Cutting the Corner Detail on a Vise Jaw

[John Crawford]

Hi Everyone:

I'm slowly working along on a workbench, and am finally ready to install my face vise. Of course I could make a simple jaw and just get going, but I've put enough time into this that I wouldn't mind dressing it up a bit.

Does anyone have suggestions for cutting the traditional detail that you often see on vise jaws: a rounded corner with a short, squared, rabbet on top?

For instance, the detail here on this Lie Nielsen jaw: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/vise-hardware/wood-chain-drive-vise-jaws/
Or the same detail often seen on the Woodwrights Shop: http://image.pbs.org/video-assets/pbs/woodwrights-shop/18524/images/Mezzanine_906.jpg.resize.640x360.jpg

Thanks for your continued help! I'll post pictures when I'm done (months from now...)

[Jim Ritter]

Without knowing the tools at your beck and call this is the way I would do it.
Draw the profile on the end then on the table saw starting from the outside in cut successive kerfs that just touch the layout line profile. Then break or chisel off all the little tongues and then plane, scrape and sand to the line. Or buy a really big bit for a shaper.
Jim

[Jeff Heath]

It's as easy as drawing a line on your chop, and cutting to it with a saw. If you don't have a coping/frame saw to make curve, you can cut kerfs just shy of the line, and use a chisel to remove the waste. Clean up with rasps, plane, chisel, or any other tool at your means until finished. A sharp shoulder plane will make fast work of it. Make sure you use a backer board to prevent blowout on your exit side.

[Jim Koepke]

Does anyone have suggestions for cutting the traditional detail that you often see on vise jaws: a rounded corner with a short, squared, rabbet on top?

One of my thoughts is to make the rabbet more like a groove for storing a pencil.

For making the rounded ends a knifed line, a chisel and a block plane should suffice. Doesn't really have to be a block plane, but that might be the easiest.

jtk

[Winton Applegate]

If a thinnish jaw like the LN then I would want ALL the wood I could get between the outside corner and the clamping face of the jaw. So leave the edge square and just kiss it with your small block plane to take off the sharp edge. Flat square faces on a vice jaw and strength right out to the outer most part of the edge, wood or metal, is important to me for clamping small things at the outside corner of the vise.

That was one thing that was impressive about my rails in the way (older authentic Record quick adjusting vise); the iron jaws were ground or other wise made so the perimeter of the jaws met perfectly with a slight hollow in the middle area as opposed to touching some where in the center of the jaws leaving a gap at the edges.

If the jaw is thick like St. Roy's then have at it. Could get really crazy with a thick jaw but a thick jaw limits your angle when filing small objects.

[Winton Applegate]

PS: I wouldn't recommend going outside the perimeter of the iron jaw if your vise is like mine

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0726_zpsdf83a92b.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0726_zpsdf83a92b.jpg.html)

It causes it to rack too much, especially for the Record knock offs, and the actual clamping pressure is diminished. But maybe I am thinking like too much of a metal head here.

PPS: From reading the other responses I now think I did not understand the question. I thought you meant what would be a different attractive detail to add to the edge.
Sorry
I don't really see the point of making a hollow vise jaw and putting a chain in it. Doesn't the chain go in an enclosure on the out side of the jaw. I thought it was to fit over a metal jaw.
K . . . .z

[John Crawford]

Thanks everyone--sounds like a saw, rasps, and block plane will do the trick.

I think the thing I really need to accomplish this is.....a vise!

[Brian Holcombe]

Half the battle of building a bench is not having a bench to build it.

[Jim Koepke]

I think the thing I really need to accomplish this is.....a vise!

Not having a vise is a good way to force one to learn other ways of securing their work.

jtk