width. It is slightly big for the groove.


I think it's one of those errors where it's probably easier to just remake from scratch, and recycle the cock-up for something else. Slainte.


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## Tasky (17 Dec 2018)

As above, I'd crack out the chisels and stick some sandpaper to a bit of wood.


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## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

Thank you for all the great advices. I scribes a line and made a fence for it. Then used chisels to pare it. It works alright now. 
Thanks again for supportive community. 
One of the forum members kindly sorted a lot of final touching stages on my hardware yesterday. 
I thought it is my duty to thank him in the forum. 

Thank you Robin


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## Woody2Shoes (17 Dec 2018)

Looking good! I'm glad you took the chisel option - that's what they're for, really.

Where did you get the hardware?


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## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

Woody2Shoes":1fui6s17 said:


> Looking good! I'm glad you took the chisel option - that's what they're for, really.
> 
> Where did you get the hardware?


 
It’s kind of homemade vise. I had everything made for me individually. 
An experimental project.


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## Woody2Shoes (17 Dec 2018)

Green with hardware envy!! :lol:


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## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

Woody2Shoes":2n5v46hb said:


> Green with hardware envy!! :lol:


Hardware cost me £25 only. It is cheap. Isn’t it?


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## Inspector (17 Dec 2018)

I would use the table saw to remove most of it and then chisel the remaining in the ends. Attach an extended fence and put a clamp at each end to limit the cut, raise the blade to the depth you need, cut until you reach the second clamp and turn off the saw, waiting until the blade stops before taking it off. Keep the slot to the side of the blade between the fence and it won't pinch. You can do both sides of the slot like this or take off all the waste from one side. 

Should take you less time than it did for me to type this one letter at a time. Okay maybe a few minutes longer. :roll: 

Pete


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## --Tom-- (17 Dec 2018)

SMALMALEKI":20hylq1g said:


> Woody2Shoes":20hylq1g said:
> 
> 
> > Green with hardware envy!! :lol:
> ...


 Any chance you could share the source?


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## SMALMALEKI (17 Dec 2018)

--Tom--":2wh33n04 said:


> SMALMALEKI":2wh33n04 said:
> 
> 
> > Woody2Shoes":2wh33n04 said:
> ...



I accidentally saw a shop selling the screw while abroad on holiday. I got 100cm cut to two and then a shaft was turned on a lathe. The rest were off the shelf bearing, bushes, roller chain and sprockets. 

It was a good learning experiment. 

I


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## LBCarpentry (18 Dec 2018)

Damn! You already went and did it, and I had the answer as well as I’ve just had to do the same thing........ I used my festool domino XL! Set the depth and height and just keep plunging along. Happy days


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## SMALMALEKI (18 Dec 2018)

LBCarpentry":3dnvzvn6 said:


> Damn! You already went and did it, and I had the answer as well as I’ve just had to do the same thing........ I used my festool domino XL! Set the depth and height and just keep plunging along. Happy days




Festool domino XL looks very cool but well over my pay scale. But thank you for advice.


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