New resource "Hanging a leg vise chop"

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Man with many vises
Corporate Member
A technical paper is posted to Resources describing why a wooden leg vise parallel guide can bind, a methodology for fixing that problem, and some useful tips for leg vise construction.

My aim was to document some of what I have figured out in these past years so that it can be shared with present and future woodworkers.

Also, my thanks go to members @JNCarr and @Scott H for their helpful reviews.
 
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Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Thanks, Hank. I should have thought to add a link instead of just the Resources mention.
No problem - I think the interaction is good (plus it gave me a chance to hunt it down by searching in the resources...)
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Michael, look at towards the top left corner of the main 'window' for "Download".
 

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Man with many vises
Corporate Member
This post is an addenda to the paper in Resources.

There are a dozen or so portable vises around (@BobbyG has one) of my design using a guide rod instead of a parallel guide. This one was modified to mount on my portable workbench.
IMG_2821.jpeg


The guide block has two flanged, graphited, sintered-bronze bushings. The guide rod was either black-oxide (like this one) or chrome-plated steel.
IMG_2819.jpeg


One would think that there was no way that that guide rod could bind in those graphited bushing, yet a few of them did for the same reason outlined in the paper. The fix was to shim the nut to raise the chop slightly which took the weight off of the guide rod.
IMG_1908.jpeg
 
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pop-pop

Man with many vises
Corporate Member
Back in the Fall of 2020 (COVID days), I worked remotely with @Scott H helping him with a new leg vise for the smallish Ruobo workbench that he was building. At the time I did not understand leg vise binding as well as I do now and advised him to do a pivoting parallel guide.
parallel_guide.jpg


Now, I as I understand vise binding better, I would say that fixed or pivoting doesn't much matter. What matters is that the weight of the chop is never supported by the parallel guide.

The leg mortise for a rigidly attached parallel guide might have to be slightly taller to make sure that the parallel guide does not touch the leg when the chop is tilts during use.
 

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