Strategy for cutting vise mortise

[Alex Liebert]

Been awhile since I've posted here, but been lurking and learning, and very slowly developing some skills!

399626

I would like to install a quick release vise on my new bench top, and I would like to recess the rear jaw into the bench- crude sketch attached. I would like to do this with hand tools only if I can pull it off, but I have very little experience with chopping operations so far- and surprisingly have only been able to find demonstrations of doing this particular job with power tools. I have chisels, a mallet, and a brace and bits.

I suppose it's more like a stopped groove than like a mortise. I can't just saw the cheeks out because I want the half inch of wood at the top edge. Dimensions of the notch would be 10" x 1-3/4" x 1".

How should I go about this? The most straight forward way seems to be turn the bench upside down, mark it out, hold the chisel dead perpindicular to the bench bottom and chop along the width of the mortise- then pare all the insides. Is there a better way? Should I bore out some of the waste? From which direction?

Open to suggestions on the right way - then I can look for some thick enough stock to practice on before I start wacking at my bench!

[Jim Koepke]

There are quite a few posts on how to cut half blind dovetails and dados. Though both of those are different than what you want to do some of the techniques used are the same needed to make a cutout for your vise.

The intangibles of making a housing for such an endeavor are seldom mentioned. One is for something like this part of my technique is to try for slightly smaller than needed. Then it is usually a few light parings with a chisel to get a snug fit.

Derek Cohen has a lot of information on his site:

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/index.html

This is a page in from the home page.

If you have a saw, the cheeks can be partially sawn out by sawing on an angle and not sawing past your lines for the top and the back of the vise. It can be tedious, but drilling a hole at the end of the saw cut will allow one to work a saw into a corner.

Are you going to cover the faces of the vise. This might come into consideration as to if the vise is set in or not. My preference is for my vise to be flush with the face of the bench. Some folks like the jaws of the vise to be out from the edge.

Good luck with your project and let us see how it goes.

jtk

[Andrew Seemann]

I'd turn the bench over and work at it from the bottom of the top. Unless the wood is quite soft or very well behaved, I'd probably bore out the waste where I could. You are already doing it the hard way with hand tools, so no need to do harder:)

Like Jim says, you basically can treat it like a big square half blind dovetail socket. It it is functionally the same, although the grain may be going in a different direction depending where you mount the vice.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm...new jaws for the vise thread...
399631399632399633399634

[Alex Liebert]

There are quite a few posts on how to cut half blind dovetails and dados. Though both of those are different than what you want to do some of the techniques used are the same needed to make a cutout for your vise.

The intangibles of making a housing for such an endeavor are seldom mentioned. One is for something like this part of my technique is to try for slightly smaller than needed. Then it is usually a few light parings with a chisel to get a snug fit.

Derek Cohen has a lot of information on his site:

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/index.html

This is a page in from the home page.


Thank you- I'll read through derek's articles and see what I can find that is similar. I've tried to watch videos I could find of blind mortises (which are different because they are in the center of the work and here I have an open edge) and of stopped grooves (which are rarely as big as what I'm doing here, so seem to be able to rely on taking a few shallow passes with the width of a chisel but won't really work for me exactly.)

I'm sure it's all very straightforward when you know what to do...the best approach I guess is to find some big boards to practice on that aren't my bench.




If you have a saw, the cheeks can be partially sawn out by sawing on an angle and not sawing past your lines for the top and the back of the vise. It can be tedious, but drilling a hole at the end of the saw cut will allow one to work a saw into a corner.

Are you going to cover the faces of the vise. This might come into consideration as to if the vise is set in or not. My preference is for my vise to be flush with the face of the bench. Some folks like the jaws of the vise to be out from the edge.

Good luck with your project and let us see how it goes.

jtk

Yup I have a saw. I can cut a diagonal that way, would be a good start.

Yup I will be making a wood pad to get to flush. The iron jaw is 1/2". 3/4" hardwood stock is easy for me to buy in very small quantities- so I'll take that warped 3/4" stock, square it up, mount it to the iron jaw- then I can use the bench edge as a reference to take whatever is left of the 3/4" and get it planed to dead flush in the 1" hole.

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
Yup I have a saw. I can cut a diagonal that way, would be a good start.


It is even easier if you saw the sides, and then make a few cuts between to help with taking the wood out.

Boring with auger bits may also be of help. For me, it always seem more difficult to make a clean job of it doing it with drilling and chisels.399655

jtk

[Steven Mikes]

I would saw down the two sides diagonally, then about every inch in between first. Then start chopping and paring with a chisel. Surprisingly quick when you have one edge open like in your case. Finish up with a router plane to get a consistent depth.

[Tom Bender]

You will have to take steps to prevent that end bit from splitting off. Sawing will help but clamp it in place as well. It may be a long term concern as well. Maybe run a couple of dowels thru it.

The extra saw cuts and drilling are not really all that much help. Just take your time and chisel it all out between the two saw cuts.

A router plane is excellent for cleaning up.

[Bill McDermott]

Alex, Can you dimension a board to the intended depth of the mortice and then make a cutout to fit the vise? Screw it on to your benchtop. It would add a bit of width, but is quick and accurate. If it we me, I would also add another 1/2" lamination across the entire bench front, right over the vise jaw, yielding a perfectly flush and solid rear jaw pad. If you're not successful removing the right amount of wood, as you illustrated, it could make for a less than ideal install. You really want it solid and square.

PS - Hat's off on the hand tool intent. But with apologies, this is a good application for an electric router. See Steven's photo.