Metal vs wood screw for leg vise

[Zach England]

I PROMISE this will be the last vise question for at least a week. The poll is that simple.

If you were building a leg vise and cost were not a consideration would you use a metal screw (like the Lee Valley or Lie-Nielsen vise screws) or a wooden screw (bigwoodvise.com or Lake Erie Toolworks)?

[Jerome Hanby]

I'd do wood for several reasons.

First, I'm dying to build the tap and Beall type router jig to make the screws and nuts about 3" in diameter.

Second, at 2-3 tpi, the wooden screws should advance really fast compared to the metal ones. Less cranking, plus I think the wood will have a little "give", so maybe that will help keep things snug and prevent damage from over craning.

Most importantly, how cool would it be to make your own vice "hardware" and get to use it everyday!

[Zahid Naqvi]

while the wooden screw has the "cool" factor a metal acme threaded screw is more practical, IMHO.

[Chris Griggs]

I'd use wood if I did it again and cost were no object. The speed over the metal screw I have on mine really appeals to me. For planing edges itt wouldn't matter, but if you ever clamp assembled boxes/cases/drawers the extra speed would be really nice to have.

[Paul Incognito]

If I ever get around to finishing my bench, it'll have a wood screw leg vise and a wood screw wagon vise.
I just have to find the time...
Paul

[Jerome Hanby]

while the wooden screw has the "cool" factor a metal acme threaded screw is more practical, IMHO.

If I were practical, I'd just go to Ikea...or maybe if I really liked meatballs and ligon berries I'd go to Ikea <g>

[Zach England]

I am curious why people think the metal is more practical.

I agree that the wooden screw is definitely cooler. Chris S says they are "more fragile" than metal screws. I think that is my last reservation.

[Jerome Hanby]

Well, I can walk into Fastenal or maybe one of the borgs and buy acme threaded rod and nuts or drive over to Woodcraft and buy a metal vise screw. I guess that's practical compared to rediscovering 100 year old methods for picking yourself up by your bootstraps to make a large bore tap for wooden "nuts" then working out how to cut threads by making a thread box or a Beall style router jig, or chase threads on a wood lathe. But which sounds like more fun?

[Zach England]

I have no intention of making the wooden threads myself. I will buy one of the commercially available kits.

[Thomas L. Miller]

I used a metal screw (Benchcrafted Glide) when I built my bench. I can't imagine a wood screw would be an improvement over it for performance and smoothness.
Just my opinion.
Tom

[Zach England]

Sadly the benchcrafted hardware is out of my budget. When I say cost is not a consideration, that mean cost up to the cost of the wooden screw setup. The benchcrafted hardware would cost more than twice that, which I can't justify when I just spend $240 on the Veritas twin screw and am planning on $300-350 for lumber. Maybe someday I will have a $1000 bench, but not before I am 30, and probably not before I am 40.

[Zach England]

Holy crap it is a dead heat!

Assuming Lee Vallety free shipping expires at midnight eastern that leaves two hours for results to come in. And you thought the Iowa caucus was exciting? pfft!

[Zahid Naqvi]

When I said practical I meant from the perspective of usability, acquisition and cost. An acme threaded bench screw is so easy to acquire, much cheaper, and very smooth to operate. The only thing the wooden screw will add is probably the cool factor, I can't imagine it being stronger or smoother to operate. As for the speed, can't say much about that, the acme threads to me are quiet coarse (as in feed fast) and the screw I use in my leg vise spins so fast/smooth/easily that most times I prefer it over the quick release I have for my end vise.

[Mike Holbrook]

There is a company that makes good wooden screws, apparently Benchcrafted use to use them. I found a reviewer who prefers the wooden screws because he says they, or at least the one he apparently bought, are much faster than the metal screws. It makes sense since the wooden screw threads are much larger. The reviewer felt that the cost of the wooden screw was money well spent to get the benefits of a reliable fast threading wood screw system. My problem with the wooden screws is everything I have seen is comparatively quite short.

I am still interested in the chain drive screws but passed on the free Veritas shipping to review the differences between it and Lee-Nielsens chain screw offering. LN places their chain inside the outside jaw, thus reducing the width of the jaws vs the Veritas chain which is added to the outside of the outside jaw. Both chain positions introduce issues I am weighing.

Then I got stopped in my tracks by the new Hovarter vise, which is a whole different animal I am researching. The video shows the vise opened, like a quick release by hand, to 12.5". A drawer is shoved in the jaws. The outside jaw is then moved against the drawer by hand and the jaws are tightened on the drawer with a partial turn of the handle. A hard system to beat for speed. The possible issue for me is the jaws of the Hovarter move on steel rods not screws. This may be a double edged sword as it appears the jaws are moved in & out largely by hand. The hand "screw" looks like the handle on the screw of a single or twin screw vise but apparently is a whole different animal. I believe the handle serves to tighten a short geared brake against one or both rods to hold the jaws in place But I am still trying to figure this one out. Unfortunately I find no independent reviews on this vise and the web site offers no phone number to call with questions. The Hovarter is also available in a leg vise version.