wooden vise jaws

[JohnN]

Just bought a Woodriver universal vise and am thinking about fitting it with some wooden jaws. What wood would be best ?

 

[Eric Krewson]

I like plywood, when I make them out of solid wood they break occasionally.

These are poplar, they broke and were replaced with plywood ones, the latter have been in place for years with no problems.

 

[Tinker2]

Plywood







Alexander

 

[fpatton]

I like that! Are the jaws attached, or are they resting on the crossbar?

Fred

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

That is how I made extra jaws for one of my bench vises. I used plywood also. I had a couple in slightly different shapes to accomdate different sizes of objects. I also used old Vibram sole (not the lug pattern) scraps glued to the wood as well as leather. The jaws just rested on top of the center of the vise like yours. Quick to change too. :thumbsup:

 

[Eric Krewson]

The pads are just sitting there, not attached, they stay in place but can be easily removed, I use 3/4" plywood now. The rubber pad in the background is from a Grizzly version of a versa vice and what I copied for my big vise.

 

[Rifleman1776]

When I make a tool from wood for shop use I usually use Osage Orange. Older it gets, the stronger it gets. Amazing stuff. Love it. But, I also occasionally use hard maple (even 'soft' maple is very hard). Never a failure.

 

[Vaino]

I use the 3/4" plywood vise jaw inserts as pictured...they really work well. My inserts have a whole lot more padding so they'll accommodate "odd shapes" a little better and seeing they indent from the workpiece, require less clamping force to resist slipping down.

The outside covering of the inserts is rough leather w/ 1/4" thick rubber underneath. Also use 1/2" thick foam plastic in varying widths on the vise "beam" so if the workpiece does slip down it doesn't get damaged....never had the assembled rifle fall but did have a bbl fall w/ no damage....Fred

 

[Dane]

Good hard sugar maple will serve well. And a builder should have plenty of this around.

 

[Swede50]

Mine are made out of 3/4" plywood so they don't split. They look a lot like Eric's but do not have any padding. They work great for holding my BP or modern rifles for cleaning and putting on sites.

 

[kaintuck]

lowes also has the rubber slip-ons~
and I would say, make a leather cover for the middle section, so when you drop a barrel on that steel round vise part.....it won't dent
marc n tomtom

 

[Eterry]

Twenty years ago a good friend who bought Bill Mowery 's shop sold me a smooth jawed vise, and suggested I make two sets of jaw pads, from plywood notched to sit on the thread cover and covered w leather to prevent scratches. He said use one for everyday use and keep one in reserve For special projects. Sadly I've never used the second set!! Guess i don't have any special projects.

Eterry

 

[Blackbruin]

Plywood with a rubber band to keep them on, chew when they wear, got that from a friend of mine, off in a jiffy for metal work if necessary, easy and cheap to replace.

 

[Birddog6]

I use that white plastic they make cutting boards out of. One cutting board from Walmart or etc. will make
several sets of jaw liners, they don't wear out. :shake: I cover that with leather & I can flip the leather off it
wanted. This is one of my old vices I used, and used it for ? 30+ years.



I later changed to this vice, as it is taller & same height as my larger vice. I like to have the rifle in 2 vices
all the time when working on it.



On both of them shown, the plastic pad is held in place with 2 countersunk jaw screws. I never take the pad off. To the left of
this vice I have a much larger 6" Wilton vice (Lowes @ $ 119.) and it just has leather flipped over the jaws. This way
if I want to debreech a barrel I can flip the leather back & have the good jaws to put my brass liners on & then go right
back to what I had.



I also have these jaw liner which I never use. (Woodcrafts) They sort of pivot on the jaws & would probably be OK.
But I like the jaws covered with the plastic & leather over the top of them better. I can't tell you how many dozen
times I have bumped a almost finished stock on the top of a vice & then had to sweat the dint out.
This plastic & leather cover (especially the leather) has saved me ALLOT of work & hassle.
:idunno:

Keith Lisle

 

[Eterry]

Keith, I always thought that if you could see the work bench you were doing something wrong...yours is entirely too well organized! Mine looks like a bomb went off at a harbor freight!
:blah:

Eterry

 

[Birddog6]

My workbench is a total disaster. Mainly because I don't like putting things away that I am going to get
right back out.
Also that bench is used for a multitude of tasks, thus collects allot of stuff. Grandpas has to keep the
toy repair shop going, ya know.... :wink:

However, I do now & then get fed up with looking for something that is right in front of me & I put things
in order. I like to have tools organized so I can reach & get them. When working on a rifle bout every
2 days I will put all the certain tools in their groups & etc. Just makes it easier for me to find what one
I want, when I want. Lots of guys put theirs in racks or holders in front of them, but I would need a
whole wall to do that. Thus they are on the table in front & on each side of me, then have a wooden tool
chest right behind me with lots of drawers of jigs & what-not., sitting on top of a larger
cabinet of drawers full of tools & etc. This cabinet of drawers is a time saver, as I can just turn around
& the tools are right there. I bought the black drawer cabinet & another at a auction for $ 20. :thumbsup:



Keith Lisle

 

[MSW]

wow- if you got that for twenty bucks, I want to hang with you --- you've got the auction juju going on your side>

congrats on a really nice find!

 

[Birddog6]

This is what I was talking about cuting up to make the jaw liners. This cutting board came from Sams Club, but
I have seen them at Walmart, Target, etc. It willmake a bunch of jaw pads. I still put leather over them, as if you
clamp it hard it could still dent some wood.



Keith Lisle

 

[Tinker2]

I have used this, fit to my vices
Link


Also made some like Eric’s out of plywood with carpet face
Made some with foam insulation board instead of the carpet facing too



William Alexander

 

[Daveco]

Here's what we use. I had seen variations of these for years but couldn't find a set to fit this vise. I did see a similar set on the internet somewhere and decided to make my own. I drew them up using Inkscape and had my son cut them out of some 18 gauge sheet metal on the plasma cutter that we built a few years back. I guessed at a lot of the angles, but got most of them close. There are a couple of things that need changing if I ever get around to version 2. I added the WM which stands for Wells Machine- which is what he calls his hobby machine shop. :grin: