I use 1" pine in a Craftsman Woodworkers vise that I bought years ago for such work. Much better than adding makeshift jaws to a metal working vise. Cheap and easy to replace with scraps I usually have around. Like the idea of the cutting board material for some things. I like the pine rather than plywood because it tends to be softer and less likely to damage wood. Also use it on metal that I don't want to damage.