I am in the process of building a new workbench. In reading the vice
instructions (Lee Valley 70G08.02,
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,41659,41661,31137&p=31137)
it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
problem with using Walnut? It states to use closed grain hardwood.
Walnut appears to be open grain like Oak.
Any thoughts? Anyone using Walnut?
Dave
>
> Walnut is softer than the suggested woods. I see no problem other than the
> wood being clamped in the vise may imprint the walnut if it is a harder
> wood. Typically Maple Birch are cheaper than Walnut.
Thanks for the response. I thought that was the case. I am using a
solid core door for the top of the bench. This thing is 1 3/4" thick
and was 8' long and about 200 lbs. It has a light colored veneer and
I was planning on using walnut as a contrasting skirt for the bench.
Additionally, the skirt was going to be the rear jaw.
Dave
On Mar 12, 9:01 am, "Stephen M"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I have that vise and I concur with Leon.
I didn't have any hardwood thick enough when I installed the vise in
my bench, so I used a big piece of qs pine that I got in a freebie bin
at the lumber house and told myself I'd replace it with something
harder as soon as I could.
Been a couple years now with no problems and it looks just fine. Now
that I have some nice hardwood pieces that would work, I find I'd
prefer to use them for something else.
On 12 Mar, 12:52, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
> it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
> problem with using Walnut?
Faces or whole jaws? You might make soft faces to go over an existing
jaw, but if you make the whole jaw from walnut, you'll break the thing.
On Mar 12, 2:23 pm, "Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 12 Mar, 12:52, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
> > problem with using Walnut?
>
> Faces or whole jaws? You might make soft faces to go over an existing
> jaw, but if you make the whole jaw from walnut, you'll break the thing.
Andy,
I was talking about the whole jaw. I am not sure what you mean
though. Do you mean if I were to clamp a maple board with a full
walnut jaw, the walnut jaw would break?
On Mar 12, 6:25 pm, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mar 12, 2:23 pm, "Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On 12 Mar, 12:52, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
> > > problem with using Walnut?
>
> > Faces or whole jaws? You might make soft faces to go over an existing
> > jaw, but if you make the whole jaw from walnut, you'll break the thing.
>
> Andy,
>
> I was talking about the whole jaw. I am not sure what you mean
> though. Do you mean if I were to clamp a maple board with a full
> walnut jaw, the walnut jaw would break?
He is asking if you are fitting wooden faces onto the inside of some
metal vice jaws or fabricating the complete vice jaw out of wood.
- mkaras
On Mar 12, 10:05 pm, Andy Dingley <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 12 Mar 2007 18:25:49 -0700, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Do you mean if I were to clamp a maple board with a full
> >walnut jaw, the walnut jaw would break?
>
> If you're using the Veritas vice screw set, that's a small iron support
> boss and a large span of unsupported wood. Clamp that tight and you'll
> easily snap a wooden vice jaw, unless it's not made of something like
> maple.
>
> A Record vice, where there's a large iron faceplate and the wood
> overhangs by no more than an inch or so is a whole different story.
Thanks for the input. That is what I thought you meant. I will use
maple for front jaw. I think I will still try to use maple for the
skirt/rear jaw since it will be supported from the rear by the bench
top.
Dave
Leon wrote:
> Walnut is softer than the suggested woods.=A0=A0I=A0see=A0no=A0proble=
m=A0other=A0than=A0the
> wood being clamped in the vise may imprint the walnut if it is a hard=
er
> wood.=A0=A0Typically=A0Maple=A0Birch=A0are=A0cheaper=A0than=A0Walnut.=
>=20
OTOH, I'd rather mark the (replaceable) vise jaws than my project. My =
bench
is edged in redwood for that reason and my vise jaws have sheet rubber =
glued
to them.
--=20
It's turtles, all the way down
On 12 Mar 2007 18:25:49 -0700, "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Do you mean if I were to clamp a maple board with a full
>walnut jaw, the walnut jaw would break?
>
If you're using the Veritas vice screw set, that's a small iron support
boss and a large span of unsupported wood. Clamp that tight and you'll
easily snap a wooden vice jaw, unless it's not made of something like
maple.
A Record vice, where there's a large iron faceplate and the wood
overhangs by no more than an inch or so is a whole different story.
I have that vise and I concur with Leon.
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "DLB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I am in the process of building a new workbench. In reading the vice
>> instructions (Lee Valley 70G08.02,
>> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,41659,41661,31137&p=31137)
>> it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
>> problem with using Walnut? It states to use closed grain hardwood.
>> Walnut appears to be open grain like Oak.
>>
>> Any thoughts? Anyone using Walnut?
>>
>> Dave
>>
>
> Walnut is softer than the suggested woods. I see no problem other than
> the wood being clamped in the vise may imprint the walnut if it is a
> harder wood. Typically Maple Birch are cheaper than Walnut.
>
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
"DLB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am in the process of building a new workbench. In reading the vice
> instructions (Lee Valley 70G08.02,
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,41659,41661,31137&p=31137)
> it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
> problem with using Walnut? It states to use closed grain hardwood.
> Walnut appears to be open grain like Oak.
>
> Any thoughts? Anyone using Walnut?
>
Just don't use ring-porous woods which might be prone to split along the
porous areas. I favor woods like bass or aspen, personally. I can chew
them up without cracking them, and they aren't harder than what might be
pressed sideways into them and receive a mark.
Birch an excellent choice for resistance to splitting, but yellow would be
harder than I care to have in there.
"DLB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am in the process of building a new workbench. In reading the vice
> instructions (Lee Valley 70G08.02,
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,41659,41661,31137&p=31137)
> it says to use Birch or Maple for the wooden jaws. Is there any
> problem with using Walnut? It states to use closed grain hardwood.
> Walnut appears to be open grain like Oak.
>
> Any thoughts? Anyone using Walnut?
>
> Dave
>
Walnut is softer than the suggested woods. I see no problem other than the
wood being clamped in the vise may imprint the walnut if it is a harder
wood. Typically Maple Birch are cheaper than Walnut.