as the title states, curious why vises are measured by jaw width and not what the maximum jaw opening it will grip
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Why are vises measured as jaw width & not clamping width?
- Thread starter The Cobbler
- Start date
If you are familiar with a vise type and brand then if you know the jaw width then you most likely can know the rest of the specs. If your buying a new vise then all the specs are usually in the sales brochure. If not you ask for the others specs that you want to know. Opening width can be fudged a bit. If someone opens the vise till the screw disengages and then cranks it in one turn and measures that is not a workable opening measurement in my way of thinking.
lg
no neat sig line
lg
no neat sig line
Shiftless
Well-known member
A company could make a vise with 3 inch wide jaws that opened 12 inches and sell it as a 12 inch vise. Does that make sense? Compare that to a vise with 5 inch wide jaws that opens 10 inches? Which would do you think would be better to have on your workbench?
As Larry said, it’s better to have all of the specs if you’re in the market and not familiar with vises.
As Larry said, it’s better to have all of the specs if you’re in the market and not familiar with vises.
RTM
Well-known member
Cuz that’s how all the vendor catalogs have been written since 18xx.
neophyte
Well-known member
One technique that goes back to the days of Blacksmith style leg vises,
Is to clamp sheet metal of other parts in the vise jaws,
Then to chisel the sheet metal to cut it to size, instead of using shears/snips.
For this use, knowing the jaw width is incredibly important, and is was a fairly standard metal smithing technique, whether working steel/iron, or brass, etc.
Also, these older blacksmithing leg vises, and similar opened like a pair of pliers, on a pivot, so the vise jaws didn’t open anywhere near as wide.
The newer cast iron vises with a dynamic jaw that opened much wider were a relatively new thing compared to the older leg vise design, and by that point classifying vises by jaw width was likely already standardized.
Still, older vise catalogs routinely list opening capacity and jaw width.
Is to clamp sheet metal of other parts in the vise jaws,
Then to chisel the sheet metal to cut it to size, instead of using shears/snips.
For this use, knowing the jaw width is incredibly important, and is was a fairly standard metal smithing technique, whether working steel/iron, or brass, etc.
Also, these older blacksmithing leg vises, and similar opened like a pair of pliers, on a pivot, so the vise jaws didn’t open anywhere near as wide.
The newer cast iron vises with a dynamic jaw that opened much wider were a relatively new thing compared to the older leg vise design, and by that point classifying vises by jaw width was likely already standardized.
Still, older vise catalogs routinely list opening capacity and jaw width.
Interesting. Thank you for the info.One technique that goes back to the days of Blacksmith style leg vises,
Is to clamp sheet metal of other parts in the vise jaws,
Then to chisel the sheet metal to cut it to size, instead of using shears/snips.
For this use, knowing the jaw width is incredibly important, and is was a fairly standard metal smithing technique, whether working steel/iron, or brass, etc.
Also, these older blacksmithing leg vises, and similar opened like a pair of pliers, on a pivot, so the vise jaws didn’t open anywhere near as wide.
The newer cast iron vises with a dynamic jaw that opened much wider were a relatively new thing compared to the older leg vise design, and by that point classifying vises by jaw width was likely already standardized.
Still, older vise catalogs routinely list opening capacity and jaw width.
lg
PierceA
Well-known member
For a vise listed in a catalog, there also is the intended function for that vise.
A pattern-maker's vise typically has smooth jaws, and opens roughly 50%-80% wider for gripping a large piece of wood, the typical medium that a pattern was made from.
And a coachmaker's vise is roughly the same situation. The intended purpose dictates a wider opening for that function.
Both of these vises also usually had a greater depth from the top of the jaws to the bottom of the jaw opening, allowing for a large piece of wood or a construct to be clamped.
PierceA
A pattern-maker's vise typically has smooth jaws, and opens roughly 50%-80% wider for gripping a large piece of wood, the typical medium that a pattern was made from.
And a coachmaker's vise is roughly the same situation. The intended purpose dictates a wider opening for that function.
Both of these vises also usually had a greater depth from the top of the jaws to the bottom of the jaw opening, allowing for a large piece of wood or a construct to be clamped.
PierceA