Vacuum Vise Opinions

[James Farrow]

Anyone have any experience with these "Vacuum Vises"?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/JamesDFarrow/VacuumVise.jpg

I don't have a work bench to attach a bench vise so may be considering one of these. I have a work table (old dining room table) but don't want to drill holes in it.

Does the vacuum work well enough if I want to put a slab of wood in it to saw it by hand?

Thanks,

James :)

[George Tokarev]

I'd get a Workmate or similar in your circumstances. Served me well when I was in service and moving around. Sawdust and such can ruin the vacuum on those vises, and the ones I used for electronics work were barely capable of holding a board for component mounting. If you care to, you could mount a regular machinist's vise to a piece of plywood and clamp it to your table, but I'd rather the Workmate. Good sawhorse, good clamp, and a great base for all kinds of jigs and fixtures. My Router table is made to clamp on top of the Workmate.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

James....I don't have experience with that particular vice but I have used vacuum held devices with little success. Unless the surface you're attaching it to is absolutely smooth (as in glass) they tend to come off at the most inoportune time! Even when the vacuum and surface are right...vacuum devices eventually lose their vacuum.......My advice would be to make some type of at clampable station/frame to attach a vice to and clamp it to your table when working.

[James Farrow]

O.K. Thanks!

I think they have those Workmates at CT. Will have a look.

James :)

[Tim Leo]

Does the vacuum work well enough if I want to put a slab of wood in it to saw it by hand?


Those vises are quite small...so the slab of wood will have to be quite small also. What did you have in mind to use the vice for?

[James Farrow]

To cut the corners off bowl blanks.

My scroll saw can only cut up to 2" thick. Anything after that I have to manually cut (no room for any more power saws, or chainsaws, etc...) the corners off to round out the blank as well as I can before mounting on the lathe. I did one yesterday by holding the blank steady with one hand and cutting with the other but the dang thing tends to wander all over the table. LOL!

So need something to hold the blank. I know there aren't many inexpensive table vises that can open to 3" or more so I figure I can mount the faceplate on the blank, and then have a vise hold it by the faceplate. Only need an opening of appoximately 1 1/2" for the faceplate part that sticks out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/JamesDFarrow/faceplate.jpg

I looked at workmate type things but don't think that will work.
They are more for (as far as I can see) cutting planks, etc...

I found another Clamp-On Vise that has a 2" opening so that will probably do.

James :)

[Fred Chan]

George has got it right! If you don't have a workbench then the next best thing is the Black and Decker Workmate (not one of those CT workmate wannabes!)

[Bobby Hicks]

My vote would be for the workmate. The top has holes scattered over it and blocks that fit into them. You could place your bowl face down insert 3-4 of these blocks and clamp down. With some models the front half pivots up 90 degrees and you could clamp that way also.

Bobby