As a professional woodworker, leaving the comfort of my shop to work on a jobsite is part of the routine. Although I did have a portable bench, it was not very useful without vises. Having all the classic woodworking vises on a jobsite would be really sweet; and expensive. What I needed were simple, durable vises that I could build on a budget. I came up with three classic woodworking vises that can be adapted to any existing bench, using any pipe clamps.
The Face Vise
The face vise is the workhorse of any bench. The face vise is often the first or only vise that woodworkers purchase. It holds boards so that their edges can be worked.
This vise is the easiest and most commonly used. You can use whatever length pipe you like, but I find that a pipe about 36 cm long is sufficient for most tasks (Fig.03).
Fig. 03. Vise for Face
Fig. 05. Pipe and Guide Rod Locations
You can trim the jaws pieces (A), slightly larger than the actual size, and then glue them together. A stiff and rugged jaw can be made from two pieces of hardwood such as oak. I rounded over the jaws outer edges, but thats optional.
To drill the vises holes, temporarily screw or nail the mounting block (B) to the jaws back side. Make sure the mounting block is positioned so that when the vise is installed, the jaws top edge will be flush with the benchs top.
Use a drill press to drill the holes for the pipe and guide rod (C) through both the jaw and the mounting block (Fig. 05). The guide rod stops the jaw spinning. Next, separate the mounting block and jaw, and drill the lag screw holes in the mounting block. Use a metal cutting tool to drill holes in the clamps sliding head as well as the jaw of your stationary head.
Mount the vise on your bench by clamping the mounting block underneath your bench’s top, flush to the bench’s front edge, then attach it with lag screws.
After removing the clamps for the sliding head, insert the guide rod and pipe through the jaw and mounting blocks. Install the sliding head again, then tighten the clamps on both the stationary and sliding heads. The stationary head is positioned vertically and the sliding one horizontally. Along with the mounting blocks relatively short length, the sliding heads horizontal position makes the clutch plates easy to reach. Fasten the heads to the jaw and mounting block using screws, and secure the guide rod with a cotter pin.
To adjust the vise, reach to the back of the mounting block to squeeze the clutch plates. Slide the jaw into position and tighten using the clamps handle.
Squeeze the pipe clamps clutch plates to adjust the jaw in or out to suit the size of your workpiece.
Face Vise Cutting List
Tail Vise
A tail vise is commonly used with bench dogs to hold parts flat for facework. Mine has an adjustable guide board, similar to a leg vise. The guide board prevents the jaw from spinning, and allows the vise to hold large pieces of workpieces.
As with the face vise, glue up the jaw (A), and faceplate (B). You could probably get by without the faceplate, but a stout wood like oak stands up to hard use much better than pine. If possible, use a planer or jointer to square up the assembly. A tablesaw or circular saw can be used if you don’t have one.
Mark and drill the jaws pipe hole using a drill press. You will also need to drill the mortise (C) for the pinboard. This is best done with a Forstner bit, which allows you to overlap the holes. Use a chisel to clean up the mortises cheeks.
Fig. 01. Tail Vise
Fig. 04. Guide Board Hole Pattern
Clamp the Jaw in position to your benchs end. Using the pipe hole and mortise you just made as guides, mark the hole and mortise on the benchs leg.
To drill the pipe through the bench’s leg and to remove most of the mortise, use a hand drill. As before, clean up the mortise using a chisel. Make sure the pin board slides freely through the legs mortise.
Drill the adjustment holes in the pin board (Fig. 04). Place the pin board into the jaws mortise. Then, using the drill press drill the hole for the knockdownpin (D). Assemble both parts. The knockdown pin makes full disassembly easy for transport. I added a wooden knob to my pin to make it easier to remove.
Drill screw holes in the clamp heads. Insert the pipe into the jaw and slide the assembly into position on the bench. Install the clamp head mounting screws and tighten the clamp.
Drill the dog hole in the jaws top, and a series of holes in line with it on your benchs top.
Adjust the vise’s opening to fit your workpieces using the adjustment pin (E). My adjustment pin was fastened to the jaw with screw eyes and a light chains so that it does not get lost.
For this vise, I used a 41 cm pipe. Like the face vise, reach under the bench and squeeze the clutch plates to adjust the clamp.
The adjustment pin should be inserted in the hole to determine the jaw opening that is most suitable for your workpiece. To adjust the pipe clamp, squeeze the clutch plates until they release their grip.
Tail Vise Cutting List
Moxon Vise
The Moxon vise can be described as a face vise that has two screws. It clamps to your bench top and brings your work closer towards your eyes. This is a dream for dovetailers. My design also features a quick-release handle.
This vise is named after Joseph Moxon (17th century woodworker, author), and is specialized in securely holding large boards. Two clamps provide even pressure across the whole board without any racking. The main feature my version has that the original didnt, is a quick-release mechanism (Fig. 02 and photo
The Moxon vise’s height is another benefit. The vise clamps to the top of your bench so your work will be at chest height. This vise is great for cutting dovetails or when you need to be near your work.
Fig. 02. Moxon Vise
Fig. 06. Guide Block End Hole
Fig. 07. End Taper Push Bar
Fig. 08. Lever
I used a vise that was different from the others.
A good vise must be extremely stable. This vise is not attached to a bench so I made it extra heavy. I was able to create deep dado joints with strong plywood thicknesses of 3/10cm without actually cutting dadoes.
The front jaw pieces (A), which are the main parts of the vise, must be glued together. Assemble the top and bottom (B), as well as the buildup (C), and filler (D). To create dadoes, use a plywood offcut. Trim the front jaw to final dimension, and round over the outer edges if you wish.
Glue the inner and outer sides (E & F), together. The assembly should be turned upside down. Position the rear jaw (G), front jaw buildup (H), guide blocks (J) and rear jaw (G).
Use a drill press to mark and drill the holes in the front jaw. Then, reposition the jaw on the assembly. To mark the holes on the rear jaw, insert the drill bit in the jaws holes. Then mark and drill the remaining jaw/guide block assembly the same way. Finally, drill holes in the ends guide blocks (Fig.
06).
Next, cut out the levers (K, Fig. 08) and handle (L). Mark the levers radii before drilling their holes. If you drill the holes first, you wont have a place to position your compass for drawing the larger radius. Drill the holes in the levers, cut the bridle joints, chamfer the handle, and glue the dowels (M) in the levers.
After the glue dries, slide the guide blocks onto the dowels (do not glue) and screw the whole assembly in place.
Attach the bottom before attaching it. Remove the sliding heads from the vise and insert the pipes through the jaw assembly. N, Fig. 07) in place and make sure the sliding heads are oriented properly before screwing them to the guide blocks. There should be about 1/41 cm of play between the push bar ends and the clamps clutch plates. Your push bar ends may need to be adjusted to fit between your clamps clutch plates.
Test the handle operation by installing the push bar retainers P. Attach the bottom with glue and screws.
To adjust the front jaw quickly, pull the handle in your direction.
Moxon Vise Cutting List
Product Recommendations
These are the tools and supplies we use every day in our shop. Although we may be compensated for sales made through our links, these products have been carefully chosen for their utility and quality.
