While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
Paul,
I just had to share this little quip from my 4 yr. old Great-Grandson on the instructional clarity of your videos.
Just a little background first…
His mother is in her second yr. at Ivy Tech., earning her certification as an R.N. in nursing, so I have had the opportunity to spend a few hours of quality time each day, during the week (retired and loving it) with him and he loves the 'shop time'.
This past spring we built his 1st workbench, 2×4s - plywood top - pegboard back and a trip to Lowes for some properly sized starter tools for him. He just loves bending nails in my cutoffs and scraps.
Today we watched your videos twice and now he would like to go to the shop and make some of your 'Legos' to hold the wood tight on his bench.
So Paul, thanks for caring enough to share your Wedge Vices and the videos with us and the clarity that even my Great-Grandson could understand.
...lol, I guess I know what's on his 'To-Do' list for the coming week.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
While this is the beginning of my construction blog for the V8 Degree bench, I'm not actually going to get into the build just yet. There are a few more features that I didn't want to clutter the project post with and I've added a couple of demo videos on the vices. I thought it would be best to start with a full view of the bench and its operational features first and get into the construction process in the next segment.
This photo shows the dog hole inserts that hide and protect the end grain of the plywood top. It also shows the bolting arrangement for fastening the top to the legs.
This one shows one of the the "dog houses" at each end of the bench. This is about the only place you can see the plywood construction. I had to leave it as proof.
Finally here is the deadman and its corresponding shim (in the leg vice).
OK, here's just one more… just for fun. This one shows the "solid walnut" stretchers before installation.
On to the videos.
Disclaimer: These are not professionally done. They are meant only to show the features of the bench and the operation of the wedge powered vices. This is the most difficulty I will ever have operating these vices because I'm not very familiar with them yet and I was trying to operate them and describe them on video at the same time. Even at that I think these videos will show that the wedge vices are efficient and straightforward to operate. Please don't look at the bench in the background.
The first one is about the Leg Vice.
.....and the wagon vices.
Come on ! I asked you not to look at the bench in the background…......
Anyway I hope that made the bench a little more real to you and I look forward to getting into the construction next time.
Thanks for looking in and see you next time.
Questions Comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
Paul, these vises are really a clever design. I'm guessing that the Deck Beam was left loose so you could repair/replace the wagon at any point in the future?
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
Paul, Great innovation. I need a little help understanding the lower slide track. I can see from the pictures that the upper slide track is, as you explain, a thin strip glued onto the side of the side rail. The lower one looks like it might, or might not, be more than a thin strip. Is is a full thickness strip glued to the bottom of the side rail?
More explanation of the bottom slide track and/or pictures of the bottom and each end of the wagon vices would be most helpful.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
Jack, On mine the lower rail is just like the upper, leaving a gap at the bottom where the side notch is. I did glue a little wedge in at the back. Doing it the way you are suggesting would be better. Things like that happen when you are making it up as you go along.
As I said, I haven't changed it because it works but if I made another, I would do it more like you suggest.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
After pricing what a set of vice screws cost, this is really really looking good. I too appreciate all you bring to this site for us wannabe woodworkers.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
I stumbled across your vise about 6 months ago, and keep coming back to it. Currently, my workbench has a leg vise, which I made using a pipe clamp. I do a lot of hand planing, and keep putting off buying the parts for a tail vise.
This vise is cheap, looks great, and the construction doesn't seem too difficult. Not only, that, I can build 2 for the cost of a little bit of wood. I think this will be my next project.
Thanks so much for the detailed videos and explanations. I can't believe this vise isn't more popular.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
Paul, I was able to get that sketch up file to work, Thank you. And in the last 24 hours I think I have read everything you have wrote on your bench. I am just about to get started on my own bench and stumbled upon your wagon vise just at the right time. I am going to get started on the wagon vises later in the week, and had a question about how you installed them in your bench. I see where you set the vise bodies into the end rail, the rest you just Hot glued in?
I should add, I am going with a solid top on my bench. up to 4" thick. I was thinking about a rabbit that the vise could cradle on. Never used hot glue in that sort of application. If it works for you then I'll give it a go too.
Thank you for all the detail you have put into this post.
John,
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
I epoxied them in John. See part seven. You can fit them any way you like as they are completely I dependant modules. The important thing is that the end is trapped so that it can't separate when the wedge block pushes back into it. This isn't a great place for HHG. The assembly time is a little too long and it is not a gap filler like epoxy.
OK, lets get started. I will go through the build process in the same order that I built the bench and as a non-working concept of wedge power would have been a deal breaker, the first job was to build a wagon vice or two to make sure they would work. I was fortunate enough to find a small local mill that would sell me some really nice local arbutus (madrone in USA). This is about 50 fbm and I have about ten left over.
After milling up some nice 1 7/8" stock and a bit of 3" I made up the main pieces. For the sake of getting it done quickly and easily ,the slide tracks for the wagon are just strips added on to the side rails with hot hide glue. The attached sketchup shows it as milled out of a single piece. For what it's worth, I never changed it because it works just fine.
The load bearer here is a modified joint that boatbuilders use to attach headers and jack beams in wooden deck construction. It has great load distributing characteristics and in this iteration I have left a 1/8" space at the front side of each of the "ears" to allow it to move forward and loosen when not under pressure from the wedge. This allows it to pop out very easily but doesn't compromise it's load bearing ability. The first photo shows the block in load bearing position and the second in the loosened position, ready to pop out.
The wedge surfaces were just band sawn and smoothed with a chisel.
The wedges and shims are detailed in the sketchup. The important feature is the angle of the wedge. If too shallow you don't get enough travel (and it will be really hard to drive out) and if too steep it won't stay in, ei: it will pop back out. My first intuition was to go for 1/2 " travel in the height of the block. I chose this because I've used wedges for years and it looked about right. It turns out that it worked perfectly so I didn't try any others. That slope expressed as an angle was 8 degrees. Maybe others will work as well. I don't know because I didn't try after the first one worked so well.
So far, with my bench dog holes 6" apart and the three holes in the wagons spaced at 2" intervals, I haven't found any length that I can't accommodate with the shims shown, one 1" and one 1/2" each vice.
The final key to this simple little construction is a critical one. It is important that the sides of the vice be unable to spread as the wedge base block is pushed back into its seat. To assure that this was solid I let the vice bodies into the solid back member of the bench.
I have made one more little tweak that really helps. It is shown in the video in the first segment of this blog. I made some "eccentric wagon dogs". Sounds like an application to the Kennel Club is in order I know. What these little guys do is allow you to fine tune the height of the wedge to clear your plane. Here's a better photo of them.
Here's the sketchup. You can get all the measurements from it. The only ones that really matter are the angles of the inclined planes. the rest can be modified to suit the size of your bench and the dimensions of your available material.
Because this vice is completely self contained, you don't need to build it into a new bench during construction. To retro-fit it in any bench, all you need to do is cut out a hole that matches its outer dimensions and drop it in. A little hot hide glue, epoxy or pva will make it a permanent fixture.
That's it. It's just too easy.
Next we'll start cutting up the three sheets of 3/4" plywood (give or take a bit) that make up the entire structure of the bench.
Thanks for looking in
Questions comments and critiques are always welcome.
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