Lee Valley tail vise?

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Pam Niedermayer, Austin, TX

>Best of luck with that. Please let us know how it turns out. Will you use it for instrument work?

Pam

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Marv

>Hi Pam,

I've been forming some ideas in my mind to build a vise that is simple in design and completely adjustable. Looks like this company has beat me to it.

The Guitar Repair Vise isn't as adjustable as their bigger one but is much better than the machinist vise I'm presently using and it fits in my wallet. My wife just spent most of our saved up coin on a new state of the art ironing board. Hrumph! She sews a lot.

The instrument work I'll be using the vise for will be in the form of saw handles/totes.

The Emmert vises seem to be an overkill for most work we do. The design of the massive castings are comparable to the huge machinery of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Think of the huge bandsaws of that era compared to bandsaws of today.

Thanks again,

Marv

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Yes, they seem to have taken existing vise models (for the most part) and refined them for the specific needs of the instrument-maker - which needs may also be shared by others, like say saw handle makers (and wheat carvers).

Marv, not to disrespect the fabric trade, but how does a state of the art ironing board differ from the common or garden variety? Lasers?

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Marv

>Bill,

You should see this ironing board. It's built like a tank. Lots of square tubing under-framing, extra wide work surface, sturdy metal platform at the butt end for setting the iron on and a clothes rack that folds out. Has a spring action thing that the electrical cord fits into to keep it out of the way while ironing. It even has little wheels on the front of the mainframe because of it's weight, a lightwieght person couldn't easily move it around. It even has an electrical outlet on the underside to help keep the cord from the iron from getting in the way of what's being ironed. the whole thing weighs about 40 pounds. It's comparable to comparing an Emmert vise to the one we are discussing. The price with shipping is well over $200. I'm trying to figure out what it could be useful for down in my shop. I could put a wood bench top on it and make it adjustable for convenient work height.

The vise we are discussing here, won't help with my wheat carving though. I don't clamp the handle while I'm carving it.

Marv

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Pam Niedermayer, Austin, TX

>Yeah, me, too, have no idea what a state-of-the-art ironing board would be.

I think any tilting, swiveling, height-adjustable vise would be good for all sorts of things: carving, instrument building/repairing, handle/tote making, even plain old draw knifing that could be done on a horse or between poppets. However, except for the Tucker/Emmert type, they aren't good as end vises.

Pam

Ahrnin bord

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>"I'm trying to figure out what it could be useful for down in my shop."

I saw a handy tip once that used a ironing board as an outfeed table for a table saw...

Re: Rob/Thom--Tucker ?'s

ThomD

>In my case I greatly prefer the mounting on the front in the normal prosition for a face vise. I rather think the catalog picture of the T. mounted on a thin piece of wood next to a tool tray was not a positive presentation. Also, in my shop, the end of the bench has never been that accessible, and the lack of bench space around it would not make best use of it in any case.

You can easily mount a vise to end grain as far as structurally taking any loads off is concerned. The best way to do it is to get a spade bit and drill a 3/4 inch hole with an electric drill, prop the bench up on end, and make a small jig that holds either a stud or an internally threaded rod, at the correct level in the holes. Make sure you can get or break these parts free from any epoxy that might overflow, and glue them in place in a mini lake of WEST System epoxy.

This will allow you to mount the bench to a clock mechanism in Big Ben and have it swinging back and for over the centuries as a counter weight. Nice thing about it is you get a dead accurate result without needing a particularly accurate hole. You can just bolt it on sidegrain for a face mounting since that is a normal fastening process. That said, you would have to check out whether the end is dimensionally stable enough, I think it should be. Don't remember anything all that difficult to fit. Try to read the exaustive LV instructions without letting them slow you down. I was just watching an Elmore Leonard interview where he described his principles of writing, and mentioned one is to leave out anything that readers tend to skip...

One thing you do need to pay attention to when planing your mounting is where all the parts will go under the bench, will they foul dog holes, or hit legs. The pedal arrangement for the quick release is a good one, but doesn't suit my bench, again an advanced planing issue.

I think the double screw end vise is relatively excellent. So I would save that for the end of your bench. I won't say more about it in case it was discontinued after I bought mine. Maybe they will send me the new QR end vise for trial so I can get at it earlier this time. I have a place for one, where I was going to put the one I returned...

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise - Ironing board

ThomD

>Most ironing boards are built like a workmate, best case. The WM is a clever devise, but it isn't a workbench. Anything that involves pushing down on the object being worked on will cause you extra work if the thing you are pushing down on moves all the time. Some ironing boards use vac to bag the shirt to the surface to make it easier to smooth out any wrinkles, and they may also accomodate the proper boiler system for a pro iron.

I used to think that even at my busiest, my wife did a lot more ironing than I did woodworking, and I always wanted to get the real tools for the task. But most ironers I have known do not want a dedicated sytem somewhere in the house, taking up space etc... So we have never actually got the real deal.

http://www.sewingmachineoutlet.com/naomotofb8s.htm

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise - Ironing board

ThomD

>Ooh!

http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp11107-0711.html

Re: Lee Valley tail vise?

walt q

>did some one say Emmert?

Re: Lee Valley tail vise?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Are you trying for the Todd Hughes Wretched Excess Award for 2009, Walt? I'd say you're definitely among the finalists.

Wow

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Kind of like thinking that "plane" means "rusty old Stanley No. 5" and being shown a new Holtey or Wayne Anderson* smoother.

*Not to leave out the dozens of other fine makers; these were just the first names that came to mind.

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise - Ironing board

Marv

>Ain't no way I'm show'n this to my wife....

Marv

Re: Tucker/Emmert vise

Marv

>Pam,

I ordered the Guitar Repair Vise today, the red one with the rotating jaws. Kind of strange that they base their shipping charges on the price of the item instead of weight. 32 pounds only cost $11.50.

That is a very good website with so many neat useful things, mostly pertaining to luthier work, but closely related to saw handle work and lots of other woodworking projects that demand super finishes.

Thanks again for posting the site.

Marv

Oh Walt...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I here by grant you the big YOU SUCK of the month.

You're welcome, enjoy

Pam Niedermayer, Austin, TX

>

Re: Lee Valley tail vise?

JimZ

>Gosh, Rob, what an intriguing suggestion. I pulled out the original tail vise (model 05G1801) this afternoon. It's in perfect condition (still in the box), and I love the look and feel of it. I even pulled out the original invoice (order # 430529) and see I paid $135 in April 1996 which I recall seemed like a bargain, even then. In fact, that may have been an introductory price offer. Yes, I know my deluxe workbench has been a long time in the planning/building, but I'm lucky enough to have a workable alternate bench, so I'm able to work in the meantime and haven't been in a rush. I also have one of your twin-screw vises of the same vintage waiting to be mounted on the same bench, and a stack of hard maple that's been acclimating in the shop for 10 or 12 years. 2010 for sure!

This original tail vise is a typical example of Veritas innovative engineering - I can see why you want it back if you didn't keep an example, and you can understand my reluctance to let it go. The unique design isolates the wooden parts so normal expansion/contraction should never affect the operation of the vise, and it should never develop sag. It even seems to have most of the features you mentioned the new one will have: it has the option of a hand- or foot-operated quick release, can be configured left- or right-handed, and looks like it could apply force in either direction. I especially like that it has a dog hole on the front, so it can clamp boards along the front edge of the bench. And a huge plus: it has to be the easiest mounting tail vise ever, by far. It's already assembled and just has to be screwed to the bench. I can only see two minor shortcomings: a slight bit of slop in the mechanism (really not much, and it may be possible to adjust it out), and the position of the dog hole that ThomD mentioned. Still, given Lee Valley's track record, I won't be surprised if your new tail vise is even better (although I doubt you can bring it to market for $135 today!).

So, if you have a use for this old tail vise, and your new one is as good as it sounds, I'm sure we can work out a deal. I'll keep watching your web site for the release of the new one, or you can contact me if you get a chance.

Regards, Jim

Slow down there Jim, What's the rush?

Victor Parisian

>

Re: Lee Valley tail vise?

Rob Lee

>Hi Jim,

Will reply directly by email, so as not to induce unnecessary bouts of envy in the general readership...

Cheers -

Rob