Comments on: Thank You (I Think) for the Wentworth Saw Vise

By: colleystudio

colleystudio — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:22:48 +0000

I used a 3/16″ dowel in the slot on mine and it works likea champ!

By: ronb1957

ronb1957 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:37:34 +0000

OK. I can’t resist. If Chris were really a nice guy he would have given you his Grammercy instead. :) I actually have both vises. I started with the Wentworth. It makes you appreciate the Grammercy soooooooooo much more. So maybe Chris did you a favor. Yeah, that’s the ticket. :) I should point out though the Grammercy is not perfect either. It needs to be 19″ wide instead of 14 and mine has a few chatter spots in it.:) But it is my go to vise I use a lot. In fact I have a 26″ Disston No 7 clamped in it as I type. Now if you really want a vise. Think 26″ modified cast iron ACME saw vise. OOOOOOOOOOOO AAAHHHHHHHHHHH. Not exactly portable. But it is a poor craftsman that blames his/her tools. I have to blame something so I blame my tools. :) Best wishes. Ron

By: wcm17

wcm17 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:58:00 +0000

The best solution I have found for this problem and is really easy is masking tape on the back jaw, if it is really worn put on two layers.

By: Megan Fitzpatrick

Megan Fitzpatrick — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:20:51 +0000

It’s actually laminated veneer lumber (a.k.a. LVL) – that’s the bench we wrote about in the Nov 2009 issue (and it’s in “The Workbench Design Book”). You can get it at construction suppliers (it’s used for joists and the like). We ripped the LVL boards into 2-3/4″-wide strips, turned them on edge and glued the strips together, then added a hardwood strip to the front and back, to keep the LVL edges from flaking off.

I’d absolutely use it again for a benchtop – it’s still dead flat after just shy of four years, and it weighs a ton (which is good – my bench doesn’t move unless I want it to…and I have some help).

By: schenher

schenher — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:26:46 +0000

I had an issue like this with my Disston 3D vise. I just filed the jaw until they ran parallel, so an equal gap. then I shimmed the mechanism. This method works really well and I use my vise on everything from .015 – .045 saw plates with no problems.

By: willarda

willarda — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:19:16 +0000

Megan: I have a half dozen of the Wentworth No. 2 vises ( the 12″ type) that i use in my saw sharpening workshops. They were designed to have a knotted cord stretched between the ends of one vise face to cut down on squealing. Sometimes I have found them with some sort of rubber remnants molded into that slot. I would say that maybe half of them have been dropped in the past and braised back together. For this reason, the jaws often do not match exactly. I filed the top of the closed vise to get the faces to the same height. I then inserted two layers of adhesive felt into the vise faces, closed the vise and trimmed off the excess. I bolt my vises to a piece of 2X12 about 12 inches long. I can clamp this in my shoulder vise (or between the tailstock for shorter students), with the height of the jaws at the resting level of my elbow, with just enough space for the cam lever to work. The TFWW vise is great, but very industrial, whereas the Wentworth is romantic!

By: FRandallCat

FRandallCat — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:14:53 +0000

Is that vertical strand bamboo board on the benchtop in the background of your hand-knee-camera shot? If so, 1/would you use it again? and 2/where would one find a source for it? Many thanks.

R²

By: tms

tms — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:14:36 +0000

“There are worse vices.”

I saw what you did there.

Tom

By: Kasey

Kasey — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:35:34 +0000

“Worse vices,” eh? Well said! There are worse vises, as well (though you’d be hard pressed to find them). As a former Lit major, it’s both humbling and encouraging to see someone gainfully employed for a love of language. The only link I’ve had between my passions and paychecks, in regards to education, was someone admiring and requesting a frame I’d made for my degree. In short, cheers to you and the future of PopWood. I’ve enjoyed and look forward to the color you bring to the table.

By: jagriz

jagriz — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:18:55 +0000

If the jaws themselves are straight I’d be inclined to work on the other end…. Try shimming the cam surface on the loose side with various thicknesses of steel shim stock and see if that works. If it does the proper thickness shim (s) could be soldered in place. Alternatively, the surface could be built up with weld and reground/filed. A few thousandths change at the cam could made a lot of different at the jaw…