Facing the jaws of a cast iron bench vise

[John K Jordan]

I just installed a 10-year-old brand new cast iron bench vise on a workbench (9" Groz with quick adjustment lever). Hey, I occasionally desire to [gasp] plane, drill, saw, or just hold something. This is not a fancy vise but it should be good enough. Sure was heavy.

Most of my wood activity is on the lathe and I am unfamiliar with this type of vise. My question is about facing (lining?) the cast iron jaws. The front jaw has a couple of through holes and the back one has a couple of threaded holes so I assume I can mount some facing boards with bolts. Is it better to use pieces of hardwood, softwood? I have plenty of cherry.

JKJ

[Jerry Thompson]

I used cork. I found cork in a hobby store and cut it to fit the jaw faces. I then glued it to the faces and closed the vise snugly overnight and the stuck. They work fine for my needs.

[Frederick Skelly]

I used 3/4" (oak veneer) plywood John. I keep meaning to face that with thick leather, but never get around to it. Been this way 10 years.:D
Fred

[keith wootton]

i use 6/4 maple with magnetic sign material backing so it does not have to be bolted or screwed to the vise. keith

[Bruce Page]

I also used maple. I drilled 3/4" dog holes and cut an undercut on the top to easily hold the work piece proud of the vice if needed.

[Eric Rimel]

In the past I'd always used 3/4"-ish hard maple scraps/offcuts and bolts for lining vice jaws both in my studio and my classrooms. I just purchased a home and ahop after being an apartment dweller for a very, very long time and am 90% done with my bench, just need to mount the vice. The vice is a new Wilton that came with magnetic maple jaws. I think these are awesome and won't ever go back to bolt on jaws.

[David Eisenhauer]

Lots and lots of vises are fitted with some type of hardwood bolted to the jaws, then faced with either leather or cork to provide a more secure grip or prevent slipping. As seen by the answers above, it seems like any wood will really do and can always be changed out. I glued some suede leather to my walnut (what I had laying around in the drop off pile) vice jaws which eliminated slippage I had been experiencing.

[John K Jordan]

Wow, lots of great ideas!

I do have some soft aluminum vise inserts secured with magnets on a small metal-working vise and they are great. Insetting some supermagnets into wood faces should be easy. I like the soft face idea also and happen to have a good supply of leather and a roll of cork gasket material.

Thanks for all the ideas. I know what I'll be doing in the morning!

JKJ

[Brian W Smith]

One more approach...sheet metal(we use copper)jaw "covers".Cut,as to have bendable tabs or ears that wrap around exist jaws to secure.There are pics of store bought versions online,but they only take a cpl minutes to make.

Make a few sets.You can glue leather to them as well.

[Marty Schlosser]

I've faced all my woodworking vises with leather, held in place with hide glue. Contact cement would also work well. Like cork, it's thin so it won't dramatically diminish the opening capacity as 3/4" wood would. Unlike cork, it's durable.

[lowell holmes]

I have ash on my vise. I have no issues with them. The face does not have to be 3/4" thick.

[Ryan Mooney]

Hardwood and leather.

Word of caution - try to pick a leather with minimal dye load, otherwise you just miiight find it rubbing off on your workpiece :o

[John K Jordan]

Hardwood and leather.

Word of caution - try to pick a leather with minimal dye load, otherwise you just miiight find it rubbing off on your workpiece :o

That sounds like good advice!

Just last week I went to Muddy Pond in TN, a Mennonite community near Crossville. We go to buy sorghum and things - and to go to the leather shop! This guy has huge bins of leather and sometimes boxes of pieces - I once bought a big box of pieces for $8. This time I picked up some heavy pieces to make strops for my carving knives and turning tools. He warned me about dyed and oiled leather and dug through the bins to find untreated pieces. That shop is also the best place to get custom leather work done and to buy things such as snaps, lead ropes, lunge whips, leather hats, belts, cowbells, donkey carts, and much more.

JKJ

[glenn bradley]

I sank the rear jaw in the apron and used beech for the front chop.

346441