Front vice, Right hand vs. Left hend...

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sash plane

New User
steve
Why it the front Vice always on left hand side....

I'm right handed , but to me..??
It would feel better if the vice was on the right had side, for say cutting dove tails... or anything else...for that matter...
I'm in the process of adding a front vice to my bench and have not placed it yet...

What is the Pro's and Con's, on the Right vs Left vice placement.

LOL.... or just put it on the right side, and if I don't like it .. it gives me a excuse to make another bench....!!!!
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
If you plan on jointing the edge of a long board, then typically you clamp one end in your vise, and support the other end w/ some type of bench jack, or support. If you're right handed, it just seems to work better if you plane TOWARD the end of the board that is secured in the vise. That would mean the vise is on the left side of the bench.

But the bottom line is, what ever feels best for you is the way to go. I solved the problem by putting a vise on each side of my bench, across from each other. On one side of the bench, it's on the right, and if I go around to the other side, I have a vise on the left side. :wsmile: You can never have too many vises. :rotflm:

BCS033.JPG

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Bill
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
In a similar vein, when I am sawing a section off a board with it clamped in a vise on the left, I can hold the piece being cut off (because I do so much small stuff, this is often the piece I will be using) in my left hand and keep it from tearing out a splinter or falling and dinging a corner at the end of the cut.
 

Glennbear

Moderator
Glenn
I wrestled with this decision also when I placed my vise. Experimentation with temporary placement led me to place it on the left for the reasons Bill and Andy stated. The right corner of the bench is reserved for my Kreg jig operations. Another consideration was the fact that I temporarily mount my metalworking vise in the woodworking vise and I have more free space to the left of my bench then I do to the right. This comes in handy when threading pipe, cutting angle iron etc. :wsmile:
 

willarda

New User
Bill Anderson
For dovetails and any joinery that you need to cut where the board is lengthwise in the vise, I stongly recommend a Scandianavian style vise. Nothing interferes with the board down to the floor. Mine is on the front left side of the bench as I face it (I am right handed). I have a tail vise on the front right corner, and a shoulder vise on the back right corner. On the back left forner I have one of those wooden faced vises that are so common on older style workbenches that I use exclusively to hold a Record metal working vise. That vise is bolted to a wooden base so I can clamp it to the bench in that back left vise or just take it off when I need clear space on the bench top.

My shoulder vise on on the back right corner because when I plane I want my right hip against the board and I then plane towards the shoulder vise. The only problem with this arrangement is that when I saw, I would like to clamp the work in a vise so that it is hanging off the right side of the bench. Since the shoulder vise is on the back right corner, the stock hangs off the left end of the bench (as I am facing it at that particular time).

I have a sliding deadman on both sides of my bench, one for the Scandi vise if I need to clamp a wide board along the length of the bench, and one for the shoulder vise so that I can support thinner stock. The tail vise is in line with a series of dogs so that I can plane along the top of the bench.
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Your question is kinda like which coast is better, the right coast or the left coast? I think we all know the answer.
 

sash plane

New User
steve
My plan is to add a 2x12 on front w/ peg hole's(like pic) to support and for the use of hold fast's so I can plane a board on side.... clamped in the vice. The bench is a small 5 foot starter bench that I got as a xmas present to get me by, I found I needed better ways of doing things...



This vice that I am reusing is very small, so I am going to put it on the right... but then add a 2nd - twin screw vice that can hold a full side panel from a chest that can pass all way to floor, so I could cut dove tails and such... but make it removable to get it out of the way if need be.

so the plan is....
1. small right hand vice.
2. twin screw Removable left hand vice
3. a tail vice.

This will get me by...
I'm all ready planing on building a new bench, but that is a winter time project...:)

Thanks all, for the idea's..... and input....

Steve
 

willarda

New User
Bill Anderson
No picutres, but just imagine standing infront of the bench looking at one long edge of the bench (not the end). Threre wil be a front right and a front left corner, and a back right and a back left corner. If yoiu move to the opposite edge to look at those vises, then the handedness is reversed.
 

CarvedTones

Board of Directors, Vice President
Andy
The only problem with this arrangement is that when I saw, I would like to clamp the work in a vise so that it is hanging off the right side of the bench. Since the shoulder vise is on the back right corner, the stock hangs off the left end of the bench (as I am facing it at that particular time).

That is exactly how I like it. I am right handed, so I like the unclamped/unsupported part of the board hanging off to the left so I can hold it with my left hand as I cut, especially right at the end of the cut. If I don't hold it, I risk it breaking away from the rest of the board, taking a splinter from a corner. depending on the particular board and grain pattern, these splinters are sometimes quite large. I also don't want the piece being cut off falling to the floor and dinging the corners.
 
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