[JesseTutt]

I am still working on a new workbench for the shop (since November). I have moved on to an end/tail vice on the right end of the top. I have a couple of questions and hope to get some enlightenment.

1. I keep confusing the end vice with the tail vice. The one I am building goes all the way from the front to the back. I think this is called an end vice. Correct?

2. I plan to put a tool well on the back. Should the moveable front of the vice stop at the back of the top or should it extend the depth of the tool well? I do plan on placing a 5" high by 2" thick piece of maple on the edge of the bench top spanning from the front to the back of the tool well. The side of the tool well will be anchored to this piece

 

[PurpLev]

end vice = positioned at the end of the workbench
tail vise = an elongated end vise that looks like a tail - protruding into the workbench's front side

1. you are correct

2. you can have the end vice go all the way to the back, but make sure that your dog holes in the end vice do not align with the tool well

an end vice can be used in 2 main ways (and endless other ways):
1: Using bench dogs to hold long parts down between dogs for planing, joinery on the upper faces of the parts
2. clamping boards vertically for joinery work

For #1 make sure you have the dog holes aligned properly on the bench and on the end vice - the width of the end vice is less critical
for #2 the longer/wider the vice is the greater the capacity to work on wider boards - as long as you are using a double vise where the boards can fit in between, otherwise keep the vice shorter for less racking and more stability

 

[BrandonW]

What vise hardware are you planning on using?

My personal preference would be to end at the border of the top and the well. That said, I don't think it would put too much strain on the tool well as long as that is solidly built. And yes, Sharon has some good suggestions about dog holes.

 

[JesseTutt]

The vice hardware was given to me but I think it was intended for a front vice. The width is around 10 inches with the two steel dowels and an offset acme screw between the dowels.

 

[PurpLev]

Jesse, that is a standard vise hardware, it being 10" I would personally refrain from using it to create a full width vise and just make it maybe 14" in width flush with the front of the workbench, with 1-2 dog hole rows equally spaced from the edges of the vice lengthwise.

 

[BrandonW]

That sounds an awful lot like what I did on my bench:

 

[PurpLev]

yup like that ^

 

[JesseTutt]

It looks just like this woodcraft vise .

Brandon, your picture is exactly what I was wanting. I just did not know how far back to extend the wood.

The top is a 24" x 60" table top, 2" thick oak laminated together with the edge grain up.

There is no quick release on the vice and I do not really want to crank it a lot to tighten up a piece of wood between dogs. The screw appears to allow around 19" of travel. How close together would be advisable for the rows of bench dogs?

I work in small things like jewelry boxes and was planning on three rows of holes. Would that be a problem?

 

[PurpLev]

3 rows of holes is very unnecessary and will only introduce a chance to lessen the holding power of your vice as there will be a higher change that 1 of those dog holes isn't perfectly in line with the others creating a fulcrum and/or extra stress on your workpieces.

you would be amazed at just how much holding power dog holes have in addition to the friction produced by your workbench - to add to that - my workbench only has 1 row of dog holes and I can plane across the grain with very little pressure put on the vise. in my opinion this is one of those cases where adding more will only provide you with less.

space your dog holes such that you won't have to crank your handle back and forth too much. 2-3" is common (mine is 3 for reference and it isn't so bad)

 

[JesseTutt]

I was thinking of three rows so that I could clamp smaller pieces. If the holes are 11 inches apart (front to back) in a given row and I want to clamp a piece that is only 9 inches long I could not get two dogs on it.

Here is a very rough sketch of what I mean (don't laugh at my drawing abilities):

 

[PurpLev]

I see what you mean, but consider this - some people use just one row (I'm one of those) in total, which holds big and small boards quite well. however overdesigning is always better than underdesigning

 

[crank49]

I don't want to pee on anybody's parade here, but I have one of those vises in a box under my bench.
It's there because I couldn't stand to use it with all the racking problems.
I would be willing to give it away, but not to anyone I consider a friend.
I took it off and rebuilt the end of my bench to use a front vise for an end vise. The kind with two metal jaws that you attach wooden faces to. They don't rack.

The double screw type would be really the best, but I couldn't afford one of those.

 

[PurpLev]

crank49 - (not to anyone I consider a friend …hahaha).I think that's exactly what is being discussed above - same hardware that is used for a front-vise. cheers

 

[phillsam]

Hey Crank49-- Would you really be willing to give it away? I am on an extremely tight budget for woodworking and only have a half dozen harbor freight quick grip clamps to work with…i would love to add a vise to my workbench, even one that is 'less favorable'.