Members of Triangle Woodworkers have dubbed me the “man with many vises” and here I go again. Earlier this year, another member had built a Benchcrafted HiVise (https://www.benchcrafted.com/hivise) and I was intrigued by the criss-cross but not the screw mechanism which felt “heavy” to me.
I contacted BenchCrafted and asked if the 9” criss-cross was for sale separately. Their response was not now but ask again next week. Later, I was able to purchase the cross-cross for $64 + $9 shipping.
Using that criss-cross, I built this 17” tall portable vise which opens 6-1/4”:
Here is the portable vise being held in my end vise:
And bolted to the bench top through dog holes:
The Acme screw mechanism has been used in other vises of my design. Components include a 3/4-6 Acme screw, a self-aligning ball bearing, an ordinary radial ball bearing, a flat thrust washer, and a brass Acme square nut.
The tee is a common reducing iron pipe tee which is roll-pinned to the Acme screw. The tee pushes on the self-aligning bearing which is a press fit into a shaped recess in the chop. The SA bearing hub is set screwed to the Acme screw and this provides the garter function to open the chop. The radial ball bearing in the leg sits in a 1/16” cushion of silicone caulk to stabilize the screw and prevent rattling (I hate vises that rattle).
I just finished this vise yesterday and will now put it into service to find any bugs.
I contacted BenchCrafted and asked if the 9” criss-cross was for sale separately. Their response was not now but ask again next week. Later, I was able to purchase the cross-cross for $64 + $9 shipping.
Using that criss-cross, I built this 17” tall portable vise which opens 6-1/4”:
Here is the portable vise being held in my end vise:
And bolted to the bench top through dog holes:
The Acme screw mechanism has been used in other vises of my design. Components include a 3/4-6 Acme screw, a self-aligning ball bearing, an ordinary radial ball bearing, a flat thrust washer, and a brass Acme square nut.
The tee is a common reducing iron pipe tee which is roll-pinned to the Acme screw. The tee pushes on the self-aligning bearing which is a press fit into a shaped recess in the chop. The SA bearing hub is set screwed to the Acme screw and this provides the garter function to open the chop. The radial ball bearing in the leg sits in a 1/16” cushion of silicone caulk to stabilize the screw and prevent rattling (I hate vises that rattle).
I just finished this vise yesterday and will now put it into service to find any bugs.
Attachments
Last edited:
