Vises not so good on Sjobergs bench.

[Dale Cruea]

This is not intended as a rant. I am just want to pass on some FYI.
One year ago + about 16 days I purchased a new Sjobergs Elite 2000 bench complete with cabinet underneath.
Today the tail vise got very had to crank in. Lubing it did not help at all.
I removed the vise and took it apart.
Galling every where. Steel rubbing against steel.
The flat bars that run into the vise are galling . The screw end at the handle is galling.
The weldment was never flattened or squared.
I am not sure how or if this damage can be repaired.
It does not look like it is from grit. but from areas that were never lubed.
I will apply some good grease and hope for the best.

Replacement vises are around $500.00.

May just get a new Lie Nielsen and live happily ever after.

[John Coloccia]

Give them a call, Dale. I've had mine for some years now, and the vices are as they were the day I bought it. Maybe they work something out with you.

[Dale Cruea]

John, are you saying give Sjobergs a call or the woodworking store I bought it from?
I googled Sjobergs and did not find anything other than placed that sell them.
I will look some more. I did not get much paperwork with the bench. Just instructions on putting it together.
If there is a bad anything out there I will get it.
Thanks John.

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on what John says.

My Sjoberg is about 8 years into steady use and still working well. I was thinking of using the old vises on a new bench, but my wife wants my old bench with the old vises.

The vises rack something awful. It has always been my practice to put something in the other side of the vise to balance it when only one side of the jaw is being used.

Here was a simple solution to vise racking that was published in Popular Wood Working.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?183743-Anti-Rack-Spacer-Stack

jtk

[John Coloccia]

John, are you saying give Sjobergs a call or the woodworking store I bought it from?
I googled Sjobergs and did not find anything other than placed that sell them.
I will look some more. I did not get much paperwork with the bench. Just instructions on putting it together.
If there is a bad anything out there I will get it.
Thanks John.

I had to contact them a couple of years ago because I twisted off the vice mounting screws (I should say I've moved them about a dozen times and I think I just wore out the screws....LOL). They sent a full set out no questions asked.

http://sjobergs.se/en/start/

Now, you'll have to call Sweden, but they pick up the phone and they speak English. Don't know what they'll do for you, but it's always a good place to start.

My vice doesn't rack like Jim's...it's pretty good, in fact. I know they have different levels of hardware and benches. I have an Elite 2000 like yours, Dale, and it's done nothing but behave like a good bench from day one...especially the vices. I use mine every day, they get caked with sawdust and all I ever do is unscrew them, clean them off, and spray a bit of LPS every 6 months or so. The only reason I even do that is the dust starts to dry out the lube and it starts squeeking annoyingly, but it's still very smooth.

[Dale Cruea]

I left a note on the Sjobergs web site. I waiting a response.
My vises don't rack. They have adjustment screws on the side for that.
The tail vise is eating it's self up with wear.
I found some .010" plastic to try to give the slide bars something to slide on besides the steel bottom plate.
My tail vise just started to get hard to crank all of a sudden. One time it was OK, the next time I tried to use it it was very hard to crank either in or out.
I think something is out of alignment. The slide bars only touch about 2" to 3" back, if that far and about 3/8" to 1/2" of the 2" wide bar.
I may switch out the front vise with the tail vise to see if it has the same problem.

[Charlie Stanford]

The whole thing galls the hell out of me.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I bought the 1500 (http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2005213/16071/sjobergs-duo-bench-cabinet-combo.aspx) with the cabinet.

The vices on mine are not properly aligned for at least one hole.... which is of course location that sees the most use. Kind of horrendous. It never occurred to me that might not be as intended... I figured it was the cheaper bench so they used garbage vices. spent a few hours working on it to make it at least functional, but still what I consider very sub-par. Not likely to ever purchase another of their products based on the bench that I own.

Sadly, the entire unit must be assembled before you find out that the vice is a problem (or not a problem). Also, I applied a finish before assembly, so it never occurred to me that I might be able to take it back finished with cut apart packaging.

On the other hand, I suppose I should not expect much more for what I paid... I have a nicer vice on another bench, but that vice alone was a pretty hefty sum ($180 for this one that I own http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000326/4051/jorgensen-rapid-acting-bench-vise-4-x-10-face-12-opening.aspx and I love it). So I would pay almost $400 for just two vices like that. So, that was why I did not bother to complain. Seems a bit late for me to complain now.

I think that you spent much more than I.... For that I expected a premium vice. But based on my problems I would be hesitant to by another Sjoberg bench. That said, there are a few things that I do like about the bench....

[James Bird]

I have often wondered about the Sjoberg benches. I noticed that the Veritas is actually a bit cheaper, and the Lie-Nielsen a bit more... I was thinking of going one of those routes but wasn't sure which was best. Have any of you been able to compare your Sjoberg's to those other 2 benches? Or had any experience with them?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have never compared, but, the basic top and legs on the Sjoberg are very stable. The particular issue with my Sjoberg bench is that the top was not properly prepared for the vice so that the guide holes rubbed. Perhaps the receiving screw was also mis-mounted. The more expensive table has a different vice. There was also another problem with the purchased cabinet, but I was able to fix that myself...

Just thought that I would mention it.

[Dale Cruea]

James, This Sjobergs is the only bench I have every purchased. I was going to go with a LN but I didn't like the style. I wanted two regular vises. I didn't want a leg vise.
At the time they did not sell the new bench.