What are vises (sometimes spelled vices) made of? Vises are made from some combination of cast iron and steel. The main body is usually made from either cast ductile iron or gray iron. The vise jaws, handle, and lead screw are often made of steel. There are a million different models of vises out there, […]Read More
Vises (sometimes spelled vices) are available in portable versions, and permanent or fixed versions. Portable Vises Portable vises as the name suggests are movable. This is great for job sites where you can’t expect to bring a big heavy shop table with you everywhere you go. They are also great for shops where you are […]Read More
All vises serve the same function: to clamp an object in place and hold it firm while you work on it. All the different variations of vises accomplish this same task. The differences between different vises are there to help you, not stand in your way…so don’t over think it. You can use a metal […]Read More
A vise has two parallel jaws that come together to clamp an object in place. There is a stationary jaw, which does not move and helps provide stability. There is a dynamic jaw which is moved away from or towards the stationary jaw along the length of a lead screw. The lead screw is turned […]Read More
A vise (sometimes spelled vice) is used to hold objects in place so that they may be worked on. It’s pretty straight forward, you don’t want a work piece wiggling around while you are trying to cut it, glue it, sand it, file it, drill it, or otherwise modify it. You also don’t want to […]Read More
While screws and presses – the fundamental building blocks of a vise – have existed for thousands of years, the vise -sometimes spelled vice – as we think of it today did not come about until the middle ages. Before more modern designs were put into place, craftsman had to use a cumbersome system of […]Read More
A vise [vice] is a mechanical tool that is used to hold an object firmly in place so that work may be done on the object. A vise may come in a number of varieties, usually specialized for some purpose such as wood working, machining, blacksmithing, and general shop work. Almost every commercial workshop will […]Read More
A vise is not a complicated tool. You can get by without knowing all the various dimensions and measurements that manufacturers provide when selling a vise. Bolt a vise to a table, put something between the vise jaws, and turn the handle attached to the lead screw. VIOLA, your vise is working as intended. But […]Read More
After deciding that I would rather buy one all-purpose vise rather than multiple specialized vises, I decided to purchase the YOST 750-DI Multi-Jaw Rotating Combination Bench & Pipe vise with a Swivel Base as it seemed to be the best built multipurpose vise I could find that was under $250. This is my review. Shipping […]Read More
Do you want to support the blacksmith in your life by getting them a thoughtful gift, but are not sure what to get them? Then this is the article for you. I will go over great blacksmith gifts for new smiths and experience smiths alike. Beginner smiths are easier to shop for, as it is […]Read More