I need a vice

[HandyTim]

Has anyone installed one of these in their bench?

http://www.fine-tools.com/spindel.htm#zield21
http://www.fine-tools.com/z300653a.jpg

It looks more compact than the veritas chain vice, is it effective?

TIA

Tim

 

[srs]

It looks like the ones that Axminster sell, espically the Quick-release front (face) vise if so I have twl fitted in my workshop and have no problem with them though i don't know how they compare to the veritas ones.


Simon

 

[HandyTim]

Axminster sell a chain vice other than the veritas?

 

[Jake]

It does look more compact, but there's a lot of complexity and cost for not much advantage.

Why is the chain behind the front face, anyway, or am I misreading my glance at the photo?

 

[HandyTim]

Jake

The chain is behind the front jaw, I suppose you hollow out the front wooden jaw.
Is there no advantage in being able to hold a long component vertically at the edge of the jaws without having to use a packing piece to stop racking?
I'm fairly inexperienced, so I'm only going by what I see as common sense.
Thanks for your thoughts, I'll take note.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Jake]

OK, gotcha, I guess it gets it out of the way, although you end with a semi-metal jaw.

I love chain vices - have one myself (mutated from two standard Records) - but the real point of them is all that uninhibited space they offer - that one has all the parts, but much less of the space!

 

[HandyTim]

Space is a worry, by the time you put a 2" thick jaw on it ....but it does look neat. The veritas looks like a PITA with two handles flying round.

 

[Jake]

I meant space the other way - it looks pretty deep, but really quite narrow.

(I am biased, mine has about 600mm free space between guide-rails)

I think it can only get away with the one handle because it is so narrow - which means that the centres are close together and the screws can also be bound together by the end brackets which helps them to move as one.

On mine, and I suspect the Veritas (but I haven't tried it), the chain/sprockets do the bulk of the work but because the screws are independent and the centres are more distant, nipping the vice up fully on both sides needs the last eighth of a turn or so done on both handles together.

Well, more accurately, it might not need it, but I always do, as I stop when it starts feeling wrong to put that much pressure through the chain/sprockets.

In practice, I've never had an issue with the fact the handles spin around , although I can see why you think that and remember thinking the same thing before I built it.

 

[HandyTim]

Sorry for the delay in replying.
From the photos(http://www.fine-tools.com/spindel.htm), the width looks the same as the other large vice screw sets. Wooden jaws seem to be made around double the width of the metal.
Have a look at ALF's EME:

http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/worksh ... our050.JPG

Not too shabby

 

[Jake]

Yebbut the point isn't total jaw width - you can add wooden jaws ten feet long to any vice. Alf's vice is fine, but it doesn't need to be (and I doubt it is) twin screw.

The idea of a twin screw vice is to do that and do two other things: (a) to get wider jaws and stop the thing racking like mad and (b) create a clear space between the screws which is free of obstructions like guide rails/screws etc so you can clamp things vertically.

I'm not sure that that one helps with getting wider-jaws-without-racking (as it's screws are set at about the same distance as an ordinary vice with guide bars) and it doesn't buy you much of (b) for the cost of the thing!

Mine cost less than half that and about 2/3 hours (ignoring jaws and mounting).

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[HandyTim]

Your set up looks great for you Jake 8) , just what you need. I don't really want a wide vice, just the normal width. Anti-racking is what I'm after. I'll probably put dog holes in right hand bench leg to rest long vertical pieces on.
Thanks for your help Jake. It's been nice talking(writing?) with you
Cheers
Tim

 

[Jake]

I don't think twin screw on its own will give any significant benefit in terms of anti-racking as long as the centres of the screws are the same as the guide bars on a conventional vice. Good luck with it, though.

 

[HandyTim]

Thanks

 

[Max Power]

Have had one of these for about two years and they are superb,also have the veritas fitted as an end vice.

 

[HandyTim]

Hi Alan

Could you go into more detail please. How is it set up? What size wooden jaw did you use? What do like/dislike about it ? Did you buy from Dieter Schmid ? etc

Thanks
Tim