Installing a "basic" vise is pretty difficult.
Installing a "basic" vise is pretty difficult.
A bench needs a vise. Is this the one for you?
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If you need a vise, you need a workbench! (Scroll Down)
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Build a Leg Vise instead: https://youtu.be/eiwtBs-9Dco
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The Screw I Used (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3ULipR7
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English Joiner’s Workbench
My English Joiner’s Bench is sturdy, strong and incredibly easy to build. This design is based on jobsite benches built by 19th Century carpenters and housewrights. It’s made to go up fast using common construction lumber and it handles EVERY common woodworking operation. Even if you’re brand new to woodwork, you can build this bench. And it comes with a leg vise!
Build the Big Leg Vise from Pine: https://youtu.be/eiwtBs-9Dco
Get the Plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/joiners-bench-leg-vise
Get Started Without a Vise: https://youtu.be/kzv27STMnvY
Plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/plans-viceless-bench
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Build Video: https://youtu.be/zcq1LQq08lk
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Quick-Stack Workbench
My most recent bench design is portable! The Quick-Stack bench breaks down into 6 manageable pieces that can be easily moved or stored when you’re not working. When you need your bench, you can assemble it in 3 minutes and the only tool you need is a mallet.
Watch the FREE Build Video: https://youtu.be/l2C5NRS1uLE
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*When you buy the course, the complete plans are included for FREE.
This course will guide you step-by-step in the process of putting together your bench. Make sure you grab the plans to follow along with:
https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/quick-stack-workbench
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Lightweight Traveler Workbench
This bench is lightweight and light on your wallet. As well as the bench, these plans contain creative workholding solutions.
Plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/lightweight-traveler-workbench
Video: https://youtu.be/lPiMjv7lkqI
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*Cutting*
Gyokucho Ryoba Saw: https://amzn.to/2Z5Wmda
Dewalt Panel Saw: https://amzn.to/2HJqGmO
Suizan Dozuki Handsaw: https://amzn.to/3abRyXB
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Spear and Jackson Tenon Saw: https://amzn.to/2zykhs6
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Carving Knife: https://amzn.to/2DkbsnM
Narex True Imperial Chisels: https://amzn.to/2EX4xls
(My favorite affordable new chisels.)
Blue-Handled Marples Chisels: https://amzn.to/2tVJARY
(I use these to make the DIY specialty planes, but I also like them for general work.)
*Sharpening*
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*Marking and Measuring*
Stockman Knife: https://amzn.to/2Pp4bWP
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Speed Square: https://amzn.to/3gSi6jK
Stanley Marking Knife: https://amzn.to/2Ewrxo3
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Blue Kreg measuring jig: https://amzn.to/2QTnKYd
Round-head Protractor: https://amzn.to/37fJ6oz
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0:00 Intro
1:35 Getting Started
3:15 Installation
5:50 Transfer
8:40 Adjusting
11:20 Final Installation
13:03 Outro
8:14 if you look at the angles you can see that the screw is sagging… a lot. Using cardboard to make a template like uuu that lines up with the bottom or top of the bars and screw would have helped a lot.
WARNING – the alignment on this is critical. Drilling the holes in the apron must either be oversized or perfectly perpendicular or the rods will not match with the cast iron body of the vise. You have to use the dowel trick to mark the centers of the rods on the apron and even that might not be precise enough.
Since there is no room between the 4×4 braces on the Kruger joiners bench for this vise, I mounted it 2 inches lower to the underside of the 4×4, NOT on 2×4 spacers attached to the table top. I added another 4×4 block on the left end side of the bench and mounted the vise to the underside of the 4×4 brace and this added 4×4 block. Despite best efforts, holes were slightly off and had to be enlarged with a rasp. Also the vertical placement of the vice body must perfectly match the vertical height of the holes in the apron – any angle and the rods will bind. Even the round guides have to be perfectly positioned on the apron or again, the rods will bind. Things may seem to work, until the bolts are tightened and things begin to bind.
I made a version of your low Roman workbench that was 2 boards narrower to make it more portable to take outside and had to install a 7" vice on the end, without running afoul of the legs and had to carve out a large recess on the underside to do it and drive the lag bolts in an awkward way, but it got done, even though I had never installed one before. Not easy, but totally worth the trouble.
I installed a very similar vise on my table. I found that installing it flat made it close at the bottom first leaving a small gap at the top. I installed it with a deliberate slight upward slant to allow for it to sag down and still close parallel. That made it even more difficult to install, of course. LOL It works great!
Maybe I ‘m just crazy, but another addition that I would suggest is to make a friction device inside the main screw t-nut that holds the wood handle.
What I did was to make a small wooden disc that is the diameter of the central hole where the screw goes. The disc had a curve carved into one face to get more contact with the side of the dowel The back side of the disc was flat with a small circular rebate to hold a spring captive.
Since the screw does not go all the way to the wooden handle there is space for this disc and a small spring which applies pressure to the disc and up against the wood dowel. I hope this makes sense. The installation of this friction device was simple. Insert it into that unused space with the spring up against the hidden end of the screw and press against the wood disc and the spring while sliding the wooden dowel into place.
This modification makes the wooden handle flop around a lot less. I also found that if I spin it too fast the dowel could sometimes slide over and almost clock me in the face. With this small amount of friction, the dowel is less likely to slide in and out so fast.
I bought the plans and the video for the quick stack workbench. This was the vise suggested to buy. This video will surely help when I am ready to install it. I have a thought about your video and plan products if you don’t mind a little feedback. I think the quality of the plans was very good! I would love it if you would include a certain number of e-mail questions with the video series. Maybe you could set up a special e-mail that is mentioned in the video series alone to limit junk e-mail. For example: I’m having a terrible time finding Southern Yellow Pine in Connecticut and would have loved being able to simply ask what a good replacement would be. I wouldn’t mined paying an extra bit for that. Maybe you could have that as a "premium" package since your time is worth paying for. Who knows it might even lead to a few more patreons? 🙂
I am learning a lot from your videos and probably more importantly they are giving me the courage to try doing some of the stuff you’re showing us. I look forward to more.
I bought just the screw and made a face vice for it. Uses a shop made wooden guide bar morticed throught the skirt and works really well.
Nice video. As a not-quite-beginner-anymore, vise installations are challenging and terrifying. Thanks for taking some mystery out, and for not glossing over the tricky bits.
Great video on the pro’s of getting a vice and the various struggles of installing one…
At the same time, for a lot of basic work needs, the old-school wood screw clamps are still among top performers for the space taken and money invested. Wood jaws don’t mangle work pieces, while the twin handles and size of 8 and 12 inch clamps allows work-holding that should satisfy most uses for a modest home wood worker… Don’t have a vice or money? Clamp the thing right to the end of the bench…
Don’t get me wrong… A good vice can make for a GREAT bench! At the same time, at least in the beginning, those old-school "aggravating bastards" are surprisingly useful for as wobbly as they first appear, and that wobbly nature actually becomes their greatest feature as you get used to them.
AND for the beginner, the "easy way" to get started is really simple. Just get the larger one! You might not really NEED it so much now for the size, but on a budget, you’ll be thankful not to go hunting a bigger clamp later on when you DO need it. ;o)
The first half of the https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkx3ICSK6nSknaL_45CU2NmFSoXjarGMDiJ book is everything about wood: types, tools, finishes, setting up shop etc. The second half is all about doing projects for inside and outside of the home. The color pictures are helpful. After reading a dozen of these types of books, this is probably the best overall (layout, color photos, plans). Only detraction is that many of the projects use a table saw/router/planer, which are usually expensive and take up space, so the plans are less friendly to newcomers and the budget conscious. But I know I can use a drill, circular saw or a jigsaw to make the projects.
I have the same vice, and I traced the collets and routed inlays for them into the back jaw, to give the rods maximum support.
But I had the same feeling when I was done. Lots of work just for a vice.
Quality job
would it fit on a 2×4 side/apron with 3/4 ply on top?
I also have this vice and doing the transfer of hole location takes detail. I would suggest the collet washers be on the face of the bench for additional alignment support. we found the best hole aligner was using the base in reverse at the front of the bench, also if you have a lathe, the vice handle can be made with a smoother rounded keeper on the ends. I added a rubber grommet to cushion impacts of the handle on the lead screw
Hey Rex,
Great video. The title really caught my eye because I made the Quick Stack work bench and added the 10 inch and 7 inch quick-release bench vises. The vise installs were a bit more involved than expected and the larger of the two vises chatters a lot but does the job. The video gave me a bit of vindication and it prompted me to go clean and lube the vises so they operate way better now.
I have used the QuickStack bench a lot. 90 plus percent of the time I have the tool tray upside down as an extension of bench top work surface. Eventually I will replace it with solid bench top and will store the tool tray below. The tray is also handy apart from the bench.
Btw, regarding the handle for the large vise: I used 1/4 inch dowels as handle stops, up near the ends of the handle like you showed, but found them uncomfortable there. I recently moved them much further in to get them away from my hands; which more or less keeps the handle centered thus giving up a bit of leverage and it may cause interference (handle being proud of bench top when clamping something). Will see how it plays out; there are workarounds for both.
Shouldn’t the grain go vertical on the soft pine jaw to prevent splitting? Maybe a thinner piece of oak instead?
The mistake you made on the screw bar hole, is the play in the threaded bar onto the faceplate. You can see int he video it has dropped. I fitted mine by using the backplate as a template for that hole as well on the back.
Fun video, I can relate to the mistake.
Your method seems a lot smarter than how I mounted my old Wilton vice…
When I saw you put the vise in the apron to trace the screw hole, I shouted Rex No!
Doesn’t seem this will work on the joiner’s bench without either moving the 4×4 or lowering the vise down another 2 inches to clear the 4×4🙃
excellent tutorial video. one thing that is missing in my opinion is haw did you made the paper template.
My fiancé just got two woodworkers vises that he is putting about 5 feet apart on the front of his bench to hold longer pieces and leaving wider legs flush with the front to clamp work to. Would you recommend something different?
the grain direction wont work there… it’ll split the wood in half, over time…
I bought one of these to put on my Rex Kruger design bench. Aaaaasns no instructions. Had to guess how to do it.
Very picky comment, but if you’re going to shim your transfer punch with tape maybe make sure the tape will be inside the holes once installed… 6:30 🙄
Your vice recommendation sparked my interest. I’m planning on a new workbench and the vice i currently use is top mounted.
This vice i a good solution for freeing up my precious real estate of my workbench.
Thank you for reminding this kind of setups. 👍
I’m gonna be honest. It still looks a lot easier than making a leg vise. The leg vise require constructing the chop/jaw and figuring out how to make/use a spacer or guide at the bottom the the leg vise, and if you want to install the leg vise anywhere other than right in front of the leg, you need to angle it or you have to be creative with how you set up your guides.
This seems to require much less problem solving. you decided where you want it, figure out what it needs to screw in to, and drill holes for the guides and screw. When I installed a vise like this into my bench it was conceptually very simple, but just took some time to right.
I found it easier to start by drilling a 1" hole into the center of my Vise Jaw board – then you can put the middle pipe through the hole (without taking out pin) and can trace other holes onto vise jaw board. Now that’s your template for replicating on your bench.
Which work bench do you recommend now? The minimum timber or your original English joiners bench??
Rex: I’m running these in with a socket wrench but you can use a crescent wrench if that’s all you’ve got.
Me: Impact wrench. Got it.
Hi Rex, your Minimum Timber Bench is not so cheap where I am. I realise you are primarily catering to your North American market but I thought you may find the following _interesting._ The 100mm x 50mm (4" x 2" x 8′ ) x 2.4mts cost AUD$52.35 *each* where I am. The 250 x 50 (10" x 2") AUD$138.23 for a grand total of AUD$504.68 or US$338.30 . How does that price compare with what it would cost you? 🤷♂ I am really curious to know. Thanks to anyone who can sate my curiosity. 👍
When boring/drilling out the screw hole you could have used the paper template to locate where to drill the hole and expand if required or even use a spirit level on the screw to keep it horizontal. This comment was more for anyone who was considering installing that vice.
Boy, you weren’t kidding. Not much room for error here, I screwed up nearly every step. Make sure the receiving piece inside the bench is absolutely parallel to the apron face. Drill oversized holes. Also, make sure you install it in the right location the first time! I learned a lot through trial and error, but I hope never to do this again.
So bummed that I spent 180$ for literally this exact same vice. Exactly the same. But mine was green and said wood river on the box. I got jacked at woodcraft. My mistake. But for 60$ that’s a good deal. Just watch to not overtighten the nuts that go on the racking rails. They strip soooooo easy
Am I missing something? Why would you not locate the screw hole from the back with a transfer punch the same as the legs?
Leg vices are horrible horrible horrible for bowmaking
Funny – when I saw you drill the hole for the screw I yelled, "Nooooo!" I could see the screw was sagging. Will look for a different vise though.
What about a workbench that doesn’t have a wood apron like this, just the wooden table top?
I’ve worked with and installed several of these over the years, and I totally agree they are a pain. All that would be needed is a paper template, but no manufacturer that I know of has bothered to include one. The other thing of note is that is that chop needs to be at least 2 inches thick, 2.5 – 3 is ideal. This will help a lot with racking. I also plane a slight taper on the gripping face so that the top contacts the bench first, and then the bottom flexes in under pressure. This improves grip strength TREMENDOUSLY, and makes the vise so much easier to use.
I think your link points to the wrong Yost vise. Link is to a Yost F9WW 9" vise. The one in your video appears to be a Yost F10WW 10" vise.
Thank you Rex, love your video’s 🇨🇦❤️
Dude just reminds me of the woodworking version of Louis Rossman for some reason.
Also if you have a torpedo level, after you’ve drilled the first two holes for the bars you can put your level on it to see how level it is then try your best to mimic the same on the screw before you mark it. From the video you can kinda see it is low before it’s drilled. Thanks for the video Rex always appreciate it
Hah, wish I’d had this when I installed that vise on my quick stack bench 6 months ago! I made most of these mistakes and more. Now that I know how easy it is to remove the roll pin, I would have done that and made my install much easier. Hardest part with mine was lining up the support collets, because I mounted it directly to the underside of the 3-1/2" thick slab, so there was almost no clearance to get the collets screwed in. If I did it again I’d add a 1/2"-1" spacer.
Only trouble I’ve had with this is that the jaw can get a bit loose when clamping a piece at the top. My jaw is laminated red oak, held to the vise face with #14 screws. If it gets loose again I might try countersinking some nuts on the work side to get a better hold on it.
Rex, awesome video that helped me figure out how to attach a vise to one of your bench plans sets. Making a template to drill four sets of holes to fit between cross pieces was essential. Also attaching it before the top is installed made it much easier since I could see everything without lying on the floor looking up like you had too. A drill press ensured straight holes that were slightly oversized for tolerances and wood movement.
Very timely, Rex. I am building an English style bench and just a few minutes ago ordered that same vice. I was going to use a hardwood for the face but seeing you use yellow pine will save me a few bucks. My bench is sort of a hybrid between yours and Paul Sellers.
Very nice. I bought the plan for the minimal bench. I’m thinking about making a second one and cutting out a recess in the middle for my small but handy chop saw.
Awesome looking new bench Rex. It’s similar to Paul Seller’s more recent bench version with the tool well. When I built your English joiner bench, I used this 10” Yost vise and a quick release Yost 10” vise instead of the leg vise mainly due to the cost of the leg vise screw. There was a Yost version and a knock off within $10 on amazon. The scaffold screws were easily the same or more unless I bought them in 4-7 unit bulk and paid $75 of shipping directly to a construction equipment supplier at the time. Throw in the coat of lumber, and it didn’t make sense with prices at the time to spend similar or more for more work to make a leg vise compared to the Yost 95% ready to go vises. I used the red oak versions of the stair treads from your leg vise video for the chops and glued them 3 layers thick. They’ve worked well for me for a year now, and my main issue when installing was that I somehow put the vise from this video on out of square. It closes with about a 1/2” difference from right to left. I’d recommend those to beginners before trying to adapt equally priced leg vise hardware to be honest. Thanks for the great content man. Looking forward to what your new shop opens up for you in 2023
Those look like knuckle busting nuts on the support bars…..too bad they weren’t recessed in China.
Do you have plans for a person in a wheelchair?
Thanks
Randy
Dammit; I became my Grandfather. Like he; I’m talking at the screen. If only it was filmed in real time and you could have heard, I could’ve saved you a lot of unnecessary work. (JF).