Padding On Vise Jaws

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I'm building a high end woodworker's workbench. One of the features is a leg vise, which requires the leg to be perfectly flush with the edge of the workbench top. I am accustomed to putting a pad on the chops of end and face vises. For this bench I plan on using crubber--1/16" thick gasket material obtained from an auto parts store. This will cause any workpiece to be spaced out from the bench top edge by 1/16" and will throw the bottom portion of the front chop off by 1/8". My ?s:

• Will the pads affect the alignment or usefulness or gripping strength of the leg vise? If I rout out 1/16" where the pads will sit (a real pain-in-the-neck task), will that solve my perceived problem.
• If the pads are just glued on will the offset affect the clamping effectiveness of the leg vise?
• What kind of problems will be created when it is necessary to clamp or support the opposite end of a long board, and the clamp pressure bends the board? Should I just remember to put a 1/16" pad between the working piece and the bench top edge?

 

[Graywolf]

In a word no. I have a leg vise with the same material and have had no issues in 10 years.

 

[mdbuntyn]

My experience is the same as Richard's

 

[pop-pop]

Some with your same worry only pad the chop and leave the benchtop edge bare thus straight.

 

[Scott H]

I believe the advice from one of the Chris Schwarz workbench books or videos (forget which one) was that having the cork/rubber on the workbench side is not really a problem. I haven't put it on mine yet though.

If you use hide glue you can always take it off without much trouble. Aesthetics wise you might want to test on scrap to see what it would look like after removal, though, if you want to keep that option open. The Fel-pro gaskets in particular have blue ink on one side that is water soluble.