I do not have an end vice?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

devonwoody

Established Member
Joined
11 Apr 2004
Messages
13,493
Reaction score
25
Location
Paignton Devon
Thinking of the approach of Spring.

I have a bench I constructed 18 years ago and still in a usable condition but no end vice because most of my previous woodwork projects were made with woodwork machinery.

I do have a large selection of hand tools but some of them like planes (around 10 planes) without the end vice to hold and push timber against a dog I run into certain restrictions.

How do other members here overcome this situation on their bench? Not able to fit an end vice owing to my bench position.
 
I clamp a piece of scrap to the top of the bench to use as a stop to plane against.
 
If you have dog holes in your bench you can use a Veritas wonder dog, or home made version, at one end. They're not terribly expensive but wouldn't be hard to replicate.
 
here is an approach you could try:

[youtube]WNrof3cd1cA[/youtube]
 
As above. I have Veritas dogs but also use the notched batten.
Or two wooden dogs, a bit of scrap and a wedge.

I used to think I needed an end vice but there's no room at the end of my bench and although I have a spare small cast iron vice I have never got round to fitting it.

Pics here my-old-cheap-easy-bench-t82290.html
 
alternatively, if you are not fussy about your bench top, you can just use a screw/nail as a temporary stop in place of the batten.
 
I also prefer to use a wooden notched batton, a tail vice can too easily be over tightened and cause the stuff to bow inducing faults in the finished piece. I use a nail through the batton and dare I say it...into the bench rather than a hold down as it allows the batton to move freely and slackening off / allowing any bow induced through the pressure of say cross planing to come out if the stuff after each stoke.
 
depending on your bench top, you could make a through mortise and fit an adjustable planing stop, like for example in the roubo benches. This is how I plane stuff, together with a doe´s foot when needed.
 
I have a tail vice but rarely use it for holding stuff down for planing. It racks a little, not much but the notched batten/holdfast method doesn't rack at all and is generally quicker to use.

I mostly use the tail vice for clamping e.g. table legs vertically for working on the end. I'd keep it for that alone.
 
Thanks all for your views, there were some good ones there but I am still in limbo.

I do not have a router table anymore (although a small 1200 bosch router)
and I want to do mouldings, picture frames and enough hardwood prepared to do around 15 tissue boxes.

I have the Large Record combination plane plus plough and rebate planes and I would need to work off the front of my bench, or buy that cheapo Rutlands router table advertised for today only. So will ruminate this afternoon and might take the plunge again for another bit of tackle.
any tips still welcome re above problems.
 
devonwoody":2scl6288 said:
Just4Fun":2scl6288 said:
I clamp a piece of scrap to the top of the bench to use as a stop to plane against.

:D That's the easy part its the other end is my problem
It seems I don't understand your problem because for me the other end is no problem. The nature of planing pushes the stock against the stop and the other end doesn't need to be restrained in any way. In fact I prefer that it isn't held, so I can quickly pick up the work piece to check for size or square.
 
Just4Fun":2eboj2ic said:
devonwoody":2eboj2ic said:
Just4Fun":2eboj2ic said:
I clamp a piece of scrap to the top of the bench to use as a stop to plane against.

:D That's the easy part its the other end is my problem
It seems I don't understand your problem because for me the other end is no problem. The nature of planing pushes the stock against the stop and the other end doesn't need to be restrained in any way. In fact I prefer that it isn't held, so I can quickly pick up the work piece to check for size or square.


If I use a plough plane the edge usually would hang over the front edge of a bench and planing action can displace unstable foundation limo.
 
Mattroberts, that would do the trick and I reckon I could make up similar with 6mm threaded bar and some nuts. Thanks for you post
 
devonwoody":o1f9lrel said:
Thinking of the approach of Spring.

I have a bench I constructed 18 years ago and still in a usable condition but no end vice because most of my previous woodwork projects were made with woodwork machinery.

I do have a large selection of hand tools but some of them like planes (around 10 planes) without the end vice to hold and push timber against a dog I run into certain restrictions.

How do other members here overcome this situation on their bench? Not able to fit an end vice owing to my bench position.

I tossed a small quick release vise on the end of my bench. It's not an ideal vise for that position, but it works. I stuffed it with a utility board (jaw) that I could drill dog holes into.
 
In my experience, medium to large pieces of wood are no problem - it's the narrow or thin pieces that can be challenging.
If you are ploughing narrow pieces, some sort of sticking board may be the answer. This can be very simple - a piece of softwood, ply, MDF or even contiboard, with a long batten fixed along it, where the back edge of the work will rest, and a screw or two as an end stop. Make it thick enough to raise the work higher than the plough plane's fence, or arrange for it to overhang the front of the bench. Screw or clamp it to the bench or add a 'keel' to go in the vice.
 
Thanks Andy, my boxes are normally 8 to10mm thick and around 85 mm width timber, frames can be in the18mm to25mm thick.
 
Put a sash clamp into the face vice and clamp the workpiece into it?
Paul Sellers will probably have several posts about it.

Personally, I'd get an inset vice like that Axy one.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top