# Cabinet Maker's Vise



## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

I purchased this vise from Grizzly some time ago and am just now getting my plans organized to put it to use. It's quite a massive piece of hardware with a 1-3/16" screw and seems quite well constructed.










But now I'm wondering about the design and its intended orientation for use. My question is driven by wondering why the screw is offset to one side, and whether the vise is intended to clamp short stock (shorter than the vise jaw is wide) on one side over the other, to avoid racking the vise (less torsional force on the side with the shorter moment arm… the moment arm being the distance from the screw to the guide rod).

Any thoughts on this?

Is there an accepted practice?

They advertise the vice as a "front vise" and it makes sense that a board clamped to the bench front would often only be in the right (short) side of the jaws.

But then again, the installation pics show it being used as an end vise for a left handed bench… which also makes sense.

I was hoping to use this as an end vise on a right handed bench, but now that I think about it, that appears to be backwards for the design.

Hmmmmm…....????


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

Maybe it's not polite, but Woodcraft offers instructions for their very similar front vise (144805 in the instructions).


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

It will work either way. It is designed to have a 4-5" wide apron attached to the top with a corresponding face on the vise.

I have no idea about the offset screw other than gives you a little wider space for clamping a board vertically.

One could always call tech service.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Jim, the funny thing is, I went to Woodcraft and attempted to buy this vise twice, and each time the small one was on sale and the large one was out of stock. :^(


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## Gentile (Jun 3, 2013)

Here's how I did mine…









I dint have another piece of oak long enough to make the movable part as wide as the bench. It works just fine though. My only concern is that is doesn't close evenly. There's is a 1/8" gap on the left side when closed.
One of these days I'll tear it apart to see what the problem is…
The bench top is an old solid core (Particle board) door, a temporary solution, 10 years ago…


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I have the same vise, marketed under a different name. I mounted it the same as Gentile with a chop the full width of my bench (24"). I keep a wedge on the right side to prevent racking and have a dog on the left side of the chop (front of bench). IMHO, it's unbeatable hardware at the price I paid for mine.


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## GregTP (Oct 26, 2015)

I have the woodcraft version of the same. I have used mine as an end vise also, and it works fine. I have had to take it off once in the past three years to true up the face and widen the holes because they were starting to rub. The inner face of the jaw is the end of my bench which I joined with a double sliding dovetail so it tends to work easier in the winter when the wood retracts and is a touch sticky when it swells up.

Someone mentioned above that the offset drive screw allows for wider vertical pieces to pass through the vice which is very true. It also allows relief for a dog hole in the (relative) center of the vice's travel path.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Nice looking bench. I may use mine as an end vise as well…. if I ever finish joining all the bench top lumber that is.

Thanks for your reply.


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