Mounting a vice. Inside or outside the apron?

[DoctorWibble]

Nearing the end of my first workbench build and my thoughts are turning to vice.
I've been learning from the Paul Sellers and Richard Maguire videos/blogs and, as most here will know, each has a very different working style. Sellers (vice in front of the apron) puts everything in the vice, barely uses the rest of his bench and never uses the apron. Maguire (apron forms the rear jaw) uses his bench almost exclusively and hardly bothers with the vice.
Now in building the bench I have, like Maguire, become a "surface worker". Using battens clamps and a makeshift sawhorse. But of course that is because having no proper bench and no vice I've had no option. Now I have to decide how to fit my vice. And the choice seems a non-trivial one because it will impact on the working style I adopt and learn. What does the forum think?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I haven't an apron, but my vice is set flush withe front of the bench top. I have pieces of Spur type shelving support set into a moving deadman and the right leg so I can use a short(ened) shelf support to catch the bottom of doors, panels etc. I can't really see any advantage to setting it out further - I can pack a workpiece off the back face of the vice (a 53e, so miles of room ) if I need clearance around it. You can move your work outwards if the vice is flush, but not inwards if it isn't.

 

[Hot stuff]

I've got both my vices fitted with the apron forming the rear jaw but unless I'm missing something, which is highly likely, surely this allows you to use the vice however you wish?
I do a lot of work on the surface with hold downs but also use the front edge of the bench when I'm planing, edge sanding etc. Just gives me a longer, more stable clamping surface.
Works for me.

 

[Eric The Viking]

My bench was made before I knew anything about bench design really It's got a 4"x3" "apron" at the front of an odd hardwood, Nemesu(sp?), which a local timber yard had bought in for window framing use*.

I mounted my Record 52 1/2 with the rear jaw bearing on that block behind, and an "L" shaped hardwood cheek on the moving jaw, so as to bring that up level with the benchtop and cover the metal. It's worked really well down the years and I like it. I've never really had a problem with the "lost" 3" of opening - it will still hold something like a drawer carcase easily.

It hs VERY handy to just be able to slip a clamp on the front, to hold stock straight for hand planing, etc. I'd find not having a straight edge runing the whole length of the bench to be a nuisance now, as I'm so used to using it that way. It really comes into its own when I want to hold something (like a drawer carcase) to work on after it's been part-assembled - very hard to do without an apron.

The only thing I would change would be to make a replaceable "cheek" for the back jaw to be snug with the front surface of the Nemesu. It's a general purpose bench, not just woodwork, and the top edge has had a lot of abuse, so that it's hard to grip small pieces now, because of the rounding off, crushing and splintering. I didn't think of that when I made it and now it's annoying.

E.

PS: the next version will be beech on the front. That Nemesu produces really vicious splinters! I can see why the window companies didn't like it!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

To pick up on that - my vice although flush with the front has a replaceable rear wooden face.

 

[AndyT]

I'm with the rest - rear jaw covered by wood, flush with the edge of the benchtop (no apron).
Pics here if you want them

my-old-cheap-easy-bench-t82290.html

 

[DoctorWibble]

Thanks everyone. Nice to see some consensus. I'll drop it behind the apron.

 

[DoctorWibble]

You can move your work outwards if the vice is flush, but not inwards if it isn't.

Very good point. Thanks.

 

[DoctorWibble]

The only thing I would change would be to make a replaceable "cheek" for the back jaw to be snug with the front surface of the Nemesu. It's a general purpose bench, not just woodwork, and the top edge has had a lot of abuse, so that it's hard to grip small pieces now, because of the rounding off, crushing and splintering. I didn't think of that when I made it and now it's annoying!

By a stroke of luck I've ended up with a beech corner board (rest of the bench is pine). The original pine board I'd set aside warped beyond rescue over some months of prevarication and meanwhile I'd noticed that the corners of redwood do tend to crumble and splinter rather easily hence why I went with beech for its replacement. Perhaps I ought to arrange a removeable section too. Hadn't thought of that. Good idea. Thanks.

 

[worn thumbs]

I have worked with both and made my current bench with the vice mounted on the face of the apron.I find the odd instance when a workpiece isn't totally flat on the back surface more than justifies the choice and would always choose this option.I suppose it depends on the type of work you intend to do.