Need Bench Ad- Vise

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Nicholas Carey

>I'd order a Record 52-1/2 (large) or 53-1/2 (larger) vise from Lee Valley before the production is moved offshore.

Rubbermaid/Irwin is auctioning off the factory in Sheffield the beginning of March, so the supply of Sheffield-made Record vises is limited.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Matt Malin

>I just put a 521/2 on my bench. The Woodsmith Store in Urbandale Iowa has 3 or 4 in stock. The quick release is a must have.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>Have you considered the Lee-Valley Tucker vise?

Warning! Be prepared for sticker-shock. It may be more than you can imagine needing right now, but the additional flexibility of the patternmaker's vise functions can make lots of tasks easy that you may have considered out of your league.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Jim in Burlington

>William do you own one? I loved your posting on carving vise/hold downs.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Bart Goldberg

>Yes, I saw that vise and I have to admit, I'd love to get it, but its a bit out of my budget for building a bench right now. Thanks for the advice though.

Bart

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I've heard nice things about the Jorgensen and Wilton vises, but no direct experience with them.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>No, I do not have one. Instead, I make do with a sloppy AMT Taiwanese clone of the Emmert. It cost me about a quarter of the Tucker, but it was a return, right off the loading dock in Royersford. Since I have use this one on a daily basis, I am as familiar with its shortcomings as I am of my own, and those of the crazy dog that shares my shop. Whenever I get a chance, at woodworking shows and stores, I check out things that might work better, specifically to see if they will really do what I need, and if they are built stronger and with better features than mine. The last time I got hold of the Tucker, I gave it a pretty good workout, and was very impressed. It didn't appreciate the poking and prodding, and almost punched me in the face when I was examining the workings of the foot-pedal spring-loaded quick-release mechanism :^)

The Tucker is a well-built, well-designed, and very versitile machine. The Taiwanese Emmert clones are also very versatile and sturdy, but not very well machined, and have a lot of play in the mechanisms, and need a lot of tuning, spit and polish, and periodic adjustments.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Jim in Burlington

>I have a wilton 90 degree vise I bought off of e-bay must wieght 40 ish lbs. Very happy to have found it. Sorry about hijacking your thread a little. They don't even have a tucker on display at LV in Burlington.

Re: Need Bench Ad- Vise

Dennis Mcdonaugh

>I bought the Woodcraft economy quick release vice (copy of the Record), but it wouldn't tighten up. As soon as you put pressure on it, the quick release released. I took it back and bought the Jorgensen and its a much better vice. The adjustments are tight and one quarter turn of the handle releases the vice.

Update On Bench Vise

Bart Goldberg in NJ

>Thanks everyone for your comments. I decided to get the Large Record vise from LV. I also bought some of them there round, brass bench dogs. I hear they work well. Interestingly, the other day on the celebrity chat room, Frank Klauz said he doesn't like round dogs cause they rotate when in use. I've heard other say they like round better than square. It sure looks easier to drill round holes with a drill, then having to chisel in square holes.

Bart

Re: Update On Bench Vise

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>You'd think it was easier, but it's not. :) Actually, most people who use square dogs make the holes between two boards before the bench is assembled; or maybe they buy a bench.

Pam

Re: Update On Bench Vise

Tony Z.

>This is not very "galootish", but a 3/4" bit in a plunge router worked very well :-(

Re: Update On Bench Vise

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>As did a 3/4" spade bit and a shop-made guide...

Re: Update On Bench Vise

Ted Shuck

>I cut dados for my benchdog holes before gluing up my bench. If you are looking for the easier method though, I think boring the holes would have been easier than all the sawing, chiseling, and routing that I did to make mine. It took all day.

Ted

What Kind of Bit?

Hank Knight

>What kind of bit did you use to plunge a 3/4" hole with your router?

Re: What Kind of Bit?

Tony Z.

>3/4" straight bit. The bit I used was from Lee Valley, although I don't know the exact part number, I believe (from the catalog I have by my desk)it was P/N 16J06.62, described as a "straight plunge bit". My bench top was 1-3/4" maple, so I had to got slow, but I made it through about a dozen nearly perfect holes. The nice thing is you can set-up a straight edge with index marks to ensure very precise locations, particularly if your router base has a straight side to it.

Re: What Kind of Bit?

Bart Goldberg in NJ

>I'm planing to use a Boremax Forstner Bit from woodcraft and a drill guide. Was recommended to me on the other side by Dominic Greco.

Re: What Kind of Bit?

Hank Knight

>Thanks. I've been looking for a spiral up-cut bit to do the job, but they are all straight-shanked and the largest diameter is 1/2". I'll give the Lee Valley bit a shot. I'm drilling through a 3" laminated maple top, so I'll probably wind up using a drill and a drill guide. I thought the router would give me cleaner holes, but it won't be able to drill through all 3". Maybe I can start with a plunge bit and finish up with an electric drill - or a brace and bit and get clean holes on the top surface. Maybe I'm making this too complicated.

Re: What Kind of Bit?

Hank Knight

>Brad, thanks for your suggestion. I've about decided that I have to use some kind of drill rather than, or in addition to, a router - I've got a 3" laminated maple top to go through and it doesn't look like a router will give me that kind of capacity. I ordered a 3/4" HSS brad point bit from Lee Valley for this specific job. Now all I need is a drill guide.

Re: What Kind of Bit?

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Bart, (maybe I am being dense here..) what do you mean by a "drill guide?"

Re: Drill Guide *LINK*

Hank Knight

>See Woodcraft link below for "Precision Drill Guide."


Precision Drill Guide

Re: Bad Link

Hank Knight

>Sorry about the bad link. A "Precision Drill Guide" sold by Woodcraft, Highland Hardware and other retailers is a jig used with an electric hand drill that allows one to drill holes at a consistent angle. It has a 3/8" chuck fixed to a collar that slides on two steel rods attached to a base. The chuck has a shaft protruding from the back that you chuck in your electric drill. The whole thing operates a little like a plunge router, except that you use drill bits and the power is supplied by an electric hand drill. Hope this makes sense.

Portalign tool

Dennis

>Picked this one up about month ago at garage sale for 25cents,no idea why but i got it,one of those old tools that are PIA to use, have to take drill chuck off and remount it. I guess it works for some things. The new ones come with chuck so all you have to do is use drill.

Dennis....who has all kinds of strange things follow him home for "just in case"

remove nospam for email

OK...

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>I know what that is. I even have one.

Thanks!