Comments on: A Leg Vise Mystery

By: diggerop

diggerop — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:31:28 +0000

I built a leg vise which is very similar about 9 years ago. Mine has a 1 inch rod approx 24 inches long which slides through a 1 & 1/8 inch hole in the bench leg.
It is indexed by a locking device which comprises of an 8x3x3/4 piece of wood with a 1&1/8 inch hole at one end. The other end has a 4x3x3/4 foot fixed to the bottom at right angles.(An L shape.) To adjust the bottom of the leg, the lock is slid along the rod until the foot contacts the bench leg. As the vise is tightened on the workpiece, it causes the lock to wedge onto the rod. The locking effect is proportional to the clamping effort on the workpiece. It never slips and is adjustable in seconds.

By: Zach Dillinger

Zach Dillinger — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:57:37 +0000

I really like the idea of having such a simple vise, perhaps with u-shaped pieces of wood to act as a vise block to prevent racking. Very clever.

Zach

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:47:10 +0000

The one I’ve seen has a big step block just lying on the floor.

By: Paul Theriault

Paul Theriault — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:15:07 +0000

My Grand father,Jean-Baptiste originally from NB, had a vise very similar to the one pictured. His vise had a strip of wood attached to the round dowel that held it in the guide hole on the bench. He worked only in stock 1 inch or less in width.

By: Jonathan Hartford

Jonathan Hartford — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:55:03 +0000

It is quite possible that the bench leg (the opposing chop) didn’t have a hole at all, and the vice was set up to work on a specific thickness of work.

Many early woodworkers did specialize. If this came out of a shop with a large number of people working in it, then it could easily be a specific station in a line of manufacture.

By: Gary Roberts

Gary Roberts — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:46:35 +0000

Chris… I have a leg vise much like this one, but complete in that it has it’s back plate. The vise jaws can be raised and lowered as a unit to adjust to the height of the stuff to be worked on. The lower pin rides in a groove, keeping the entire vise horizontal. There is a handle to tighten the vise once the desired height is achieved.

I was going to try and sell my vise, but after looking it over last week, I decided to keep it and mount it on some bench. Funny thing is, when I bought it at a flea market (for $18) I didn’t notice the arrangement. I did notice that it weighed a ton. Old ash is heavy stuff.

Gotta get a picture of it online.

Gary

By: Jonas

Jonas — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:44:10 +0000

My Internet-theory is that this vise could be rotated by pushing with the foot on the round post.

By: Daniel Grant

Daniel Grant — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:21:47 +0000

I’d say your first guess (Theory 0?) is the most likely – inserting a piece of scrap of comparable thickness at the bottom is certainly the most straightforward method.

By: John

John — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:33:48 +0000

I use a stack of 1/4" strips of poplar, bound at one end with a bolt. It looks like a big wooden feeler gauge. I just stick the corresponding thickness below the screw and Bob’s your uncle.

By: Kurt Schmitz

Kurt Schmitz — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:25:07 +0000

That the post is so much shorter than the screw suggests (perhaps?) as shallow ‘hole’ set in the leg simply to keep the post in place so the vice could effectively hold the stuff routinely worked (fence posts???)