Got a new vice....

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Primer

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So... I bought an “Irwin Record” vice today and even just holding it I can tell it’s better than the nasty b&q one.

However.... stupid question alert...

The holes for attacking the cheeks aren’t tapped. Am I missing something? How do you attack the cheeks?

Sorry for all the newbie questions.
 
Ugh as soon as I posted this I realised you screw in from the back.....

What an silly person.
 
Primer":2hcikhvi said:
Hmmm why does the forum change “i d i o t” to “silly person”?

Malicious people mainly I think.

I think I'd prefer tapped holes just so I could take the cheeks off without having to take the vice off the bench, that being said I've never had to replace my plywood cheeks.
 
Iirc you said your bench had the cut out for one. When you mount the vice, mount it so the top of the jaws is 12mm - 15mm below the top of the bench - you can cap both sides with bits of wood that are sacrificial - if you hit them with a plane, a saw or anything else you damage the wood and not the vice or the tool. Make the lining pieces higher than the bench top and plane them down flush after fitting, adding a strip on top the inner (depending how you fit it) and behind the outer. Some people line them with leather, some people use hardwood - after years of using hardwood I now use softwood - it distorts more easily and doesn't bruise the item you're holding.
 
Trevanion":2ny89icw said:
I think I'd prefer tapped holes just so I could take the cheeks off without having to take the vice off the bench, that being said I've never had to replace my plywood cheeks.

Get yourself a 53 - ample room for a screwdriver. :D
Mine comes apart. I put a just opened cotter pin in the end of the screw when I re assembled it so I can knock it out easily and take it apart every few years and wire brush and oil it if needs be.
 
As always thanks!

I’m adding chunky beech cheeks that I think last a while.

Good tip on planing them down to be flush... I was trying to think of how to do that exact measurement but now i’ll just cut approx and place down.
 
phil.p":2lno5p0z said:
Get yourself a 53 - ample room for a screwdriver. :D
Mine comes apart. I put a just opened cotter pin in the end of the screw when I re assembled it so I can knock it out easily and take it apart every few years and wire brush and oil it if needs be.

I've got a 53E! :lol: 15" opening capacity is a luxury to behold! I've actually been tempted to put a needle roller thrust bearing on the end of the screw to see if it speeds up and smoothens the opening of the vice, not that it actually matters because it's quick release.

I've also got two 52 1/2Es that I practically stole for the price I paid for them stuffed under the bench for a rainy day, Shhh!
 
Should I drill pilot holes before securing the vice to my bench? The screws are chunky.

Aldo is it l ok or accountable to make the cheeks wider than the vice?

(homer)
 
Primer":18lt5nft said:
Should I drill pilot holes before securing the vice to my bench? The screws are chunky.

Aldo is it l ok or accountable to make the cheeks wider than the vice?

(homer)

Yes, It would be best to do a pilot hole that's slightly less than the shank diameter(The main body of the screw excluding the thread) so that it's a snug fit when you do screw it in place.

I think the cheeks on my vice are about a 1/2" or so wider than the vice either side, no real reason you couldn't go bigger but ideally you don't want to be clamping too heavily towards the outer edges of the vice as this could cause damage.
 
You need pilots for coach screws, they need to be a little over full depth so the screw doesn't bottom out - the threads being basic and coarse the wood will strip if the hole is too shallow. Some people have the jaws quite a bit wider, and it can be useful but if you use the outer ends you need packing pieces on the opposite side or it will rack.
 
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The cheeks can be quite a bit wider than the metal jaws provided the outside one is thick enough not to bend. My vices have jaws about twice the width of the metal. Wracking can be bad for a vice so clamp near the center if you can. If you need to clamp at the edge then a spacer block same thickness as the work piece can be placed in the other edge of the vice.
Regards
John
 

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No I didn’t know that but I think I know what you mean now that you’ve said it.
 

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