# Eclipse EWWQR9 vise with out of square mounting surfaces



## Malone (Sep 15, 2012)

I just got an 9-inch Eclipse EWWQR9 quick-release woodworking vise for my new workbench. It seems like a very nice vise, but before I install it I'd like to know why the mounting surfaces (or what I am using as mounting surfaces) are out of square.

I'm not talking about toe-in. I understand that. The two surfaces I'm talking about are (1) the surface that goes against the underside of the bench top and (2) the back side of the fixed jaw which I intend to mount to the edge of my benchtop. These two surfaces meet at a slightly greater than 90 degree angle. This is a well-reviewed vise and the two surfaces are on what appears to be a single piece of cast iron, so I wonder if maybe it's meant to be that way?

This youtube video shows the same vise model being installed by Paul Sellers in the same way that I plan to. You can't really see the angle between surfaces in the video but you can see that his vise appears to kind of rock on the edge at about the 18-minute mark, which indicates to me that maybe those surfaces are out of square.

So my questions are: Do I have a bad vise? Or is it a minor defect that I should ignore? Or is it normal? Is there some purpose for this kind of geometry? Is it meant to allow some play so that I can adjust the angle so that the vise opens parallel to my bench top? Some other reason?


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## Malone (Sep 15, 2012)

For posterity: I think it turns out not to be an issue. I used some pretty significant hardware to attach the vise. I used two 1/2 in x 4 in hex-head lag screws on the bottom of the vise. Those come to within about 3/4 in of my work surface. And on the front I used two 1/4 in x 4 in hex-head lag screws. Probably overkill. But now that it's all bolted down I don't detect that it is significantly out of level with the top. Maybe the lag screws are deflecting it into shape somewhat.


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