Bench Vise

[C Broad Arrow]

I am beginning the process of building a gun bench for the purpose of constructing a long rifle.

Suggestions would be appreciated as to what type of bench vise to install and the recommended height and size.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[kaintuck]

Take a look down this are for my pictures on bench addition.....I have been using that big vise from Home Depot for years....just added a second one....Bessie? Is the name....and the plastic inserts, bolted down to 2sheets of heavy plywood :grin:
Frame made of 2x4, all screwed together.....bunches of screws!

All the in laws could set on it, it's that stable!!! :rotf:
Marc

 

[Rifleman1776]

The Versa-Vice is a great design. Versitile for many uses beyond guns. Adjust bench height for comfortable work as it is a bit tall.

 

[Vaino]

Your primary bench vise should be "hefty" and able to handle many different tasks. Mine is a Starrett and has done forming of parts and holds the blanks tightly when the big gouges remove a lot of wood. This Starrett only rotates horizontally and the outboard supports in both dirctions, hold the "other end".

Have one of those "Versa Vises" and found it's not heavy duty enough for a main vise...I use mine for much lighter duty work and rarely use the vertical, angled rotation...if at all.

Don't "go cheap" on the main vise and try to get one w/ smooth jaws......had to grind off the serrations on my Starrett.Also a good, thick set of copper or brass jaw inserts and padded jaws are necessary.

Vise height is a personal thing.....I adjust the vise height so that a flat piece of steel is filed flat and is a uniform thickness when done. Learned this when working as a tool and diemaker......Fred

 

[galamb]

We each have our own methods/favourites.

I do have a heavy "metal vice" on one of my benches but only use it when working on the barrel (breech plug removal/install - dovetails etc).

When working on the stock I have a pair of "wood vices" on my "gun bench" and a portable clamping table.

The wood vices are the metal type that you add your own "wooden jaws" to - wood almost never makes marks on other wood and when I have a curly maple stock in the vice that I have spent upwards of 200 hours working on I don't want some "jaw guard" to slip/move and make a mess I can't recover from.

But to each their own.

 

[Col. Batguano]

:thumbsup: I do the same thing, and feel similarly. Those long rifle stocks seem to need to be held in 2 places a long way apart a lot of times. Except my pair of wood vices are mounted so the jaws are flush to the edge of the bench. My metal vice is on top of the edge or corner of the same bench, and pivots out of the way when it's not being used. That lets me rest the butt stock on the bench when it's only clamped in one vice. I can then sit down on a stool doing the wood work, and stand up to do the heavier metal work and engraving.

I don't want to count the hours I spend on each gun, but 200-300 on a stock wouldn't be an impossible number to get to.

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Take a look down this are for my pictures on bench addition.....I have been using that big vise from Home Depot for years....just added a second one....Bessie? Is the name....and the plastic inserts, bolted down to 2sheets of heavy plywood :grin:
Frame made of 2x4, all screwed together.....bunches of screws!

All the in laws could set on it, it's that stable!!! :rotf:
Marc

Marc... I can't see your pictures.

 

[kaintuck]

It's about 10-12 messages down, new bench title~~~
Kat not included! :rotf:

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Got it ... thanks!

Who is the foreman?

 

[kaintuck]

That kat has been around before my interest in building flinders. :youcrazy:
He's good company when I get up early on the weekends, sometimes as early as 4AM.....the neighborhood is nice and quiet, and if I'm just useing a spokeshave or plane, he sits and watches me, or out the window......very relaxing!
Then sometimes he's a nut, and carries my tools off..... :youcrazy:
:haha:
Marc

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Nice...Its always good to have company.

I think I found my vice.

 

[kaintuck]

That's nice, but has no tilt adjustments......
Should be sturdy enough!
Marc

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Thanks! $75 - I guess I will have to me the tilt adjustments the old fashioned way...unwind... tilt... tighten...

 

[MSW]

at $75, that's a good deal, IMO ...

I use two vises - my 'big vise' is a clunker I bought from Home Depot (or somesuch bigbox place ... I can't remember) it was some time ago ...

the reason I bought the big clunker was that the old one only had a hold down screw on one side, so it would turn and slip out of place exactly when least convenient ... grrr ... I left it at the 'swap' program at the town dump, where unworthy tools go to die a lingering and painful death.

so, for vises anyway: big is good. heavy is very good ... petite and cute ... not so good

 

[kaintuck]

Thanks! $75 - I guess I will have to me the tilt adjustments the old fashioned way...unwind... tilt... tighten...

yaahhh....but! when you need a full jaw on your piece~
and when I 1st put my vises on the bench....I didn't put them near enuff to the edge....duh! :youcrazy:
i couldn't get stuff 90degrees in the vise!!! :surrender:
my meds are making me better.......... :haha:

 

[C Broad Arrow]

Thanks for the tip about getting it close to the edge to get a 90. Much appreciated.

 

[JackP]

I picked up a # 700 Stanley wood workers vise for only $15.00 in Hillsville Va. yesterday. It won't work for everything but goes on and off bench easily. Holds things horizontally or vertical.
It would be a great addition to your bench.

Looks like you could get one pretty cheap on ebay.

Jack

 

[Birddog6]

Looks like a pretty good deal to me. You don't need a tilt adjustment, have built Dozens of rifles & never have used the tilt adjustment on one yet, even tho I can tilt it. I use 2 vices almost all the time holding the rifle I am working on. They are about 32" apart.
Put a Vert. piece of 2 x 4 on the face of the work bench & move the vice out as far as you can to get to where you can mount something vert. & not hit the bench.

Keith Lisle

 

[Rifleman1776]

Have one of those "Versa Vises" and found it's not heavy duty enough for a main vise...I use mine for much lighter duty work and rarely use the vertical, angled rotation...if at all.

I don't know what you consider heavy duty. For gunsmithing, I consider that a light duty chore enneyhow. The VV is a great tool and, as the name implies, very versitile. I had mine mounted to the end of a 2"X8" plank about 4' long that I could put on the top of my workbench when I needed it. Super handy. My vote still goes with the VV.

 

[Birddog6]

This is what I call heavy duty. :idunno: It will handle just about anything I need in the basement. Bought it for $ 25. at a auction years ago. For breeching barrels, etc, well, just about anything I want to do heavy duty, it will handle it.



If you want to heat things in it, forge things on it, hammer, hit, bend, pull, it will take it. Have a similar one outside mounted to a 10' steel top bench on a steel frame that weighs about ? 500# I guess. Between the two, you can do most anything ya want. Out in the shop I have another one similar & it is mounted to a 1000# bench ya have to move with a forklift. Having worked on industrial machinery for 40 years, heavy duty is a must.

However, for Most.. gun work, these would not be necessary, but still are nice to have.

For breeching barrels & etc., this Wilton vice below will do it as well. This is on my gun bench (along with a Parrot or V Vice). This Wilton came from Lowes & cost ?$ 119. ? I think, this was on sale for $ 99. & i's a 6" jaw Wilton. Pretty good vice for the money. Nice clean sharp jaws & what I consider Medium duty for a shop in the basement. Not.... something you can beat the H out of or tighten the bejesus out of..... but I feel a pretty good vice for the normal hobby guy.




I use a Parrot or VersaVice because:

1: It is the same height & even with the Wilton, so I can easily hold the rifle I am building with 2 vices & use less pressure on each vice.

2: I can remove it in seconds.... (it's best feature) Small & Light.

3: I use another one like it for knife blade work & actually the reason I wanted it. I can turn it umpteen directions when working a blade & works very well like this & adjusts to ME, rather then me to it. U have the offset piece on it as well to make it more versatile.

It would be Rare I would tilt or rotate it at all when building a rifle. It is basically a stabilizing vice. Before that I had a smaller Craftsman vice & probably built 50 rifles of it & another cheap vice. I swapped out the Parrot vice to get it even with the Wilton. Now I can draw file an entire flat with barrel held in both vices, then swap to another flat & go on. I always use 2 vices when building rifles tho, just so much easier for me & less chance of breaking a forestock or crushing a lock panel & etc.

But it really doesn't matter what ya use, as long as you are satisfied with what you are using.

Keith Lisle