I’ve been building. I figured we had all heard Another One Bites the Dust more than a few times.
Today, I put the vise on the workbench. This is a game changer.
The jaws are 11+ inches wide. The vise can open around 15 inches. It is a parallel jaw vise, meaning that the jaw presses against the apron with the same force from top to bottom.
The shiny metal disk at the left front corner is an aluminum planing stop I turned on the South Bend. The handle for the vise is 1″ hardwood from the local hardware store, but the endcaps I turned myself. And then I found my 1″ bit was in such poor condition that I threw it away after it drilled two holes that drifted.
The board at the bottom of the image, on the ground, between the vise and the bench leg, is a wedge. It keeps the vise jaw parallel. It is the fulcrum point of the vise.
There is one of my homemade mallets on the table. Two crap saws, one good saw, and one OK saw. There is a 50″ straight edge and my clipboard with the plans attached.
The next modifications to the bench are to drill 3/4″ holes for side board support and some 3/4″ holes in the top for different hold-downs. Because this is a softwood top and it is thin, I need to add blocking under whatever boards I drill.
I also need to put the braces on the front and a stop on the chop (the moving part of the vise) to keep it from twisting.
I will soften the edges of the vise jaw at some point, but for today, it is fully functional. I’m happy.
On the other hand, I just messed up my tool tote build. Ally wants the broken one, but I’ll make it all work.