My new Workbench WIP

[Mikey R]

Another miniture update: Vice jaws are on.

This project is dragging on a little, but Im getting there slowly.

 

[devonwoody]

quote from post above.

This project is dragging on a little, but Im getting there slowly.


But you are having fun and not doing something that is run of the mill, I'm interested and I am sure others are as well.

 

[Mikey R]

But you are having fun and not doing something that is run of the mill, I'm interested and I am sure others are as well.

Thanks Devon, youre right this project is total overengineered indulgence! Its totally for me, as noone else will benefit from it, and its given me the opportunity to work on something that I wouldnt normally do. Thanks for the encouragement, its difficult keeping the faith on these longer projects.

It would be nice to build something that will eventually make it out of the workshop though!

I was playing around with the vice yesterday evening. I did find that the vice jaw pivots outwards when gripping something at the top of the jaws. It is however fine if the piece extends down below the level of the screws, as then the force balances. I might look at modifying the jaw in future to make it a twin screw leg vice hybrid. Something to think about anyway.

 

[Jake]

I really can recommend starting with a pair of Record vices to make a twin screw vice. I say that quite often, but have to yet to see anyone else try it, but it's very simple to do and makes for a fantastically capable vice.

 

[Dibs-h]

I really can recommend starting with a pair of Record vices to make a twin screw vice. I say that quite often, but have to yet to see anyone else try it, but it's very simple to do and makes for a fantastically capable vice.

Do tell more Jake - as I do have at least 2 spare and may well be wanting a new and perhaps proper bench at some point in the future.

 

[Jake]

Apologies to Mikey for momentary diversion of thread.

Dibs, it's documented over the other side, here http://www.woodworkuk.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ?f=5&t=808 - happy to expand it if you have any questions but would rather keep it all in one place just in case anyone ever actually takes the plunge.

 

[Mikey R]

Hi Jake, I read up on your chain linked uber-vice when I was designing my bench, unfortunately it wouldnt work for me as I need my vice to be able to skew to hold a tapered guitar neck.

Though now Im starting to think Im over-engineering the problem and a single record vice would have been far simpler!

 

[MikeG.]

Brilliantly simple Jake! Great idea.

Mike

 

[Dibs-h]

Apologies to Mikey for momentary diversion of thread.

Dibs, it's documented over the other side, here http://www.woodworkuk.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ?f=5&t=808 - happy to expand it if you have any questions but would rather keep it all in one place just in case anyone ever actually takes the plunge.

Cheers Jake!

 

[big soft moose]

I really can recommend starting with a pair of Record vices to make a twin screw vice. I say that quite often, but have to yet to see anyone else try it, but it's very simple to do and makes for a fantastically capable vice.

does it have to be the record vice - at work we have a number of axminster wood vices arround - might be an interesting project to try and adapt two when we fit the new workbench - is there a particular reason for using record or is it just that thats what you had ?

 

[Mikey R]

Im not quite finished with the bench but I wanted to use it a little to get a feel for how well it works.

First job was preparing the scarf joint for a guitar neck. Half way through preparing the joint:

The face vice worked quite well at holding the work whilst I pressed down on the neck with the plane, but the vice jaws racked quite alot:

Ive been drawing up plans to modify the left hand screw to incorporate a leg vice arrangement, we'll see how well that goes.

 

[woodsworth]

I thought it might do that. But a simple fix would be to take the plywood down to an engineer firm and have them cut a piece of steel to match with holes drilled for the threaded bar. Then drill and tap it to secure it to the castings of the head pieces. It's to bad you can't weld it to them.

Worth a try and would still be a lot cheaper then the real one.

 

[Mikey R]

Its not the ply that is flexing, its actually the joint between the steel screw and the cast iron nut.

 

[devonwoody]

Its not the ply that is flexing, its actually the joint between the steel screw and the cast iron nut.

That could mean a steel plate is necessary?

 

[Mikey R]

Hi woodsworth, devonwoody,

Im not sure I follow - what is the steel plate being fixed to?

 

[woodsworth]

It could be as simple as a steel sleeve in the hole drilled then. If that makes sense. The hole could be to big for the threaded bar or the soft plywood may not be strong enough to take the resulting pressure of the vice.

 

[Mikey R]

Disclaimer - Excuse the bad physics, its been a while since I studdied this stuff!

The problem is that, as the vice is tightened, all of the torque from the piece clamped at the top of the vice is borne by the joint between the steel screw and the iron head. This joint must be free to rotate, so it needs a little give to allow this. To bear the whole torque without significantly racking, this joint would need a LOT of reinforcing over a large length of the screw.

I cant see any simple way to spread the torque over a larger area of the components without a major bit of reengineering.

 

[devonwoody]

That is why I think vices have steel jaws, some jaws have an angle built in otherwise wooden inserts are put on to provide angle.

 

[Mikey R]

There is a problem there - no matter what the angle of the jaws, the torque that the joint will be bearing (is that the correct term?) will still be the same, and that joint will eventually fail.

The leg vice gets away with this by using a lever to transform the torque into a force and split this between the screw and the guide rod. Sorry, I dont have the language to describe what Im trying to saw here, maybe I can draw up a diagram tonight.

 

[woodsworth]

You could go with fangled workbench idea for your needs. Drill two 1 inch holes in the front skirting of the top and a couple of pin holes in the top and put the 3/4 inch pipe (which actually is 1 inch) in and dill through the pipe for pins.

You could even orientate them for the 15 degrees for the scarf cuts you plane. I don't see a simple answer to your vice dilemma.