best soft jaws for bench vise?

[mslim]

I've "fabricated" some jack-leg soft jaws for my vise. Sometimes I use little pieces of plywood and sometimes weightbench floor foam cut into little rectangles. Of course they're always slipping and falling out of position before I can get the vise jaws tight enough to locate them.

Does anybody have a set of soft jaws that either have a magnet or an L-bracket to locate them properly??

 

[Engine]

I've been using these for a few years now and they seem to hold up fine:
Home Depot
BESSEY
Non-Marring Vise Jaw Accessory for Use on Vises with Jaws from 3 in. to 6 in. Wide

 

[Fretters]

Use adhesive magnetic strip on them, else just bits of tape to hold them in place.

 

[rlitman]

What are you trying to grip?

I have one vise with permanently affixed aluminum jaws that I use for grabbing threaded parts. The plastic jaws just don't hold well enough.

I have those Bessey magnetic urethane jaw covers and like them.

I have one Workmate that I've skinned the jaws with leather belting. It grabs pine VERY firmly, without damaging it at all.

And I have a woodworking vise with birch jaws.

 

[6PTsocket]

I have a pair of Wilton copper jaws on my 6" vise. I had a similar design in brass from Reed in a Reed 4 1/2 at work. Both come in a range of sizes and are generic. You bend the top around the vise jaws. I liked the brass a little better. It is soft enough not to do damage and hard enough to not get easily chewed up. Neither is cheap. I lucked into the Wiltons on Amazon marketplace from somebody, who just had the 6" size I needed, at a surplus price. Orherwise you are in the $60- 90 range. I also have a woodworking vise with hardwood jaws. I would still like to get a set of jaw covers with vertical, diagonal and horizontal V grooves, for round stock.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Mslim:

The question stated above is correct. What are you trying to grip?

Mostly I use some pieces of aluminum angle stock for harder workpieces that I don't want the jaw face serrations to damage. For softer workpieces, I use small strips of industrial conveyor belt material. Or even wrap the workpiece in a rag before clamping.

I'm not a fan of plastic jaw face covers because I've had workpieces slip with them.

 

[jimreed2160]

Use embedded magnets to hold your jaws. I never got around to making soft jaws so I just use shoprags as padding.

 

[nerraw117]

anyone know where I can find some for 8" wide vise?

 

[6PTsocket]

anyone know where I can find some for 8" wide vise?

Yeah. Wilton has a copper set. At discount dealer CPO they are only $155. Your results may differ. LOL. i saw aluminum on ebay but they were screw on. Did you do a search? With many jaw pad styles, you do not have to cover the whole jaw face. Use one of the magnetic ones or make your own. Use a piece of aluminum angle. There are all kinds of options. Read above posts.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[sld961]

These are what I have on my vise. Easy to cut down to the needed length. I had to cut them down for my Wilton C1. Not quite the 8" you're looking for, but close. They were $15 when I bought them, well worth that. Not sue about the $35 they are now.

Yost Vises MA-360 6" Magnetic Aluminum Vise Jaw Caps (1 Pair) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ED3H9YU/?tag=atomicindus08-20



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[fishwatcher]

I have aluminum Yost soft jaws on a Wilton 4.5” Cadet, copper jaws on a 3” Wilton Bullet, and am wanting softer rubber or nylon jaws with v/rod cut outs for a 6” Capri. I already have aluminum ones with a rubber face.

Are rubber soft jaws or nylon preferred when holding things like pipes, rods, wooden handles, etc and not wanting to mar them? The pictures are just a few representative examples.

 

[Nutria]

I like having different jaw pads for different jobs. The vise has knurled jaws. My most-used pads are the plastic Bessey pads above. I also have hammer-to-fit aluminum and copper pads, grooved aluminum pads, and I made some smooth steel jaw pads from angle iron and recessed magnets. I use all of them.

 

[fishwatcher]

I like having different jaw pads for different jobs. The vise has knurled jaws. My most-used pads are the plastic Bessey pads above. I also have hammer-to-fit aluminum and copper pads, grooved aluminum pads, and I made some smooth steel jaw pads from angle iron and recessed magnets. I use all of them.

I agree that having a variety is certainly useful.

I’ve had the Bessey type and they were nice, but I lost them. I’m wondering if the nylon type is better, because they look like they are more firm.

 

[Nutria]

I’ve had the Bessey type and they were nice, but I lost them. I’m wondering if the nylon type is better, because they look like they are more firm.

I've wondered too, and that's one material that I haven't tried. The Besseys are pretty soft, which can be nice, but the work can sometimes squirm out of position. Try those nylon ones and let us know what you think. Maybe I should get some nylon jaws as well.

 

[Jgaz]

I make these for my vise. They‘re cut from a cork bulletin board that was being scrapped.

 

[cnc-me]

Lately I been using aluminum, that is about an inch thick, with deep counter-bored holes for the allen bolts.
When they get all buggered up, I just face them off in the mill and re-install them.
Really like this setup have not had the hard jaws back in for years.
The vises do have a little less opening though, due to the thick jaws, although you can sometimes clamp things that you
could not reach around with thinner jaws.

 

[redragoon]

I can also recommend the magnetic ones above. I keep a set of the molded ones for round objects and some flat ones for everything else.

 

[fishwatcher]

One of everything lol! Just in case.

@redragoon are you talking about the Bessie style rubber ones? Or the nylon style which I think is less molded, has V cuts, and seems like it may be more stiff.

 

[dr_clyde]

First thing I do with a bench vise is pull the steel jaws out and replace them with a set of machined copper jaws. They are SO much better than the serrated steel jaws.

If you're having trouble gripping something with the copper jaws, the problem is usually not the jaws more the workholding in general. Like, if you want to hold round things, a pipe vise is usually the better play.

 

[dr_clyde]

I bought this 400N brand new back in 2015 and I’m still using this set of copper jaws I made a decade later.

They’re definitely more beat up now but they still grip and work fantastic. I’m not even sure I know where the steel jaws are anymore.

And I use this vise every day as my daily driver in a fab shop environment.

 

[dr_clyde]

Same vise and jaws, 10 years later. How time flies haha.

 

[fishwatcher]

I bought this 400N brand new back in 2015 and I’m still using this set of copper jaws I made a decade later.

They’re definitely more beat up now but they still grip and work fantastic. I’m not even sure I know where the steel jaws are anymore.

And I use this vise every day as my daily driver in a fab shop environment.

I’ve always wanted to copper jaws, not just copper covers which I have. Just what I need. Another project to tackle. Without a drill press.. if I buy copper bar stock and cut and drill holes manually, am I doomed to making a crooked set?

A neighbor of mine runs a big machine shop. I’ve never asked him about making anything for me or repairing a broken vise jaw shelf .. but I’ve thought of it. I have helped him bring in mail while he was on vacations few times.

 

[Jgaz]

@mslim
If you’re already trying to use plywood, try using it this way.

I make a new set of these jaws every few years.
A single rare earth magnet is all that’s needed to hold the jaws in place.

 

[johnre]

I can also recommend the magnetic ones above. I keep a set of the molded ones for round objects and some flat ones for everything else.

I use them as well, but I find the magnets tend to stay behind on the vise jaws when you remove them. Anyone solve this problem? I assume the plastic material won't hold on to epoxy glue very well.

 

[redragoon]

One of everything lol! Just in case.

@redragoon are you talking about the Bessie style rubber ones? Or the nylon style which I think is less molded, has V cuts, and seems like it may be more stiff.

They weren't Bessey, but also flexible rubber with the cutouts for round objects.
eBay Soft Jaws

The others are also cheap eBay ones. Aluminum with a strip of rubber and magnets.

 

[fishwatcher]

I use them as well, but I find the magnets tend to stay behind on the vise jaws when you remove them. Anyone solve this problem? I assume the plastic material won't hold on to epoxy glue very well.

Super glue worked for me. I have used the Gorilla brand gel and that worked even for a jaw magnet that had fractured into a couple of pieces.

 

[bassJAM]

OLD THREAD!!

I never cared for the magnetic soft jaws I had, both the foam and plastic set kept falling off at the worst times. So I made these covers out of horse hide for the vise I use for gun work. I made a template out of paper to get the right fit before cutting the leather.

 

[dr_clyde]

OLD THREAD!!

Just because it's old doesn't mean it isn't relevant.

The forum recommends similar threads at the bottom of each thread. Some are new, some are old. But if the info is good, who cares how old the original post is?

 

[Shiftless]

Just because it's old doesn't mean it isn't relevant.

The forum recommends similar threads at the bottom of each thread. Some are new, some are old. But if the info is good, who cares how old the original post is?

I agree!
And with bench vises, the design and usefulness is the same now as it was 100+ years ago.

 

[Sumboodie]

Yeah. Wilton has a copper set. At discount dealer CPO they are only $155. Your results may differ. LOL. i saw aluminum on ebay but they were screw on. Did you do a search? With many jaw pad styles, you do not have to cover the whole jaw face. Use one of the magnetic ones or make your own. Use a piece of aluminum angle. There are all kinds of options. Read above posts.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

What's so special to cost that? A guy can buy a 10ft stick of copper pipe and make 5 sets for under $80.

 

[F-22]

Just wondering, how do brass jaws compare to copper jaws? I usually always had copper jaw covers.

 

[dr_clyde]

Just wondering, how do brass jaws compare to copper jaws? I usually always had copper jaw covers.

Brass is surprisingly slippery. It also can be quite a bit harder than copper and doesn’t have the same non-marking qualities.

 

[paulsomlo]

What's so special to cost that? A guy can buy a 10ft stick of copper pipe and make 5 sets for under $80.

Save your money - use aluminum; a 3' length of 1/2" x 3/4" is $13 at McMaster.

 

[RTM]

I’ve always wanted to copper jaws, not just copper covers which I have. Just what I need. Another project to tackle. Without a drill press.. if I buy copper bar stock and cut and drill holes manually, am I doomed to making a crooked set?

Something like this may help.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/power-tool-accessories/guides/116334-pocket-drilling-guide

Several different flavors available, some with multiple sized holes.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/sets/111341-lee-valley-drilling-jig-with-imperial-bushings?item=15J7801

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Gator-Tools-MDG1000NP-V-Drill/dp/B00CYNOFM0/=?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Beerhippie]

What's so special to cost that? A guy can buy a 10ft stick of copper pipe and make 5 sets for under $80.

All from 1 1/2"-2" type L copper off-cuts.

Not sure you can get 10' of 1 1/2" around here for $80.

 

[Sumboodie]

All from 1 1/2"-2" type L copper off-cuts.

Not sure you can get 10' of 1 1/2" around here for $80.

1.25" was $80 earlier this week.