Why do some anvils have numbers on them?
These numbers represent the weight of the anvil. Anvils made in more modern times are marked in lbs or kg. Not too exciting right? Well, it gets more interesting when you start looking at older anvils, particularly in America. For a good portion of American history, we imported our wrought iron anvils from England. These […] Read More
How to replace the jaws on a metalworking vise
The vise jaws on most metalworking vises (sometimes spelled vices) is made of hardened serrated steel. This increases it’s durability and allows it to handle most metals with ease. Despite this, vise jaws wear out over time, especially if you are working with materials harder than the materials of your vise jaws (hard scratches soft). […] Read More
How to mount a metalworking vise
Selecting your shop table The first step to mounting a metalworking vise (sometimes spelled vice) is to pick the right table to mount it on. A good mid range vise will weigh up to 50 or 60 pounds, with more expensive models weighing even more. You will want a heavy table with a wide sturdy […] Read More
How to use a table vise
It’s very simple to use a table vise (sometimes spelled vice). I will go through the steps below: Clamp the vise to the Table Most models of table vise will have a c clamp on the underside of the vise. Turn the clamp screw counter clockwise until the clamp opening is slightly larger than the […] Read More
What table vice sizes are available?
Compared to an engineer’s vise, a table vise (sometimes spelled vice) tends to be smaller. but how much smaller? It can vary quite a lot! I will try and go over the different table vise sizes in this article. Weight Table vises are small tools, they must be in order to be portable. It’s not […] Read More
What are the different types of table vise?
As with all articles of this type, I must start by stressing that vise names do not have enforced standards. Retailers and resellers will slap whatever name they want on a vise; usually this is a name that they think will sell well. There is also a tremendous variation in what people call certain vises […] Read More
What is a table vise?
Before I begin, I should stress that I’m not aware of any standards when it comes to vise (sometimes spelled vice) names. Manufacturers build the vise to spec, and then retailers and resellers give a name to the vise that they think will sell. This means you will find many different vise models under the […] Read More
How to reverse the jaws on a reversible vise
A reversible vise (sometimes spelled vice) is a great way to increase the jaw opening length at the expense of vise throat depth (most reversible vise models have a little anvil that gets in the way when the vise is reversed). Using the reverse capabilities of your vise is straightforward, and I will go over […] Read More
