Wooden shoulder vise screw

[Bruce E. Harang II]

I am working on a Frank Klausz style workbench with a tail vise and shoulder vise. However I have a wooden vise screw for each and I do not know how I should connect the shoulder vise face to the vise screw. Frank's bench uses metal hardware so there is a plate that the screw fits into to allow a little movement of the vise face. I thought to just put a screw through the face into the end of the screw but I don't know if I can get the same movement of the face as his bench. Any advise would be helpful and if anyone has built a shoulder vise with a wood screw that can share pictures would be wonderful.

Thank you, Bruce

[alexy]

Bruce,

On mine, I solved that problem by ignoring it! I just left the jaw face unattached. That adds an extra step when opening the vise--after backing off the crew, I manually pull back the face. Of course, when claiming same-thickness pieces, that is not an issue; just loosen the screw, remove one piece and slip another in, then retighten. Even if I attached it (and I'd screw a metal disk with a stand-off busing to the end of the screw and a "u"-shaped receptacle on the back of the jaw, per the Klausz design), I think I'd still be moving or adjusting the jaw manually to make it parallel to the work--I might have allowed too much "play" for unparallel jaws, and it doesn't move smoothly without being held parallel.

Only change I'd make is to put the screw as near to the top of the shoulder as strength considerations will allow. I put mine at the center of a 5" wide shoulder, and when clamping narrow pieces, the point of contact for the screw is below the piece, making for jaw contact only along the bottom of the workpiece. Not a big deal--just put a scrap the same thickness at the bottom of the clamp to force it to parallel.

Will email a photo.

[alexy]

Okay, that's what I get for letting a spell checker do the thinking for me. I think the intent below was clear, but just in case:

[sailor]

On my old wood working bench, the screws are held to the vise face, with a round spilt plate, that screws to the outside of the face, after the screw is inserted into the face. It's basically a large spilt washer. It must ride in a groove in the screw. On the plates, it has the mane "Hammacher Schlemmer & Co" Hope this helps, Cliff