Workbench - End Vise Complete

Finally! My workbench is starting to do some work for me instead of me just working on it. Today I made the sliding block for the end and drilled a series of holes along the front edge of the bench top, which will be used to hold stop dogs. I made a couple stop dogs out of 3/4" oak dowell. I was able to clamp one of the leg posts in the vise and hold it securely while I planed it. I got one leg completely squared tonight, so just three to go.

Workbench - Tail Vise Installed

Over the last couple weeks, I've been working towards getting the tail vise put on my bench.  After cutting out the cavity in the bench top, I began working on the end cap.  I glued a couple pieces of maple together to make the end cap about 2-1/2" thick.  I chiseled out the dovetail slots to match up with the dovetails that I cut in the front of the workbench.  Next, using a template that I printed from the website for my vise, I marked the holes where the vise would mount.  I had to make several holes with an auger bit and then clean it up with a chisel to make the large hole for the vise screw.

 To install the end cap, I glued the dovetail joint on the front and fastened the rest with lag screws.  I drilled the pilot holes in the end cap extra wide to allow for movement in the wood due to moisture change.  The next step will be to cut a block that will screw into the vise.  This block will hold a dog, which will be the clamping device.

Workbench - Tail Vise Preparation

Now that I have all four sides pretty flat and parallel my next step was to saw the ends square and to length. This was a good workout, but didn't take too long with my recently sharpened crosscut saw.  Fortunately, I had my son Michael there to give me encouragement.

Benchcrafted Tail Vise

The left end of my bench will have a tail vise that will operate parallel to the benchtop.This vise, which is manufactured by Benchcrafted works by sliding a peg, also called a dog, allowing you clamp a board between a stationary dog.  The advantage to this type of end vise is that because it is integral to the bench top, the area around the clamping point is very strong.  The disadvantage to this vise is that it requires a lot of material to be removed from the underneath side of the benchtop.  This is not a big undertaking if you use an electric router, but it my case it has required time than I would have liked to sped installing the vise.

I began the cutout for the vise by using my rip saw to cut the track where the sliding dog will run.  I finished removing this piece by chopping through the remaining section with my 3/8" mortise chisel.

I then drew out the area that I needed to cut out and went at it with a brace and auger bit.  I followed this up with the mortise chisel again, removing the remaining material and getting all the dimensions to where they need to be for the vise to work properly.  By the time I to the point of the picture below, I felt more like Michelangelo whacking at a piece of marble than a carpenter.