IH kit from Dunlap Woodcrafts - let the build commence

[Billy Boy]

I shim mine and clamp it tight. No leather, just thin brass lining the vise and brass shims. I have a fairly large crescent wrench with a 12" handle and that's all I've ever needed. I just make sure the jaws are tight and start by giving the handle a quick whack or two with a heavy hammer. That seems to break it loose a bit for me so I can then turn the wrench by hand. Sometimes I think that slowly trying to turn the wrench puts a slow twist on the barrel where a quick whack breaks it free without the twisting. At least that's my theory.

After shimming and clamping in the vise, tightly fitting the wrench, a very sharp blow with a heavy hammer always did the job on scores of unmentionables used in the great war. Trying to pull the wrench risked springing something.