Vice lining?

[donie]

Hi all,

What are you using to line vice jaws? Would it be crazy to use stair tread grip tape or something similar?

Thanks

 

[Cabinetman]

I’ve always just had well planed bare wood, lining vice faces is a relatively modern fad. How tight do you need to squeeze a piece of work? If you are planing it, it is probably small or it would be against a stop on top of the bench so doesn’t need to be held that tight, if you are cutting mortises then again it should be on the top. Sawing? Either on a knee height trestle or against a saw hook on the bench top.
It’s very rare that I need to exert much pressure in the vice.
So there you go I think I’ve saved you the time and expense of fitting it lol.
Ian

 

[Phill05]

I fitted leather onto mine.

 

[clive griffiths]

Beech -matches the top

 

[Blackswanwood]

I use leather that I bought from Workshop Heaven.

 

[duke]

Lined my 52 1/2 with 3/4" cherry, seems to work.

 

[Orraloon]

Bare wood is as good as any and pine is more grippy than really hard woods. Leather is good if you are holding delicate bits of work. I lined my end vice with leather as I happened to have a bit and left the front vice bare wood so have both options. Leather is rough side holding the work. I wiped down the shiny side with acetone to remove any oils and stuck it on with PVA glue. Vice itself is the clamp then after 24 hours trim the edges.

11 years on no signs of leather unsticking.
Regards
John

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

I've seen mention of some kind of coated cork being used as a vice liner

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As said above - if you need huge pressure in a vice there's usually a better way of doing the job. My vice gets used for anything and everything. I used hardwood linings in the past but find softwood ones less likely to mark anything.

 

[Sideways]

Plain wood softwood traditionally
I have a bit of good leather so I intend to try that on the next vice.

I have two vices which have medium soft plastic jaws:
one is a little record 2075 tabletop vice that is mostly used to hold metal without marking it.
The other is an Elu superjaws with a foot operated vice strong enough to crush softwood.

 

[Phill05]

The other is an Elu superjaws with a foot operated vice strong enough to crush softwood.

I also have the Elu superjaws you can use and abuse this one it got used for everything metal, stone, wood, best one ever made in my opinion no leather on this one, only down side it takes up quite a bit of floor space, but you can fold it up and store till next time.

On the wood vice I always fitted 1/8" thick leather you get a good cushion, firm hold and no marks on whatever wood you hold in it.

 

[Fergie 307]

If you find a local saddler, who actually makes stuff, they will often have scraps which can be had for very little. Also makes really good bed wipers for lathes etc.

 

[graduate_owner]

Just a thought - would shoe leather be any good? If you have a worn out pair of shoes or boots then perhaps you could cut out the useable leather and glue it in sections so as to cover the entire jaw area. You would of course have to use similar coloured leather - it would not do at all to have some brown and some black on the same jaw. Must maintain standards.

K

 

[Fergie 307]

Old belts are a good source.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

as are old sofas.

 

[RobNichols]

I have used some chubber (cork rubber mix typically used to make gaskets) but have been disappointed with its longevity. After a few months of use it has perished along the top edges. Perhaps I'm too rough with it, but I've been stripping it off and going back to the wooden jaws.

 

[Orraloon]

To be honest I only put leather on the vice as I had a bit laying around. Bare wood is perfectly fine 99% of the time. On the rare times padding is required its easy to use a bit of cardboard or something.
Regards
John

 

[BillHoughton]

I'm another person who likes heavy (not soft) leather. I glue mine to 1/8" (3mm) quality plywood from a crafts store, using flat, firm cauls on both sides of 3/4" (19mm) softwood. I cut the plywood to fit the jaws, cut the leather a bit oversize, then trim after the glue dries. The leather/plywood is then rubber-cemented to the vice jaws, using the vice itself as the clamp.

If you're installing the vise, remember that the lining has thickness and allow for that in placing the vice jaws; I prefer to have the fixed jaw just barely proud of the bench edge, so that the edge serves as support for the boards.

 

[Chisteve]

I use 20 mm ply board on my wood working vice, and make 10 mm ply jaws with 15 mm cork glued on for my other vices a heavy duty record 34 and my favourite a Parkinson ball vice great for wood working and gripping well

 

[HamsterJam]

I have some pieces of wood with magnets glued into them for use with my metal working vice.
They take seconds to fit/remove.
You’ve got me thinking whether this might be viable for the Parky.