Extending the face of a vise so I can use it to hold longer pieces.

[ryandetzel]

I have this: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21523&filter=vise

I want to extend it to the right a little so I can hold a piece on the leg to work on the ends of the wood. Will this affect the integrity of the vise? Will is be stable enough?

[ryandetzel]

50 people, no one has an opinion? :-) I guess I'll just do it and find out.

[rmac]

If those fifty folks are like me, the honest answer to your question would be, "I don't know." No point in having fifty replies saying that. Even worse would be fifty misinformed opinions.

So I think you've got the right idea. Try it, see what you think, and report back here to let everyone know what happened!

-- Russ

[Beechwood Chip]

It might cause some racking. I might put a spacer in the "main" vice area that is a little thinner than the piece you are clamping off to the side. That way, any racking will be minimized.

[soonerdg]

My apologies, I viewed earlier but had to run to a meeting. Are you planning to replace the entire jaw piece? If so, you shouldn't have any trouble at all. Typically these vices are sold without the jaw and you add one of the size you choose. So, putting a bigger jaw on the vise won't be an issue. If you're going to try to extend the jaw that's already on it I think that will cause problems. Not even sure how you'd attach it but the joint would definitly be a weak spot.

[eric71m]

It might cause some racking. I might put a spacer in the "main" vice area that is a little thinner than the piece you are clamping off to the side. That way, any racking will be minimized.

yep, what Beechwood Chip said!

[ryandetzel]

This vice is not installed so I plan on just making the jaw larger. In all the pictures it looks perfectly equal on both sides and only about an inch off each side which made me wonder if there was a reason for this. Is there any reason I can't make the jaw 22"?

[dwacker]

I would just install a twin screw and not worry about the issues. My guess is that you ill end up bending the vice or breaking the faces when it racks.

Don

[Darnell Hagen]

The farther you clamp from the guide rods the more racking will be an issue. Racking is when the front chop angles due to uneven resistance to clamping pressure. When this happens you're only clamping the inside edge of the stock, at less than full pressure. Racking is prevented by clamping over top of the screw, between the rods, or by using spacers the same size as your stock on the opposite side of the screw. Technically if you had a perfectly ridgid front chop and used accurately sized spacers you could have jaws the length of your benchtop.

[ryandetzel]

The farther you clamp from the guide rods the more racking will be an issue. Racking is when the front chop angles due to uneven resistance to clamping pressure. When this happens you're only clamping the inside edge of the stock, at less than full pressure. Racking is prevented by clamping over top of the screw, between the rods, or by using spacers the same size as your stock on the opposite side of the screw. Technically if you had a perfectly ridgid front chop and used accurately sized spacers you could have jaws the length of your benchtop.

Can you explain these spacers please?

[Darnell Hagen]

Preventing Jaw Twist.

A clever thing I've seen is making a spacer block in a 1-2-3 format, tripling it's range.

[Beechwood Chip]

By a spacer, I just mean clamping a piece of scrap wood, the same thickness as your work piece, at the other end of the vice.

[eric71m]

something like this is an excellent idea.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/55909

[Cynthia in BC]

It might cause some racking. I might put a spacer in the "main" vice area that is a little thinner than the piece you are clamping off to the side. That way, any racking will be minimized.

+1 I agree with this.

[ryandetzel]

something like this is an excellent idea.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/55909

That is perfect! Thanks.