# Benchcrafted vise advice



## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

After 23 years I'm finally building a proper work bench. Up till now I've been working with old 2×4 garage shelves tipped on the side with a 1 ½" thick laminated plywood top and a Record metal quick release vise mounted on the wrong end of the bench (on the left, I'm right handed). It's not flat or level.

Over the past few years I've significantly increased my hand tool usage and am using my assembly table with vices or stops for a workbench. I've really stopped using that old bench for anything but stacking and storing "stuff".

The new bench top will be 8/4 laminated ash 4" thick, 8' long and 24" wide, I got the delivery this morning. The leg material is unknown at this point depending on availability and price. The height will be 31 ½". I'm 5' 10" tall.

I am pretty sure I want to use Benchcrafted wagon wheel tail vise and leg vice hardware but am challenged to choose which leg vise hardware (Classic Crisscross vs. Glide Crisscross) to use.

I read somewhere that the threaded shaft on the Classic is thinner than the Crisscross version but I don't know if that changes the functionality or performance. Watching the Benchcrafted video, the Classic seems to perform fine.

The Classic (Tommy bar) Crisscross solo package is $630 plus shipping and the Glide C package (C crisscross Glide and tail vise) is $699. I'm expecting this bench to last the rest of my life so the $69 difference is not a factor in this decision. What I want is the best performing longest lasting leg vice. Also I think I liked the old Glide without the knobs better than the new but that's not a big concern either.

My questions for those of you who have experience with Benchcrafted vices; Does the Classic configuration clamp and perform well? As well as the Glide configuration? Does the Crisscross perform well? What is your best advice?


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

No one on Lumberjocks has the Bench crafted classic leg vice with the Tommy bar?


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## BadJoints (Jun 3, 2015)

First, I have not used the bencrafted, but I have seen it used quite a bit. I had intended to use it for my next bench, but it's just not in the budget. Maybe for the next, next bench.

Either will work just fine, but I intend to go with the glide. It just seems simpler to be able to spin the wheel while adjusting the project. Plus, it looks way cooler. I know Marc over at TWW has the glide and speaks highly of it as well.



> mounted on the wrong end of the bench (on the left, I'm right handed).


Maybe I'm just reading this wrong, but almost every righty bench I've ever seen has had the vise on the left. My thinking is that's because the bulk of your work piece will be located to the 'inside' of the legs, which is where you want to do most of your work. The only issue I see with this, which is one I am currently wrestling with one my bench remodel, is crosscutting boards, which would be easier to do past the end of the bench.

I am a lefty, and have had my vise on both ends of the bench. It just works better 90% of the time for me if it's on the right.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Those of us that have Benchcrafted vises don't have both types so we have no way to make a valid comparison. I have a much older version of the Benchrafted leg vise without the crisscross. That would be similar to the glide vise. I can say that it works flawlessly, if I were to build it today I would get the crisscross. They hadn't come up with that when I built mine.


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