Veritas Large Front Vice

[Nomad]

There's a workbench in my future, and I'm considering the large Veritas front vices from Axminster...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-fron ... sel=474642

I'd appreciate comments from anyone that's used them. In particular...

How well do the guide rods work in terms of keeping everything parallel and free of slop?
What's the minimum depth of bench that's needed excluding the thickness of the moving jaw?
Any issues with fitting?

 

[Jacob]

There's a workbench in my future, and I'm considering the large Veritas front vices from Axminster...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-fron ... sel=474642

I'd appreciate comments from anyone that's used them. In particular...

How well do the guide rods work in terms of keeping everything parallel and free of slop?
What's the minimum depth of bench that's needed excluding the thickness of the moving jaw?
Any issues with fitting?

Bit of a fashion item.
Record are superior by far, in every way.
https://paulsellers.com/2013/10/record- ... till-best/
You can pick up a good second hand one for £30 or so

 

[nabs]

I had one on my old bench - they work, obviously (!), but do rack a lot in use. As Jacob says you can get an old Record 52 1/2 for less and they are much better (in production for nearly a hundred years and no one has come up with a better design before or since).

seriously, you'd be much better off with a Record, but if you are intent on getting a Veritas you can have mine for 20 quid + postage (PM me)

 

[Chris152]

I have both types on my bench, my dad's Woden 189B No2 and the smaller version of the Veritas, and much prefer the Woden - it's much easier to work with and doesn't twist etc. For some reason the quick release seems to stop the winding handle engaging sometimes on the Woden but still much nicer to use in my experience.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's probably full of dirt - take it apart and clean it .

 

[Chris152]

It's probably full of dirt - take it apart and clean it .

You're probably right, Phil - I gave it a brush down before fitting but nothing else, and it had been on his bench decades without being cleaned.

 

[nabs]

yes that is one of the (few) minor issues with the design - dust and shavings can be carried into the half nut that controls the quick-release mechanism and if too much builds up the nut will ride up on the screw threads and the mechanism slips. The nut is easy to remove* and a quick clean-up should fix it.

*actually the rear carriage of the very early Records prevented the nut being removed from underneath which meant that you would have to remove the vice to get at the nut. The improved (and much more common) design fixes this so you can get to the nut from underneath. I have seen both designs for the Wodens.

 

[custard]

I...much prefer the Woden - it's much easier to work with and doesn't twist etc.

I'm not sure. The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist"), no matter how beefy the slides I've never found a traditional woodworking vice that's immune to abuse or even misuse. You can get vice designs, like the pattern makers style, which don't rack (or rather are designed to accommodate the extreme racking needed for angled and shaped workpieces), but then they have other issues, like they're the worst vice for dovetailing that I've ever used!

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

 

[Chip shop]

There's a workbench in my future, and I'm considering the large Veritas front vices from Axminster...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-fron ... sel=474642

I'd appreciate comments from anyone that's used them. In particular...

How well do the guide rods work in terms of keeping everything parallel and free of slop?
What's the minimum depth of bench that's needed excluding the thickness of the moving jaw?
Any issues with fitting?

To be honest, they're utter bobbins. I have one you can have for the price of postage. PM me if you want it, but I wouldn't bother if I was you.

Edit to say: Soz Nabs, didn't mean to undercut you, only read your post after. It's just I'm having a clear out at the mo, and it'd be going in the bin else.

 

[Jacob]

I...much prefer the Woden - it's much easier to work with and doesn't twist etc.

I'm not sure. The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist"), no matter how beefy the slides I've never found a traditional woodworking vice that's immune to abuse or even misuse. You can get vice designs, like the pattern makers style, which don't rack (or rather are designed to accommodate the extreme racking needed for angled and shaped workpieces), but then they have other issues, like they're the worst vice for dovetailing that I've ever used!

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Have been using, misusing and abusing my Record 52 1/2 E for 30+ years with absolutely no problem and no obvious racking. Including long periods in a workshop shared with heavy handed gorillas - once caught with a length of scaffold pipe on the handle for some extra duty compression. Didn't do any harm but expect that would damage it eventually, so that certainly not recommended!

Racking is a bit of a red herring - if necessary you put in a bit of packing - just as you would if trying to clamp a piece which isn't parallel sided. This is normal. All vices and clamping devices will 'rack' (distort under load) to a greater or lesser degree.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

....The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist")....

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

I quite agree, although I'd respectfully suggest that racking is usually not a big deal - if you can centre the workpiece in the vice - and can often actually be helpful in getting a good grip. I suppose racking to any extent in the vertical plane (rather than the horizontal, which I think we've assumed) would be a more annoying feature/fault that I think most type/makes of vice don't exhibit.

I'm confused over the relative merits of the "quick release" option...

Cheers, W2S

 

[Chip shop]

I...much prefer the Woden - it's much easier to work with and doesn't twist etc.

I'm not sure. The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist"), no matter how beefy the slides I've never found a traditional woodworking vice that's immune to abuse or even misuse. You can get vice designs, like the pattern makers style, which don't rack (or rather are designed to accommodate the extreme racking needed for angled and shaped workpieces), but then they have other issues, like they're the worst vice for dovetailing that I've ever used!

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Have been using, misusing and abusing my Record 52 1/2 E for 30+ years with absolutely no problem and no obvious racking. Including long periods in a workshop shared with heavy handed gorillas - once caught with a length of scaffold pipe on the handle for some extra duty compression. Didn't do any harm but expect that would damage it eventually, so that certainly not recommended!

Racking is a bit of a red herring - if necessary you put in a bit of packing - just as you would if trying to clamp a piece which isn't parallel sided. This is normal. All vices and clamping devices will 'rack' (distort under load) to a greater or lesser degree.

I would suggest you've never used the Veritas thing (I would only hesitantly call it a vice) then? I can assure you it's not a red herring, but a complete deal breaker.

 

[Jacob]

....The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist")....

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

I quite agree, although I'd respectfully suggest that racking is usually not a big deal - if you can centre the workpiece in the vice - and can often actually be helpful in getting a good grip. I suppose racking to any extent in the vertical plane (rather than the horizontal, which I think we've assumed) would be a more annoying feature/fault that I think most type/makes of vice don't exhibit.

I'm confused over the relative merits of the "quick release" option...

Cheers, W2S

Quick release is brilliant. Essential in fact. You just pull the vice out and push it back onto the workpiece and tighten with a couple of turns, very quickly easily. Without quick release this could take some time spinning the handle. Over the years this would amount to a lot of time, use and extra wear.

 

[Jacob]

.......

I'm not sure. The killer on almost all vices is racking (I presume that's what you mean by "twist"), no matter how beefy the slides I've never found a traditional woodworking vice that's immune to abuse or even misuse. You can get vice designs, like the pattern makers style, which don't rack (or rather are designed to accommodate the extreme racking needed for angled and shaped workpieces), but then they have other issues, like they're the worst vice for dovetailing that I've ever used!

As always, you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Have been using, misusing and abusing my Record 52 1/2 E for 30+ years with absolutely no problem and no obvious racking. Including long periods in a workshop shared with heavy handed gorillas - once caught with a length of scaffold pipe on the handle for some extra duty compression. Didn't do any harm but expect that would damage it eventually, so that certainly not recommended!

Racking is a bit of a red herring - if necessary you put in a bit of packing - just as you would if trying to clamp a piece which isn't parallel sided. This is normal. All vices and clamping devices will 'rack' (distort under load) to a greater or lesser degree.

I would suggest you've never used the Veritas thing (I would only hesitantly call it a vice) then? I can assure you it's not a red herring, but a complete deal breaker.

You mean it racks really badly? OK I take your word for it I'm not surprised! You can tell it's cr&p just looking at the picture.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

QR - handy, yes - essential, no. The standard vices have acme threads rather than buttress, spin up much more easily and quickly and would take a lifetime to wear out. If I needed a vice and a non QR one came my way, I'd grab it.

 

[Beau]

Not a huge fan of a QR on the Record. When training some guys went for QR on their benches and others not. On more than one occasion a quick release vice had not properly engaged and when the student went to clamp up their precious work it slipped dropping their work to the floor. Chose non QR for mine. Yes sometimes it would be nice to instantly have the jaws opened for a large section but doubt it saves more than a few mins a year.

 

[custard]

Have been using, misusing and abusing my Record 52 1/2 E for 30+ years with absolutely no problem and no obvious racking.....All vices and clamping devices will 'rack'

Make up your mind.

 

[DTR]

QR - handy, yes - essential, no. The standard vices have acme threads rather than buttress, spin up much more easily and quickly and would take a lifetime to wear out. If I needed a vice and a non QR one came my way, I'd grab it.

+1. I don't have a QR and I don't miss it. How often do you need to switch between, say, a 1" opening and a 5" opening? My last / current project is all carcass work and I haven't had to open the vice more than two inches. Plus this forum is littered with tales of broken QR mechanisms.

 

[Chip shop]

Yeah, it racks alright. It lasted a day and a half on my bench before it was replaced with an old Record.

...and I think a quick release vice is essential also. I use a 52 on the front of my bench and a 52 1/2 on the end.

 

[bugbear]

Yeah, it racks alright. It lasted a day and a half on my bench before it was replaced with an old Record.

...and I think a quick release vice is essential also. I use a 52 on the front of my bench and a 52 1/2 on the end.

I bet that "quite wide" jaw on the end vice would rack itself out of existence, if the workpiece wasn't central!

BugBear