Build Two Simple Vises for the Home Workbench

Sometimes a vise is needed and a commercial one is not readily available. The devices shown in the illustration will give good service and can be made of material easily obtained.

The vise shown in Fig. 1 was made of old machine parts, consisting of a bolt and a wing nut. The bolt A was flattened at one end and bent at a right angle. A hole to fit it was bored through the top of the bench B, and the washer C and wing nut D were put in place. The piece to be gripped is clamped under the end A.

This device should be fitted near the end and front edge of the bench.

The vise shown in Fig. 2 grips the block E in the same manner as the first vise. The jaw F is bolted to a vertical piece, G, which is fitted into a mortise cut through the bench top. The wedge H passes through a mortise in the piece G and clamps against the lower side of the bench top.

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