# Out-of-true jaws on a vise I'm restoring



## threeReefs (27 Jan 2022)

What is it with vises ? seems you can never have enough of them.

I'm fixing up an old steel Woden bench vise at the moment and have found that the beds for the jaws are not at 90deg to the body of the vise itself ... here's the vise :





...and here's a top-down shot. You can see the misalignment on the bottom jaw clearly and it's there on the top one too. I'm not talking about top-bottom taper, which I know some vises have to ensure that the jaws go square when they're tightened because the tightening force comes from the bottom... this is side-to-side out-of-alignment with the main travel of the jaws. Cannot think how it got like that, would be a pretty big flaw in the original casting.




My thought is to get the faces/beds milled true, so they're perpendicular to the vise again - but I thought I'd float it here and see if anyone says "Ah, that's a specialised vise for holding marine woggle flanges, and you need jaws at 87deg to the body" or somesuch. The quality of the casting overall is actually pretty rough, so it's possible it really was just a manufacturing issue. Thoughts appreciated !

Richard


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## Jacob (27 Jan 2022)

It's not exactly a precision instrument so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. File the jaw plates so they meet reasonably well and leave it at that?
Maybe there's enough slack in it so that the jaw plates will meet straight anyway, when tightened, without having to do anything.


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## hawkeyefxr (27 Jan 2022)

I go along with that, make the jaw plates to suit.


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## Inspector (27 Jan 2022)

Formerly owned by a grauch artist. 

Pete


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## pe2dave (27 Jan 2022)

Is it just wear (from some odd use?).
Agree on getting them milled square.


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## TFrench (27 Jan 2022)

My money's on dog rough casting - how do the jaws align with the plates fitted? If you do mill it, refit the screw and tension it (with a machinist jack or something similar) so it's aligned properly when you tighten it. I've got a swindens I'm going to be working on next. Needs everything - the leadscrew and nut are totally wrecked so it's going to be a lot of work!


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## threeReefs (28 Jan 2022)

I *could* just leave it, but I restore old tools as much to learn about the materials and processes involved, as to get them back in use, so I don't mind putting a bit more effort in than is strictly justified. And it's the sort of error that's going to annoy me every time I look at it, now I know it's there. The leadscrew is pretty good, which is a relief because the vise is quick-release so the screw is not something I'd want to try re-doing !

Interestingly this pattern of vise is something you see lots of, under all sorts of different brands, from that era - almost like there was a foundry pushing 'blanks' out somewhere with minor customisations (like logos etc) and then selling on to companies who would finish them to their own spec.

Tom, we need pictures of the Swindens...


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## TFrench (28 Jan 2022)

I keep meaning to start a vice thread but I've got so many now I don't know where to start! 
This is the front jaw and screw of the swindens - you can just about see the screw, which I think has been snapped, welded back together and the thread recut with an angle grinder.  they've then wound it into the nut, which has just eaten the thread inside it. Plan is to cut the meatball off, machine a new screw and weld back together. Possibly machine the bore in the jaw for a thrust bearing as well, because why not.


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## Inspector (28 Jan 2022)

I was almost right. Owned by a graunch artist and fixed by one too. 

Pete


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## toolsntat (28 Jan 2022)

TFrench said:


> I keep meaning to start a vice thread but I've got so many now I don't know where to start!
> This is the front jaw and screw of the swindens - you can just about see the screw, which I think has been snapped, welded back together and the thread recut with an angle grinder.  they've then wound it into the nut, which has just eaten the thread inside it. Plan is to cut the meatball off, machine a new screw and weld back together. Possibly machine the bore in the jaw for a thrust bearing as well, because why not.


How close are those screws to a plain screw woodworking vice Tom?
Any good for it?
Cheers Andy


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## dannyr (29 Jan 2022)

TFrench said:


> I keep meaning to start a vice thread but I've got so many now I don't know where to start!
> This is the front jaw and screw of the swindens - you can just about see the screw, which I think has been snapped, welded back together and the thread recut with an angle grinder.  they've then wound it into the nut, which has just eaten the thread inside it. Plan is to cut the meatball off, machine a new screw and weld back together. Possibly machine the bore in the jaw for a thrust bearing as well, because why not.



Go on, start one.


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