Benchcrafted Tail Vice (Wagon Vice) Kit – Cast

Product Description

Clamping work to a bench surface between dogs is a very old technique. The historical record gives us examples as far back as the Roman era, but most woodworkers know the tail vice from the modern Scandanavian and German tradition. The oldest detailed drawings we have are from the early 16th century by German author Martin Löffelholz.

The Benchcrafted Tail Vice uses a pair of either wooden or metal dogs, one of which remains stationary, and one of which moves to pinch work of varying length between them. The simpler of the two vices is often referred to as a wagon vice since the moving dog travels in a block trapped within the bench top and rides along a pair of rails, like a wagon or cart. It is this type that this design is based on.

Unlike other tail vices, the Benchcrafted Tail Vice utilises a moving dog block and nut, and a stationary screw. The dog block rides alongside the screw to allow nearly the full length of the screw to be utilised. The benefit here is that the screw remains in the same position at all times, never protruding past the end of the bench. The left-hand thread, precision-rolled acme screw provides for typical rotation when operating the vise. Operating the vice is intuitive.

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