Getting the terminology straight

[Jeff Dege]

Can anyone point me to an authoritative source for the distinctions between a tail vise and an end vise? I'd always figured that a tail vise was the one that spanned the end of the bench and the end vise was the one that fit in that sort of j-extension at the front corner, or vise-versa.

But Rockler's online catalog has a 12" vise that spans the end of the bench that they call an end vise, and Woodcraft has screw hardware for the j-extension type vise that they also call an end vise.

Is there any standardization on the names of vise types?

[Robert Chapman]

No there is not.

[Bill White]

Ahhhh! A rose by any other name........
Bill

[Frank Drew]

If pressed, I guess I'd say that the action of a tail vise is along the length of the bench and is placed either right or left along the front edge of the bench, while an end vise is installed along one end, with its clamping face at right angles to the length of the bench. (Not guaranteeing the "official" status of my definitions.)

[george wilson]

Before the other vises came along,we called the old German type vise a tail vise.The tourists would sometimes ask what that thing(tail vise) was. We'd tell them we had many vises in the shop,and show them the TAIL vise,the LEG vise,and the one that isn't being used was the IDLE VICE !!!

[Jeff Dege]

If pressed, I guess I'd say that the action of a tail vise is along the length of the bench and is placed either right or left along the front edge of the bench, while an end vise is installed along one end, with its clamping face at right angles to the length of the bench. (Not guaranteeing the "official" status of my definitions.)
If I had to give my impression of what makes sense, a vise on the front of a bench would be a front vise and a vise on the end of a bench would be an end vise. Which would mean that both leg vises and shoulder vises were specific types of front vise, and that the traditional tail vise would be a specific type of end vise. Which would make referring to a tail vise as an end vise correct, but which would make referring to the Veritas Twin-Screw as a tail vise incorrect.

But I've long ago given up on any expectation that evolved terminology make any sense.