A Homemade Bench Vise
A form of a bench vise that can be easily made and attached to a workbench is shown in the illustration. This vise requires no screw, and the parts can be made from scrap material.
The Vise Jaw as It is Attached to the Bench and the Substitute Screw Arrangement
The substitute A for the screw is a rectangular piece of wood and is fastened with a tenon in a mortise cut in the vise jaw B. The clamping arrangement consists of a strap, C, attached to the piece A, then run over a pulley, D, and fastened to a foot pedal, E. The foot pedal is fulcrumed on a crosspiece of the bench and has a ratchet so as to hold it when the vise is set. The lower end of the vise is fitted with the usual form of device for parallel adjustment. A coil spring is located in the center for use in quickly opening the vise when the foot pedal is released.—Contributed by A. C. Westby, Porter, Minn.