The parts work together in keeping the system stable during bending, and in most cases this system will be most stable with bending forces directed to the back of the vise and bench. The vise’s mounting bolts keep the vise anchored to the bench, while the vise’s mounting pad transmit force and spreads it onto the bench’s surface (wood or metal). Thomas Henggeīending metal by leverage is a bit more nuanced, Morabit advises. Apply gradual force to the metal and reposition its height in the vise as needed to achieve the angle and bending radius desired. This is especially useful if you need to bend a piece of metal to or past 90 degrees. To provide incrased leverage for metal bending, use a long piece of steel and clamp it to the workpiece using locking pliers or C clamps. In most cases, however, you get more control and better accuracy bending metal gradually using leverage. This is also a powerful argument for bolting a bench to a floor or wall. Pounding metal toward the front of the vise has the opposite effect and could easily cause the bench to tip.
Directing your blows to the back of the bench, Morabit says, allows the rest of the bench to form a large lever arm to resist the overturning force created by hammering in that direction. This is particularly important when using a bench vise that is mounted on a heavy free-standing work bench and not bolted to the floor or wall. The fixed portion of the vise and the bench have more stability to absorb the shock created by the hammer pounding onto the metal. He confirms our intuition in that it’s best to direct your blows to the back of the vise (not toward the movable jaw). When hammering metal to bend it over, Morabit says, be sure the vise is qualified to take any real pounding. Our intuition causes us to bend metal toward the back of the vise and the fixed point, but we put that question to Vince Morabit, a mechanical engineer since the early 1960s (aside from being one of the smartest guys we know, he’s also the inventor of the Aero-Flex trimmer head).
This raises the question of whether it’s better to hammer bend light metal toward the back or fixed jaw of the vise, or to hammer bend it toward the front (the movable jaw). This directs the shock from impact blows at the strongest part of the vise (and the bench). Hammer toward the fixed jaw (and the bench). To bend a long piece of metal (in this case a 3-foot-long strip of aluminum), get it as close as you can to the lead screw, and clamp the material on the bend mark. You do this two ways: hit the metal with a hammer or apply gradual bending force by hand. Bend Properlyīench vises are often called on for use in bending a piece of metal. This reduces the piece’s tendency to flex where you are applying force to cut, grind, or file. The solution is obvious: move the workpiece so that where you are performing some operation is close to the center of the vise’s jaws. If you have to grind, file, or saw at the far end of the workpiece, you may find that the workpiece flexes as you do this. Of course, it’s not always possible to work in the center of the vise jaws because the workpiece is too long, too large, or its shape doesn’t permit this.
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Having the workpiece centered provides maximum clamping power and takes full advantage of the vise’s strength. This forms a quick visual reference to help you center a workpiece in the jaws, directly over the center of the lead screw. Use an awl, a Sharpie pen or a small triangular file to make a mark in the center of the vise’s jaws. The more you turn the vise’s handle, the more clamping force you provide. The two jaws (fixed and moving) provide tremendous clamping force. As the lead screw is turned, the movable jaw bears against the workpiece, forcing it against the fixed jaw. The lead screw’s diameter and the length of the handle provide the tightening power. As you turn the handle, you also turn the lead screw to which the moving jaw is connected. To tighten down on a workpiece, hold it in the vise’s jaws and keep turning the handle to the right. Turn its handle to the left to open its jaws turn its handle to the right to close the jaws.
Rock- Bottom BasicsĪ bench vise is a large clamp bolted to a work surface. But before we get to those, maybe you’re new to owning and using a bench vise, and you want to know what’s going on here. Like any workshop tool, however, there are some simple tricks to help you get the most out of it. With a bench vise, it’s easy: clamp the center of the blade in the vise and get to work. One of many examples: It’s difficult to hold a lawn mower blade in position for sharpening. Without it, you’ll find yourself struggling to hold things you need to build, repair, modify, and maintain. A workshop isn’t complete until it has a bench vise.
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