Bench vice on the right?

[nathandavies]

I am making a workbench for my dad.

When I made my own one I put the vice on the right hand side, which suits me even though I am right handed. In my mind it just seems right (no pun intended)

Before I put in the vice for my father what is the advantage of having it on the left?

Thanks in advance

Nathan

 

[undergroundhunter]

The reason mine is on the left is if you are planing a larger board in the vice then you plane "into" the vice instead of away from it, therefore putting less stress on the vice, thats how I understand it anyway. I think it maybe more down to personal preference.

Matt

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've two beautiful 53e's spare, so I'm doing both on my next one.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Nathan - if you don't want to go down the dog hole route, if your vice is flush with the apron/frame you can inset a piece of Spur shelving support down the leg at the other end flush to the wood and use a small shelf bracket in it to support long stuff.

 

[swb58]

Interested in seeing what people's views are on this topic.

I would dearly love to sort myself out with a basic but good place to work. Left or right (or centre) of the bench is something I've pondered over. A pair of vice inline on the bench is the best solution I think because a vice towards one end might also be close to a wall or other obstruction which wouldn't be much good for longish stuff.
At the moment I have a vice towards the left hand end of the bench because there's plenty of space out to the left.

 

[nathandavies]

when I made my bench, I didn't realise that the norm was to be on the left, so I put it on the right so that if using a bench hook a long boards weight could be taken by the bench. i'm expecting that there is a good reason that the accepted correct way is for it to be on the left.

 

[MMUK]

Put the vice wherever you want, wherever it will be of most use to you. Simples

 

[GLFaria]

I remember having read either in Landis book or in one of Schwarz's an explanation of why the face vise should be on the left side of the bench for right-handers and on the right side for left-handers, but can't remember the exact resoning and right now have no time to look for it.

My personal resoning is that, if you are right handed, your plane arm or elbow or your leg may impinge on the vise if it is on the right hand side of the bench (certainly will if it is a leg-vise) and hinder your work, whereas if the vise is on the left side the only implements sticking out of the apron will be a bracket when planing long work.

I will look on those books and quote them if in the meantime a more knowledgeable member does not clear the matter.

 

[DTR]

IMy personal resoning is that, if you are right handed, your plane arm or elbow or your leg may impinge on the vise if it is on the right hand side of the bench (certainly will if it is a leg-vise) and hinder your work, whereas if the vise is on the left side the only implements sticking out of the apron will be a bracket when planing long work.

Makes sense to me.

What I don't understand is why a tail vise is usually at the right end of the bench. I typically work at the left end of the bench whether I'm using the face vice or not. But then I have to change ends when I want to use the tail vice, which normally results in me having to shift tools etc about to make room.

 

[GLFaria]

Well, I found out what Chris Schwarz ("The workbench design book") has to say about the position of the front vise, and it's nothing to do with my reasoning - although I still think mine is right.

He writes, quote:
"...the primary reason is because right-handers plane boards from right to left. So you secure a long board in the face vise (and its railing edge on a bench slave or clamped to a sliding deadman). Then you start planing from right to left. By planing in the direction of the vise screws, the board stays in place. If for some reason you planed this board... - away from the bench screws - you would be more likely to pull the board out of the face vise..."
Unquote

This also makes sense, although if one uses a bench hook like the one on the much vaunted Roubo design it seems to me this objection would be out of place.

 

[matthewwh]

I can completely understand the logic behind fitting a tail vice on the right so that the dogs are taking the load, and that this would only leave the left available for the front vice.

I can also understand the logic behind having the front vice on the left for edge planing, you need to be behind the plane and a big lump sticking out at the end of the run is less likely to get in the way. It is also natural to have some bench top available to the right of the work for laying out tools (when cutting dovetails for example).

What I don't understand is why having fresh air to the right of the front vice is so darned appealing, but it is, so I fitted a new vice on the back of the bench (on the right) so now I have both options available.

It's early days yet, but if anything I'm now veering back in the direction of preferring the vice on the left arrangement.

Sometimes you don't realise how much you like what you have until you try something different.

 

[morfa]

Mine is on the left, mainly cause I'm a lefty and having it on the left seems right to me. No other reason.

 

[wizard]

I have one on the left one on the right and one around the corner plus one on another bench.

 

[nathandavies]

well, after discussion with my dad we ended up putting the vice on the right.

he seems happy with it, and that's the main thing.

thanks for peoples input.

nathan