Leg Vice Screw fitting ideas.

[Bm101]

Slowly building a my first bench and I got round to wondering about the screw arrangement. I've seen on other similar threads the veritas and the Yorke ones at Axminsters. The Yorke ones seem to be the same as the Peter Schmid ones. (Czech Rep.)
Well, the thing is I'd really like to have a wheel, as seen on Escudo's lovely bench. roubo-bench-project-wip-t49024.html Seen the expensive kits and that aint happening! So I turned on the internet and duly fell down the rabbit hole.

Somewhere along the way this site was suggested for handles. https://www.berger-tools.co.uk/Standard ... andwheels/ For a 20cm odd cast wheel, with a handle £30 odd.

Searching about a bit more I found this site. http://www.abssac.co.uk/ Ooooh. Shiny. I gave 'em a quick bell to check they take tiny orders and all clear on that one.

Those brass fittings look nice!

They also seem to custom mill pretty much whatever you need. So Possibly cut a internal thread for a suitable fixing/bolt for the wheel to the thread.

Then I started getting a bit daft. I started thinking. What about the guide? Could you replace it? Would tolerances of having 2 steel rods remove racking?
http://www.abssac.co.uk/p/Splined+Shafts/83/

(They also do a bearing mounted guide on square steel.)

If you have big thick legs and used the sockets shown each side and on the leg vice, might that be enough to do away with the traditional method? Would you still have to clamp that splined bar?

Love to know your opinions on this. Price wise I guess its not the cheapest option but if it worked, we could sell it to the Americans and this time next year, we'll all be Millionaires.... :roll:
Cheers
Chris

 

[xraymtb]

I would be interested to know price wise how it matches up to the likes of Benchcrafted.

Richard Maguire used to (maybe still does) sell a similar guide which is a steel shaft on a linear bearing. I recall reading that it had to be installed at a degree or two off horizontal and would bind as the vice gripped but each screw and chop needed careful setup to make it work.

Makes me think that whilst your idea would likely work, it would need to be a significant saving to offset the extra work needed to get it right.

 

[marcros]

i would buy the yorke one and remove the boss, then epoxy the wheel onto the shaft.

there was another company- independent woodworking but they seem to have stopped making their kit, sadly.

 

[Bm101]

Bah! Foiled again. Looks like I better go to work tomorrow after all. And postpone the luxury yacht for the time being.
Thanks guys. Had a look at Richard Maguire's site and blog and he does indeed sell a pinless leg vice although not at the moment. Inevitable I guess. Not that much that's new in the world.
Still, on the bright side, it shows it wasn't a bad idea in itself.
As you say Mike, the guide rod needs to be slightly offset in the same way a holdfast is utilised.

Interesting quick read.
http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/the ... -leg-vice/

Marcros, that was my initial reaction too. Just not at all sure round anything that involves precise OD's and thread movement calculations.... :shock: M1? M4? these are road names to me.
My main concern was fixing the wheel securely to the thread. I couldn't find any info on the diameter of the thread of the Yorke screw under the boss. In the original thread, the wheel was pressed on to the re-engineered thread. Maybe it's worth phoning a few of the local metalworks to see if they will deal with a small job like that. The reason I was intrigued by this webite was the scope of custom services offered. I also just wondered about skipping the internal ream (is that the right word?) of the thread, putting an opposite thread on the handle end and an internal thread on the ID of the wheel.

Starting to get a Migraine.

Think I'll pursue this idea a bit. They do an online quote service, just need to do a little more research on exact part numbers and amounts. I really fancy it but at the end of the day it's going on a first bench build not one of the masterpieces I see on here sometimes. Money, money, money. No point fitting a Bugatti steering wheel to a rusty old Metro. See how the build goes too. If the price is right might be worth a shot lol. Who dares wins Rodders. :wink:

I'll do a little more research when I get the time and post some prices up for the sake of general interest.

Ps, Did you ever fit the wheel you had Marc? I know someone who might buy it. :wink:

To go on here, probably at some point in 2023. :|

 

[xraymtb]

I don't think there is much truly new in woodworking! Although the Hovarter vises might be an exception (if you haven't seen them before I apologise in advance for the impact on your budget)

 

[heimlaga]

If you have a good scrap yard nearby you could look for a cast iron valve handle to use for a handwheel. Then file a square taper on the end of the threaded rod to fit the square taper in the valve handle. Leave an end that protrudes through the handwheel hub. This end could either be filed round and threaded to take a nut or just peened over to hold the handwheel in place.
Total cost for buying a handwheel and fitting it less than 2 pounds.

I would not try to use two threaded bosses on the same screw. The wood around them will inevitable scrink and swell a bit with season. That would change ste distance between the two bosses ever so little and make the threads bind.

 

[Bm101]

Cheers again Mike, nice gear indeed. I do like the fact it's all quick release and so on. Bit beyond my price range tbh. Very nice stuff and innovative too.

Thanks heimlaga. That was the first avenue I explored although only via Ebay. Found a crank wheel but due to the madness that adding the word 'vintage' seems to add these days, they wanted twenty notes for a rusty crank wheel. (square bore) Good idea about the scrappers, i'll look into it.
Thanks for the info on using 2 bosses. I hadn't thought of that and it makes a lot of sense. You might have saved me all sorts of trouble there. My shed is unheated. Much appreciated!

Glue up of the second half of the top done after work this afternoon. Much more relaxed affair than the first one. Living and learning as I go. 4 Ratchet straps and 4 speed clamps(?) pump ones not the twist ones. Gonna need some more straps for gluing the halves together. Looking at the first one thats dry,I might take them round a local joiners and get them to machine them flat as suggested so often if I can find one willing. Ive seen the router option, we'll see! :?

Its an enjoyable learning curve.

Your advice is much appreciated guys, thanks for taking the time to reply.
Cheers
Chris

 

[William pang]

I don't think there is much truly new in woodworking! Although the Hovarter vises might be an exception (if you haven't seen them before I apologise in advance for the impact on your budget)

Can I buy them in the UK

 

[Orraloon]

I know that wheels on bench vices are the latest trend and must have bit of bling but I find the strait handle just easier and better suited to the task. Now before saying you need to try it before making a statement I spent many years spinning valve wheels when I was at sea. These days a nice wooden handle fits with my idea of a woodwork bench.
Regards
John

 

[dannyr]

Latest trend, yes, but doesn't mean we've not been there before.

Anyone else out there have an old English cast iron woodwork vice with a wheel?

I do - roughly 10in jaws, 7in wheel (5 spokes) v heavy -- looks like the vices made in the greater Bradford area about 1860 up to various inventions of the quick release by Parkinson (1880s) and others. The wheel is pretty certainly original fitment.

The vice is rusty but in good nick (but in bits just now while I sort a couple of the fixings).

Wasn't given away, but cost less than a good acme screw and nut without wheel or any jaws etc.