Gerard's Vice Trick

[shed9]

I went a different route to bypass the small issues with the tommy bar. I'm not a fan of them and find that whilst they do the job of tightening the clamp they are usually in the way and I have never liked them. I posted my retrofit about 3 months back and have being using them since. Happy to report they work superbly well, cinch the work perfectly and simplify one handed use.

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[Gerard Scanlan]

The steering wheels look very nice. I was after a quick fix and not everyone has the skills to retrofit a vice.

I thought my explanation was clear and the people who 'got' it all seem to be people who use hand tools. If you rarely, if ever, use a vice you might not get it - but why would you care?

A single strong magnet is stops the tommy bar from sliding under its own weight. Two are not necessary. The magnet will also stop the tommy bar from slipping down and pinching a bit of finger flesh so that is another bonus. I do not have a quick release vice on my bench but I can imagine that this is not as much of an issue for them.

 

[Biliphuster]

I went a different route to bypass the small issues with the tommy bar. I'm not a fan of them and find that whilst they do the job of tightening the clamp they are usually in the way and I have never liked them. I posted my retrofit about 3 months back and have being using them since. Happy to report they work superbly well, cinch the work perfectly and simplify one handed use.

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Those look fantastic, how are the clone vices? I had always wondered about how good they could be for the low price.

 

[sunnybob]

Gerard, firstly, I was truly trying to understand what you had done, no malice intended at all. I do use my vices a lot, but being right handed and having my sawing vice always at the right end of the bench your trick was a complete mystery to me.

Biliphuster, a cheap vice is an accident waiting to happen. I know, I managed to break a silverline vice purely by hand tightening. It snapped completely in two, and I was lucky there wasnt a large heavy item in there at the time. I replaced it with a record 52 1/2. Dont buy cheap anything.

 

[Benchwayze]

What's puzzling me here, is the fact that ripping in the vice, (a la Paul Sellers) is fine, but you can't come down any lower than the edge of your bench, without risking cutting into it. (A sin to me) So you shouldn't be fouling the vice Tommy-bar; should you? If I noticed the tommie was in the way, I think I'd just move the plank to use the other side of the vice. Although I prefer to rip on a sawhorse, or split the wood; which is much quicker anyway with nice straight grain.

 

[shed9]

The steering wheels look very nice. I was after a quick fix and not everyone has the skills to retrofit a vice.

I thought my explanation was clear and the people who 'got' it all seem to be people who use hand tools. If you rarely, if ever, use a vice you might not get it - but why would you care?

I got it, just went a different route is all. Just saying there are multiple options to the same issue - just some are different. I use vices with handtools on a daily basis hence my time investment in the ones above. That said, I see merit in your simple magnet approach; simple and effective.

Those look fantastic, how are the clone vices? I had always wondered about how good they could be for the low price.

Biliphuster, I had / have several vices on the bench to compare the clones to and they are not that different to the usual suspects. The branded vices usually had a little more meat on them but not enough to warrant the difference in price in my opinion. I use the vices above along with other branded vices and can't say I can see an advantage to the branded items. The clones are fit for purpose and do the job. I'd buy more without doubt if I needed them.

To add, I don't usually buy cheap tools, my shop is full of premium tooling however I'm not going to buy it if there is no call for it.

 

[John Brown]

Sorry to pour troubled waters on the oil, but I am having trouble understandin why this would be a lefty/righty thing. Surely the bar could conceivably get in the way on either side?

 

[ColeyS1]

Might be useful for other jobs

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Aggrajag]

... he WANTS the bar to stay up, and uses a magnet to keep it up. But then says he uses the magnet to keep it out of the way.

In his scenario up IS out of the way.

 

[paulm]

I have extended cheeks on my bench vices that reach to the corners of the bench so the vice handles are always inboard of the bench corners, sawing then can take place beyond the corners of the bench and the handles can never be in the way.

Unless I've misunderstood ?!!!

Cheers, Paul

 

[Benchwayze]

I wasn't looking at the problem properly. However, a Q/R vice solves the problem. If I wanted the tommy-bar out of my way, for vertical ripping I would use the Q/R mechanism. Depending on which side of the vice you want to use; hold the tommy-bar in the 5-o-clock position as you squeeze the Q/R trigger. Close the cheeks on the stuff, and then apply slight pressure, and the tommy is more or less vertical and well out of the way. (My vice is not right at the end of the bench side, but there are still occasions I want the tommy-bar out of the way.)

Am I thinking right this time? :mrgreen:

 

[paulm]

Makes sense to me John, good thinking !

 

[Benchwayze]

'I got it wrong again Dad!' (Dick Emery)
Cheers Paul!

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Extended cheeks is good suggestion for avoiding the tommy bar getting in the way. Don't you lose clamping pressure if you make the jaws too wide?

Quick release vices do not have the same issues with the random position of the tommy bar and so my magnet trick is not necessary for holding the bar out of the way on a QR vice. However it will avoid the bar dropping and catching your finger flesh.

And yes from time to time I catch the edge of my bench with my saw while ripping down a plank. I consider a work bench is for working. I will just replace the section that has become too badly damaged when that becomes necessary. I do have great respect for people who treat their bench like an altar it just not my way. Glad everyone seems to have understood the idea. And for my next trick...