Best way to inset a vise jaw?

[Jeff Levine]

Hello Folks -
I am looking to mount 2 quick-action vises as the front vise and end vise on my bench (a 3" thick maple glue-up, 30" by 72", I bought used from a kitchen supply store). I've seen that a nicer-looking way to do this is to inset the back (metal) jaw into the bench for a neater look. From posted photos, it looks like the top of the jaw is usually inset about 1/4 inch below the surface of the benchtop, so that when it is installed, and the rear jaw covered with a wood face, it cannot be seen. On the end vise, I plan to inset it about 3/8" back from the front edge of the bench so it can't be seen from the side either.

Any suggestions about how to do this? I'm guessing a router and some kind of template, but beyond that I'm stumped (probably a bad choice of word in a woodworking forum!). I don't have a plunge router, just a fixed base, and also a laminate trimmer.

Any suggestions?

[Doug Shepard]

I dont know that I've noticed any inset vises other than the patternmakers vises. There's some info here on doing a patternmakers vise that might help doing it on other vise types.
http://www.mprime.com/Emmert/RogerVM2.htm

[Doug Shepard]

BTW - at least on the face vise I think the goal is not for cosmetics but to get the face of the rear jaw so it's flush with the bench front. That way one end of a board can be clamped in the vise and the other end clamped to the bench front.

[glenn bradley]

I used a router with scraps clamped on to act as guides. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=64517&d=1179080660

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=64518&d=1179080670

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=64736&d=1179287019

[Jeff Levine]

Doug, thanks. I'm not planning to put a front apron on my benchtop, so I think if the wood pad for the rear jaw rests against the front edge of the bench (as opposed to being in the same plane as the front edge), that is ok. I am envisioning making a deadman the same thickness as the rear jaw pad to support the back part of long boards when edge-planing.

Glenn, thanks for the pics. When you were routing out the recess, I see you clamped the 2 by's as a bearing surface for the router base, but how did you define the edges of the recess - just freehand, without stops? Also, it looks like you routed out the piece, then glued or otherwise fastened it to the edge of the benchtop - is that right?