Lee Valley Quick release Steel vs Quick release Front Vise

[Tim Cross]

Morning all
Another bench building question. I am building a woodworking bench like the one Lon Schleining built for FWW annual Tool and Shop issue (Winter 2003/2004). I already have the LV Twin Screw vise for the end but am really torn between the LV Steel (Record type) vs Front vise (Quick release) By nature of the fact that I will have a skirt board along the front edge does it just make sense to install a traditional front vise rather than having to mortise the rear jaw of the steel vise into the skirtboard. The cost difference is relatively minor. Do they perform exactly the same function, if so does one perform better than the other in terms of things like racking? I am learning to cut dovetails by hand and really starting to focus on hand work in general hence the proper bench. Two reasons for going with Lee Valley, first I am pretty loyal to them and secondly, living in Canada our currency value makes it cost prohibative to purchase from a U.S seller such as woodcraft. Thanks in advance for any advise.

[David Keller NC]

Were I in your position, I would install the twin-screw in the face vise position, and use a quick-release Jorgensen in the tail vise position. Part of the reason is that the Lee Valley twin-screw is a superb face vise, and it's a bit of a waste of money to consign it to end-vise usage. It's also not quick-release, and in my opinion, where you really, really need that feature is in the end position.

Face vises rarely need large adjustments in their opening to accomodate your stock (which is typically 60% or more 3/4" thick, the rest 2" thick, and a tiny fraction 4" thick), where as the end vise generally needs a big change from its last setting to accomodate different lengths of a board when clamped between a dog in the bench and a dog in the vise.

The Jorgensen mechanism for quick-release, in my opinion, is superior to the lever-operated Record clones. The Jorgensen has an interrupted-screw arrangement that's pretty bullet-proof. I've had issues with the lever release in some of the Record clones I've had through the years. They seem to work just fine when new, but as they wear, the lever action seems to get sloppy and can often "pop loose", generally when it's least convenient to do so.

[Alan DuBoff]

Tim,

I have the LV 10" QR vise on my dimensional bench in the garage.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/clamps/10g0411s3.jpg

My one comment about it is that it requires you reverse the screw up to 2 revolutions to unlock and release it. There is another style, the Record 52 1/2, which has a lever to release the screw, and if I had my choice that would be the desirable mechanism to get...alas LV doesn't have the option, but given that fact I would go to the LV store if your close enough and check it out, this must be the other one you speak of.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/clamps/70g0805s1.jpg

Funny thing on the bench, I was going to build the Lon Schleining bench also, and had been planning it, bought the hardware I was going to put on it. Twin-screw on the end, like Schliening did, but was going to put the emmert clone on the front. Had the legs and stretchers cut to rough size, but as I was building it Chris Schwarz built the Holtzappfel and I really liked the functionaltiy of how the twin-scew on the front worked for him. So, I changed my bench mid-project, not a good thing to do, but it worked out ok. I have the emmert clone on the end, slightly unusual, but I adapted a hand wheel to it and love it.

I like the simplicity of the top on the benches Chris Schwarz builds, but the Schleining bench is spectacular in the dovetail joinery. The following year (in the Tools and Shop issue) he came out with the cabinet to fit inside of it. I was also planning to do that, but now have nothing below and glad I did that.

All that said, I have come to the belief that most all benches work for the most part, or we find ways of using them to adapt to our needs. Either bench works, skirts around the edge work or not, as does dovetail joinery if one has the desire. No matter what style it is you like, focus on it and spend whatever time it takes to build it. A workbench will become a good friend, if you use it. In the end no matter how much time you invest, it will pay for itself through use. (This does presume you will use it ;) ).

[Derek Stockley]

I have the large quick release front vise and I do experience some racking with it. I found that I need to keep an off-cut handy to balance out the jaws when I'm working with anything small on one side of the jaws. I also found that racking isn't good for the quick release mechanism on it. The offset of the screw on the large version means that racking can be avoided by putting pieces through the middle vertically, so it isn't necessary to balance it most of the time.

I really like my vise, but if I were to do it again, I don't think I'd choose the quick release version for the front position. When working with several pieces of the same thickness, you have to turn it loose 2 turns then pull back on the jaw to get the piece out. A standard vise would release the piece after one or two turns and leave the jaw in position to accept the next. In practise, that's more of a drag than I thought it would be when I first got it. Lee Valley also sells a large front vise without the quick release and in retrospect, I would go with that.