Building a bench - what vises?

[Bruce Delaney]

I'm building a workbench based on a pre-made maple slab (2-3/8" thick) and a metal leg set. I haven't decided on what vises to get for it but am considering the following few:

Front vise with guidebars
Record-type vise
Tucker vise

Perhaps I'm missing some but ought to consider anyway. I'm leaning either towards to the front vise with guidebars for reasons of affordability and classic look, or the Tucker vise for its versatility.

Anyone who owns or has tried the Tucker vise, anything about it you don't like? One concern I have about it is that, since it appears to have quite a few moving parts and doesn't clamp the workpiece against the front of the bench itself, it may not benefit from the bench's rigidity as much and therefore wiggle more when sawing a clamped workpiece. Is that a valid concern at all?

I would appreciate your thoughts, recommendations about what kind of vise to get. And in case it matters (which I suspect it does), I mostly use handtools in conjunction with my bench.

[Gary Curtis]

I envy your 2 3/8 maple top. I'm currently building a rather large bench. I bought Lee Valley vises. Made in Eastern Europe. Pretty heavy on both the front vice and tail vise. Others on the forum have made good comments on them.

After I bought mine, Lee Valley came out with a few models of quick release vises. Since I am just a hobbyist, it didn't seem worth the trouble to exchange mine and upgrade. A few websites of tool dealers in England still indicate availabitity of new Record QR vises. And a recent edition of Tools & Workshops by Taunton Press rated German vises the best on several available benches.

Gary Curtis

[Michael Keating]

Hi Bruce,

I just went through the same decision process and got a patternmakers vice from woodworker.com. I am happy with the choice. This offers the best of all worlds, but it is HEAVY.
The opening is amazing and with the rotation you can cut dovetails with need for a second workbench holder.

Just a thought.

Mike

[Mike Heidrick]

I have a Wilton front vice. It has a cam rapid action close and an enclosed screw which is very nice. There is also a built in bench dog system that lifts the entire angling insert. It comes in 7" and 9" widths and opens to 13" I believe. Very nice front vice.

They typically sell new for $130 for the 7". The 9" will be about $50 more or so.

[Rob Will]

I have a Wilton front vice. It has a cam rapid action close and an enclosed screw which is very nice. There is also a built in bench dog system that lifts the entire angling insert. It comes in 7" and 9" widths and opens to 13" I believe. Very nice front vice.

They typically sell new for $130 for the 7". The 9" will be about $50 more or so.

I bought two of the Wilton 10" models. They work like a front vise with the added benefit of a swivel jaw similar to a pattern vise.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=47139

rob

[Ken Pywell]

Hi Bruce,
I have the Tucker vise and find it is very well made, able to hold just about everything and there is no wiggle. My top is 3" thick. I would suggest inseting the vise a bit to take advantage of the edge of the benchtop. Allow for flipping the jaws around. I like the choice of large or small jaws.
Ken

[Dave A. Jackson]

I'm building a workbench based on a pre-made maple slab (2-3/8" thick) and a metal leg set.
W/ veritas twinscrew53867

[Mike Heidrick]

Beautiful bench Dave!! I love the steel legs!

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

The VERY best you can get.
Size matters. So does quality lots and lots of quality.

[Larry Conely]

I built this bench about 25 years ago. It has a Record 52 1/2 D vise and a tail vise. I believe the Record is no longer available in the U.S., but love the quality and quick release feature. I inlet the rear jaw into the bench so that I have a flush clamping surface with the front edge of the bench. I also lined all vise faces with leather, another feature I would repeat if I built another bench. I can't recall the manufacturer of the tail vise, but the hardware is readily available.

Larry

[Dave Bow]

Does anyone have a preference over an end vise or a tail vise? For what reasons?

Dave

[Jim Becker]

Does anyone have a preference over an end vise or a tail vise? For what reasons?

Right now, I don't have either.

But the answer to your last question is related to how you use your bench. If you are clamping a lot of single boards for Neander processing, a tail vice might be the better choice, for example.