Face Vice issue

[maranoblet]

Hi,

I have built an old english style workbench with a large wooden face vice, wooden screw and guide on a twin tenon. For the first couple of years this was working fine however the front jaw has started to cup badly and now only grips the workpiece in the centre, 2" below the top edge of the vice ie it cant really hold narrow or thinner stock along the top edge.

With hindsight, I have realised that I should have fitted the front jaw the other way round so that the rings when they cup make the vice grip tighter top and bottom but hey.

It's not possible to reverse the vice jaw due to its construction so my only option would be to plane the high spot off along the inner face or rebuild the front jaw. My question is will this vice front just continue to cup every few years? I don't want to waste my time removing the leather facing and planing it flat if it is just going to move again in a year or two. Planing around the fixed guide might be a minor pain but rebuilding will be a bit of a clat!

Any advice welcome

 

[SteL]

Hi,

I had the exact same issue with mine..

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...ouble-through-mortise-and-tenon.125891/page-2

Someone on the thread at the time said it would cup because you could see the wood's pith and extreme rings that would try to flatten themselves out, and that's precisely what happened after a year or so.

I tried to flatten it in place but it was a pain, and it had cupped so much that it would end up paper thin after flattening it fully. I drilled out the drawbored dowels and managed to get it apart. I then took a trip to British Hardwoods to pick something decent out and remade the vice face. It wasn't that hard because you've got a template that you can literally trace around once you get it apart.

Good Luck!

 

[maranoblet]

Hi,

I had the exact same issue with mine..

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...ouble-through-mortise-and-tenon.125891/page-2

Someone on the thread at the time said it would cup because you could see the wood's pith and extreme rings that would try to flatten themselves out, and that's precisely what happened after a year or so.

I tried to flatten it in place but it was a pain, and it had cupped so much that it would end up paper thin after flattening it fully. I drilled out the drawbored dowels and managed to get it apart. I then took a trip to British Hardwoods to pick something decent out and remade the vice face. It wasn't that hard because you've got a template that you can literally trace around once you get it apart.

Good Luck!

Hmmm thought that might be the case. Might have to bite the bullet and start again. Thanks for the reply.