Oak worktop for table vice

[JR147]

I picked up a new screw vice from Axminster at the weekend and was planning to use some left over 38mm thick oak kitchen worktop for the faces of the vice. Its nice and solid but can anyone see any potential issues with how the worktop is constructed (butcher block style?) and using it in a vice as opposed to solid pieces of wood. I had a thought that when clamping forces are applied then it could split along glue lines? Not sure how likely or not that would be, so would welcome any thoughts.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Racers]

It should be fine any hardwood will work, but you will be using 76mm opening distance, my jaws on a record vice are about 12mm thick.

Pete

 

[JR147]

It should be fine any hardwood will work, but you will be using 76mm opening distance, my jaws on a record vice are about 12mm thick.

Pete

Cheers. Yes, lose a bit of capacity but I thought in this style of vice it's better to have thicker jaws as there's less support to the jaws.

 

[ED65]

I had a thought that when clamping forces are applied then it could split along glue lines? Not sure how likely or not that would be, so would welcome any thoughts.

Wellll, if they're done right they're literally stronger than the wood around them.

It's always a worry though when you didn't do the glue job. I presume these are made up in an automated or semi-automated way so uniformity should be good to excellent and at best the glue joints can exceed what's possible in a home workshop.

Cheers. Yes, lose a bit of capacity but I thought in this style of vice it's better to have thicker jaws as there's less support to the jaws.

You could always go thick on the outer jaw and save some space by going thinner on the inner jaw which is supported along its whole length by the worktop behind it. Might be worth it, depending on whether this is supposed to be a tail vice or the main vice on your bench.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Get hold of a bit of 12mm birch ply, one layer on the inside and two glued together for the outside. You've only lost 36mm, then.

 

[DTR]

The worktop should be fine. I don't think the thickness is an issue; I don't think I've ever used my vice anywhere near its full capacity.

 

[JR147]

Great, thanks for all the comments and advice, and reassured I'm not about to do something too daft. I don't think I'm too fussed by the thickness as like DTR above I can't remember when I used a vice to capacity, and would rather its solid. The workbench it is going on is not a solid one as for now I will be fixing it to my mobile workbench with an MFT top. In the future I will build a proper bench (when I've got more space) and probably add a bigger vice anyway.

Cheers

Jon