# My portable front vise



## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

My workbench will not accommodate any vise. Sturdy but not ideal. Also I have a very small shop. Sometimes my work has to go under the back patio.

I needed a real woodworking vise. Then the idea, why not make it so it can clamp on the table or on to a set of solid saw horses. Searched around, Lee Valley front vise won out. Kreg bench dogs. Made some metal ones a while back from 3/4" hex head bolts. I ground back one face on each bolt, works great. I will be making more with step faces, and low profile height.

I made the frame from laminated Quarter Sawn pine. The sides and jaws are made from European/German Beech. I had it, I used it. The base is a piece of 3/4" Borg birch plywood 16" X 24". The only thing glued is the pine. Everything else is screwed together in case I need to get to the vise assembly.

I have 4 1/4" jaw opening capacity. I routed the bench dog holes and mentioned them in a recent post. I really am pleased with the end results. It is not too heavy to move, and it has a spot behind my planer against the wall. I have a heavy plastic bag that it fits perfectly in, to keep it from getting dusty when not in use.

Hopefully this year I will finish a 24" planning table with 2 wagon vise and bench dogs, for hand planning my end grain cutting boards. I want to be able to plane from all sides. This vise will be able to be clamped to it also.

Ellery Becnel


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sweet...


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Great! Nice going.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

*Great Idea!*

Great idea.

I have the hardware enroute for my front vise from Amazon. Maybe I should get another one for a portable vise like yours.

Really like that idea. :smile:


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks Stick, Richard, and Keith. I would have mounted it in the traditional way, if my bench could be retrofitted. It actually opened up more clamping possibilities this way. It was a fun build.


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## Knot2square (Jul 11, 2015)

Sweet! I kicking around the idea of a bench dog system. I never thought of using 3/4 bolts for bench dogs. Nice addition, and a good and economical idea. Thanks for sharing.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Knot2square said:


> Sweet! I kicking around the idea of a bench dog system. I never thought of using 3/4 bolts for bench dogs. Nice addition, and a good and economical idea. Thanks for sharing.


I like that bolt idea as well...but how about just using some 3/4" round bar stock? Something similar to the stubby dogs that L.V. sells? I have some of those, but the bar stock would be dirt cheap.

Just happen to have a 3' chunk of it in the shop...hehehe! :smile:


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks Steve. I kicked around different drilling methods and decided on the plunge router. It was so smooth, I laughed each time that I routed a hole. If someone would have witnessed that, they would call for help!
You are limited on the depth of your plunge router travel and the length of the router bit. My holes are 1 1/4" deep. The pine center section that hold the vise assembly is 1 5/8" thick. Instead of using lag bolts, I decided on 5/16 bolts and nuts. I did the same for the vise jaws, all through bolting.

I forgot to mention that I finished the vise with boiled linseed oil.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Knot2square said:


> Sweet! I kicking around the idea of a bench dog system. I never thought of using 3/4 bolts for bench dogs. Nice addition, and a good and economical idea. Thanks for sharing.


the reasoning most bench dogs are made out of brass is if you hilt one w/ a cutter the cutter might survive...
if you use a steel bolt .. game over...
not so cheap now...
not to mention having to deal w/ shrapnel...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> the reasoning most bench dogs are made out of brass is if you hilt one w/ a cutter the cutter might survive...
> if you use a steel bolt .. game over...
> not so cheap now...
> not to mention having to deal w/ shrapnel...


Somehow, I don't think I would be using any sharp tool near a solid chunk of steel.

My last bench (which I stole the Veritas vise off of) used just four of the LV brass dogs, the rest were all dowels. Cheap like borscht.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Somehow, *I don't think I would be using any sharp tool near a solid chunk of steel.*


experienced guys.. no...
no accounting what an inexperienced guy will do...
as in w/ a router operation...
then again ''stuff''' happens even to the most experienced...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> experienced guys.. no...
> no accounting what an inexperienced guy will do...
> as in w/ a router operation...
> then again ''stuff''' happens even to the most experienced...


Speaking for yourself? >


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

I only plan on using the steel bolts for tall rough stock. Hand planing, hand sawing where the indentions from the bolt heads will not matter. It will only be used where a more solid clamping pressure is required. I will use the low profile ALL wood dogs for close finish work.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Speaking for yourself? >


yup...


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Great looking vice Ellery


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## tacomamacxtech (Mar 31, 2009)

Are those drywall screws I see in the last picture?


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Yes, they are 2" all predrilled. I always pre drill and countersink any screw that I use. They are attaching into the pine middle section, accept where they are used in the European Beech around the perimeter.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

For the elevation used above the bench surface, the leverage against a hardwood dowel would be negligible. I'm referring to a 3/4" dowels ability to deflect sideways in say an inch of vertical projection (above the bench top).
If you were worried about it splitting, you could drill it vertically and insert a #10 brass screw down the drilled hole(?).
Another idea: drill it vertically, say 3/8", and insert a 3/8" hardwood dowel with the grain running at 90deg to the 3/4" dowel's grain.
Dowelling is relatively inexpensive so playing with some options might be fun.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Another idea: drill it vertically, say 3/8", and insert a 3/8" hardwood dowel with the grain running at 90deg to the 3/4" dowel's grain.


I was with you until that point.

Do you mean something like taking two pieces of flat grain side by side and turning one of them sideways 90º?


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Sorry, Y'all lost me. Could someone explain. Thanks


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

If it were me who lost ya,,,that was a good Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! I've been thinking about a making a moxon vise for a while now...this may be a very reasonable alternative....


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks Bill! I am a little confused about the previous post. Dan, Keith I do not understand


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Arcola60 said:


> Thanks Bill! I am a little confused about the previous post. Dan, Keith I do not understand


Ellery, I think all that Dan was trying to do was to come up with a way to strengthen a wood dog.

On my bench previously, I made two kinds of dogs, both out of softwood.

One batch was 3/4" round dogs from a dowel. The others were about 1" x 3/4" (I'll have to try and find some of my old pictures) to fit in the dog holes that I cut square before the bench top was glued up.

I never broke a single one...and they endured some fair pressure from time to time.

But, you know, you usually don't need much pressure to hold something down if you are planing it, or working with a chisel.

I think we should forget about Dan's idea. He's getting too old for this kind of stuff anyway. 'Course, he's still just a kid compared to me...you know how it is. >


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well
Material: 3/4" dowelling
3/8" 
Cut the 3/4" into the desired dog lengths.
Stand the pieces up under the DP and drill down the center, with the appropriate size drill bit for the inner piece of dowel.
You now have a 3/4" diam. fat walled tube. insert (glue) the smaller diam. dowel into the the 'tube', but rotated so that the grains are opposed.
I would actually use brass rod if it were up to me, but I'm trying to keep the per/dog cost down.
The inner dowel or rod would theoretically be less likely to deflect...I think (?).
In any case snapping off a short length of 3/4" hardwood dowel is no easy feat.
What would your Grandpa have used? Probably a short stick from Apple tree prunings...


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Ok! Hey I'm getting up there myself. I am going to try some different combinations as my tasks surface.

Thanks to everyone for the likes and feedback.

Bill, when you build the Moxon vise, we want to see it!!!!!! I know it will be grand


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I forgot to say that I really like your vice concept, Ellery. Beautiful workmanship as always.
I think this may be just what I was looking for... a semi-portable front vice.


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Thank you very much Dan. I keep trying new things. Y'all have inspired me to do more.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

The inspiration works both ways Ellery.. *S*....


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