Workbench Finished

Re: Workbench Finished

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Nicely done execution of a modern/classic workbench!

Question: It looks as though you have an end cap, and then a twin-screw vice rear jaw, and then a front jaw. Why did you choose not to make the end cap the rear vice jaw?

Thanks,

Don

Re: Loxahachee Levelers?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I don't remember taking any pictures of the mechanism while I was building the bench, and the mechanism is now permanently installed, out of sight, inside the leg. I can't even turn the leg over to get a photo from the bottom. Somewhere, however, I might be able to dig out some old drawings I made while I was designing the levelers.

Re: Great bench! &vise question

Jim Cosgrove

>I agree, but I did check and his jaw face is beveled so it closes at the top first. Still, there must be some slop somewhere because when a piece of wood is inserted vertically (as if you were going to dovetail the board) it is not held tight unless the jaws are wrenched shut very very hard. (Much harder than, say, a Record vise.) That is, the board can wiggle or be pushed down. Needless to say, he's really frustrated with the vise and ready to replace it. I know that lots of folks like their twin screw vises, so I wonder if there is an adjustment (other than the beveled faces) or installation step that can prevent this.

I'll probably go ahead an mount the one that I have and see if I have the same problem. Any other suggestions?

Thoughts on troubleshooting

Wiley Horne--Glendora CA

>Hi JIm,

First off, I would highly recommend Hank's zero-clearance blocking between the main screws and the benchtop. No sagging jaw.

On your friend's problem, I was thinking the same thing as Wm. If that's not it, then the first question is 'Do the vise screws turn easily?' You should be able to spin the vise with one finger, especially if it's lubed. If not, then LV has a troubleshooting guide at the very end of the instructions (which are clickable on the LV site right beside the twin-screw item listing).

If the vise does spin OK, then I would suspect either (a) rear jaw not installed laterally parallel to front jaw, or (b) front and rear jaw warped relative to each other, or (c) something's broke. Item (a) could be checked by closing the vise all the way and observing whether the front jaw closes tight against the rear jaw all along its length. Item (b) is something you have to look for, because it doesn't take much warp to produce the effect you're describing--seasonal movement would do it. Another check would be to test whether you get the same effect in the middle of the vise as at the ends.

The main thing is that he should be able to see exactly what is happening. By grabbing a 2x6 in the vise, and looking with a flashlight to see where closure is not happening.

One final thought is this: Check whether the slippage is occurring outside the screws, i.e., between the screw and the end of bench. If it is, then the play may be at the very edge of the jaw, and he may need to glue a very thin vertical shim at the very outside edge of the moveable jaw. It can be seen right away if that's where the jaw isn't grabbing the work, cause you can rotate the work in the jaw by hand. If so, cut a shim 1/2" to 1" wide and 1/32" thick on the bandsaw, say, and glue it vertically to the face of the moveable jaw, at the far end of the face. When the glue dries, plane the shim until there is a perfect fit for a board held outside the screw for dovetailing.

I glued a similar shim on my end vise that's maybe 1/64" thick. It's maple on maple, and planed to a taper so it blends into the jaw, and you'd never notice it unless it was pointed out.

Wiley

Re: Levelers

Chris Daley

>Where did you order them and what was the cost?

I have the same problem...and it would be worth the time and effort to just order 2 pair.

Great Bench!

Thanks, Chris