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The Walk-Around Workbench |
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The
shoulder vise support box screwed to the underside of
the secondary hardwood top. |
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Shoulder
vise
Two threaded rods bolt the 2" x 4" shoulder-vise arm
to the end of the joist through holes splayed slightly out to
each side by 3°, giving it a dovetail effect. I drilled
holes on the underside of the joist to take nuts and washers.
The length of the secondary top is the difference between the
joist length and the sum of the shoulder vise screw projection
through the arm when closed plus the jaw thicknesses. A 2"
x 4" box, lag screwed underneath between leg rail and fixed
jaw, supports the fixed jaw. The moving vise jaw has no lower
rail supporting the left-side projection running under the joist;
instead, there is a counterweight on the right side. I used
an old brass car-club badge, but any similar weight will do.
There is a 1/4" gap to the left of the moving jaw so that
it can be removed easily. This is done by rotating it to the
left, so that the casting that screws to the moving jaw can
be lifted off the end of the vise screw.
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| The
leg vise pivot |
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The
detachable leg vise |
Leg vise
The main advantage of this bench is that there is no shoulder
vise to run into when moving around the bench or when planing.
When cutting long stock, a hold-down makes a quickly detachable
leg vise. A piece of 2" x 6" with an oversized hole
for the stem of the hold-down acts as the moving jaw. Near the
top of the oversized hole is an intersecting transverse hole
through which I bolted threaded rod in a piece of copper pipe.
This acts as a pivot, eases the action of the jaw and ensures
it hangs straight relative to the side of the bench. The pressure
of the hold-down arm is exerted at the edge of the benchtop
where I want it, instead of at the conventional lower-leg-vise-screw
level, so I don't need a pinned, sliding rail at the bottom
of the jaw to prevent racking. |
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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