Vise vices--OCD in the shop

[Beerhippie]

Is anyone else bothered by a vise that's left with the jaws open when not in use? Does anyone else not feel good about closing the jaws tight when at rest?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I close mine almost fully closed (0.1” opening). With is slightly loose, the handle is usually vertical and I don’t catch it when I walk by. Yes, a little OCD too.

 

[KwikFab]

I always close mine, not completely where the jaws are touching but yes always closed.

Leaving them apart is like leaving the fridge door open or a light on in a room you're not in.

 

[scooterbum46]

1st question - not I... 2nd question........ I don't have an emotional attachment to most of my shop tools, apparently you don't feel good about closing the vice jaws and feel so strongly about it you are driven to asking about it on a forum..

 

[KwikFab]

1st question - not I... 2nd question........ I don't have an emotional attachment to most of my shop tools, apparently you don't feel good about closing the vice jaws and feel so strongly about it you are driven to asking about it on a forum..

I bet you're fun at parties

 

[whateg01]

Huh? That's what you worry about? My vises get left in whatever state they get left in. Sometimes I even leave a workpiece in one while I'm away.

 

[whateg01]

I bet you're fun at parties

Says somebody who worries about a vise being left open

 

[senlow]

I close mine almost fully closed (0.1” opening). With is slightly loose, the handle is usually vertical and I don’t catch it when I walk by. Yes, a little OCD too.

Yes!!! This is how I leave my vises when not in use.

 

[RTM]

Leave it wherever it was. I will never need it to be fully closed and be useful. Occasionally will turn it so the handle is down.

I have much bigger fish to fry.

I also don’t zip the chest pocket on my jackets, unless something is in it. Drives my younger daughter crazy.

 

[KwikFab]

Says somebody who worries about a vise being left open

Ooh, touched a nerve it seems like

 

[scooterbum46]

I bet you're fun at parties

Well, the drill, band saw, mig gun, and chop saw all laugh at my jokes. The damn vice sits in the corner, pissed because I told him to shut his own jaws.

 

[xjfish]

I guess I normally do close the main one I have at home and typically handles always go vertical. Less chance of catching stuff walking by. Often leave them with something clamped in it.

 

[MongoTA]

If I have soft jaws I lightly close the jaws just to keep the inserts in place, rotating the handle enough to get the handle vertical. If no soft jaws I don't care if the vise jaws are open or closed, but I still rotate the handle vertical.

 

[KwikFab]

Well, the drill, band saw, mig gun, and chop saw all laugh at my jokes. The damn vice sits in the corner, pissed because I told him to shut his own jaws.

Gonna have to steal that one

 

[FigN⋅m]

The one at the shop needs the handle to be horizontal (gasp!) because the cabinets the previous meatballs
built underneath it won't open if the handle is vertical. Closed/Tight solves this. *Not notching the door.*

 

[RoninB4]

Always leave it open from the last job so I can view the jaw faces for debris/crud before putting something else in, especially if it's bacon. Soft jaws that can fall off are always removed for similar reasons.

 

[zendriver]

never gave it t thought - until now! just what I need - another obsession

 

[Vvmvbb]

Woodworkers vise stays clamped so its oak plates are less likely to warp

 

[Beerhippie]

I guess I should mention that closing the jaws has a practical purpose: the area in front of my bench is narrow and restricted, so leaving the jaws closed means I don't run into them while walking past.

As for not closing them tightly, it just seems wrong to leave any device under load.

 

[T444e]

I guess I should mention that closing the jaws has a practical purpose: the area in front of my bench is narrow and restricted, so leaving the jaws closed means I don't run into them while walking past.

As for not closing them tightly, it just seems wrong to leave any device under load.

That's why I close mine. If I didn't, I'd constantly be walking into them.

 

[RoninB4]

That's why I close mine. If I didn't, I'd constantly be walking into them.

-On a related theme that's why the crank handle for the knee on a Bridgeport gets flipped backwards when milling or when I'm done. The crank handle is just about the right height for seeking your kneecap. Much like walking into a trailer hitch it won't move but your knee will.

 

[lardy1]

Maybe an old wives tale but my dad taught me to never leave any clamping device closed because temperature induced expansion and contraction can cause them to break if left under load. My shop is heated so there is probably not much chance of that but it was instilled at an early age.

 

[jawstight]

I have my garage, and my workshop set up so that I have two work surfaces in each, opposite each other with a small aisle between them. So I close my vises on each bench one is mounted to so that I don't walk into them. Much like the trailer ball on a truck, a mounted vise has no give to it and hurts badly when bumped into.

 

[FigN⋅m]

I have my garage, and my workshop set up so that I have two work surfaces in each, opposite each other with a small aisle between them. So I close my vises on each bench one is mounted to so that I don't walk into them. Much like the trailer ball on a truck, a mounted vise has no give to it and hurts badly when bumped into.

Username checks out

 

[Shiftless]

never leave any clamping device closed because temperature induced expansion and contraction can cause them to break if left under load.

We can wait for a licensed structural engineer or materials scientist to respond, but based on the science I know, a bench vise is NEVER going to break due to temperature variations In that situation.

I generally keep my user vise closed to the nearest position that lets the handle hang straight down.

 

[whateg01]

We can wait for a licensed structural engineer or materials scientist to respond, but based on the science I know, a bench vise is NEVER going to break due to temperature variations In that situation.

I generally keep my user vise closed to the nearest position that lets the handle hang straight down.

Since the whole vise is changing temperature at the same time, it's all expanding or contracting at the same time. So, no, you're right. It's not going to break because of temperature changes. That's really a pretty absurd myth.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I don't recall ever closing one tight with nothing in it and I don't normally leave one opened wide. If it is less than 2" open when I finish using it that's probably where it will be the next time i use it.

 

[Griff79]

I close my vise too, never really thought about it. I think it‘s like leaving drawers open. I close them when I walk by without thinking.

My Grandfather was a stickler about “a place for everything and everything in its place”. That is why I’m a little OCD. The handle is always vertical to save my ribs. I will walk into the handle as sure a can be.
Griff

 

[Sumboodie]

When I was in the USAF it was some reg (allegedly) that a vice not be left open.

I got written up for it during an inspection and supervision acted like it was the end of the world and not just a vice open by like 1/4". I had to get in my Blues and report to the commander and somehow not laugh about the absurdity.

So, now I leave them however as a **** you.

Same with pintle hooks.

 

[Beerhippie]

Maybe an old wives tale but my dad taught me to never leave any clamping device closed because temperature induced expansion and contraction can cause them to break if left under load. My shop is heated so there is probably not much chance of that but it was instilled at an early age.

True or not, if I throw in some jargon like Differential COE and such, it sounds convincing to a civilian.

 

[Shiftless]

The coefficient of thermal expansion for steel is generally around 12 x 10^-6 per °C or 6.5 x 10^-6 per °F, while for cast iron, it's slightly lower, typically around 10.8 x 10^-6 per °C or 6 x 10^-6 per °F.


Beerhippie is right. Look at the big difference between 12 and 10.8

OMG !!!

(insert sarcasm emoji here)

 

[scooterbum46]

Gonna have to steal that one

Feel free ..... BTW, we'll be at the Funny Bone all week...

 

[ecotec]

I pretty much leave my vise the way it was the last time I used it, unless it is open a huge amount.

 

[Beerhippie]

The coefficient of thermal expansion for steel is generally around 12 x 10^-6 per °C or 6.5 x 10^-6 per °F, while for cast iron, it's slightly lower, typically around 10.8 x 10^-6 per °C or 6 x 10^-6 per °F.


Beerhippie is right. Look at the big difference between 12 and 10.8

OMG !!!

(insert sarcasm emoji here)

If you can't beat 'em with reason, baffle 'em with ********.

Surely there's a place for some handy constants like C, e, pi... somewhere in there? Those always make a listener's eyes glaze over.

 

[LopezBart]

Maybe an old wives tale but my dad taught me to never leave any clamping device closed because temperature induced expansion and contraction can cause them to break if left under load. My shop is heated so there is probably not much chance of that but it was instilled at an early age.

Any environmental changes are likely to be slow, and affect the entire vice equally pretty equally. A material with uniform expansion properties in all directions (isotropic) does not undergo strain as the temperature changes. Steel, cast iron, etc. have this property; wood, with it's grain structure, does not.

 

[no704]

I have never heard of this! Gets left in position last used. On the band saw it usually still has the stock in it!

 

[jawstight]

Username checks out

Ah, I get it now. No sharp tools in my shed

 

[SweetD]

OP, this is a legit topic. I go with the c-hair away from being tightened. Saves space and has the jaws at a known start for the next time I need it. And I use my c-hair ruler to measure every time:

 

[Beerhippie]

OP, this is a legit topic. I go with the c-hair away from being tightened. Saves space and has the jaws at a known start for the next time I need it. And I use my c-hair ruler to measure every time:

Red c-hair? That's small!

I just run mine down until the jaws are pretty much closed and the handle hanging vertically.

 

[Shiftless]

What if a guy had a few shelves full of display vises? Must they all have their handles parallel to each other? What would happen if they weren’t?