Placement of End Vise

[Brad Roller]

Hi all,

I’ve learned a lot by reading so many threads on this site. Thanks for adding so much great content.
I’m planning to build a workbench (Moravian style) in the near future and I’m thinking about using a Christiansen Model No. 1D metal vise (10” wide and 2.5” deep) on the end of the bench. I bought it on Craigslist. I like the look of it but I’m concerned about the depth of the vise, which is 2.5” and the position of the bench dog, which is all the way on the left side of the vise. As for the depth, I’m thinking about making the wood cheek rise about a half inch above the vise top. As for the bench dog, I was thinking about bolting the vise about center on 12-18” wide bench top, so that the dog lines up with dog holes. I’m pretty new to woodworking, so maybe I’m not seeing a disadvantage of not having the left side of the end vise flush with the face side of the bench top. I can’t recall seeing too many end vises center on the bench top. Am I better off just using another metal vise? I’d prefer not to drop a lot of money on more expensive vises.

Thanks for any thoughts on this issue.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Brad and welcome to the Creek.

The reason the dog is all the way to the left is on most benches, for right handers, there is a row of dogs along the edge of the bench for holding pieces flat for planing.

It also comes in handy when using rabbet planes, plow planes and molding planes.

The end vise being to one side is also helpful when sawing a piece held in he vise so the left hand is free to grab the cut off piece.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

I'm with JTK on this, it should work fine.

If you want more depth, mount it on some plywood blocks, before attaching it under the bench.

I find the "opening" dimension of vises like these more important than depth.

To handle pieces beyond a 2.5" depth, make a Moxxon vise. (Which will be easy, using this beauty.)

Have a browse of Bob Rozaieski's excellent blog for simple workholding techniques that don't rely on hardware.

https://brfinewoodworking.com/

[William Fretwell]

Welcome Brad, that vise looks worth restoring to it’s former glory, it has character! The shallow depth suits a Moravian which based on Ken’s creations don’t have deep tops.
As for end mounting, the dog is everything. Your row of dogs along the bench top will not be right at the edge but set in about 3 inches. At that depth you can hold stock up to 6 inches in the middle, you can reach it easily with a plane without strain. Simply line the vise dog up with your bench dogs. So it will sit in from the front a little.
The wood liner could extend above the vise jaw slightly to protect sharp edges from bumping into steel, the main reason people do that. The vise should be mounted so the liner top aligns with the bench top. Ensure you have plenty of dog left to work with!
It is that simple!

[Brad Roller]

Thanks everyone! This advice is really helpful. I’ll be sure to follow up some day with pictures of the vise mounted on the not yet built bench.

[Brad Roller]

Thanks again for all the advice, guys. The end vice position ended up working really well. Here are a few pics of the bench.
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[Richard Hutchings]

Lefty here, I made the mistake of building a right handed bench and my tail vise doesn't see much use. I'm not going to make another so I'll just plod along.

[mike stenson]

Lefty here, I made the mistake of building a right handed bench and my tail vise doesn't see much use. I'm not going to make another so I'll just plod along.

I've honestly found I just don't use the tail vise much anyway ;) Turns out that there are a whole bunch of ways to hold work. You're not alone :D

[Jim Koepke]

Great looking bench Brad.


I've honestly found I just don't use the tail vise much anyway ;) Turns out that there are a whole bunch of ways to hold work. You're not alone :D

There is almost an infinite number of ways to hold work. For me, my tail vise gets more use than my face vise. That could change with my next bench.

jtk

[Tom Bender]

Brad
That's a nice bench! And you completed it quickly. That vice really has character.

[Tom M King]

That vise was a great find, and perfect for that nice bench! I had never seen one of those before.

[Richard Hutchings]

I found a good use for my tailvise. I put a board in it sticking up 1/2 the thickness of the guitar im working on as a stop. Ill probably start using it like that from now on for planing things.

[Brad Roller]

Thanks everyone! Tom, I like the vice for the bench because it's smaller and light for an end vice. Since the bench is meant to be mobile, I like that the weight is still manageable to carry with the vise attached. Richard, I'll probably use the end vise for planing sometimes, but that's why I installed a plane stop on the other end. I haven't used a plane stop much in the past, but I'm looking forward to getting better at it now.

[ken hatch]

Brad,

Good looking bench. Congrats,

ken