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Colombian woodworking Vise

Esq1997

Plastic
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Good evening

I just purchased a nice vintage Colombian woodworking vise. It’s a “5 cd” model. I’m going to mount it to my bench, but will have to add a 1/2” piece of plywood to the underside so that the jaws are flush with the top of the bench. Was wondering how old the vise is, and if anyone has an extra set of wood inserts that will fit this vise. I’ve tried to make the inserts but can’t seem to get them right. Are there any aftermarket suppliers that make the inserts?

John
 
John

Sorry, I don't recall these coming with wood inserts when new. You simply hacked up a piece of your favorite 1" sheet goods and popped some #10 woodscrews in and called it good. Yardstick accuracy plenty good enough.
 
I have a pair of those vises at either end of a long bench. Just make up a bunch of inserts out of 1/2-3/4"" MDF when needed. Anything else that's flat would likely work as well.

There's not much to it - rectangles cut to the same dimensions as the metal backing jaws. Back inserts screw through the backing jaws into the bench, with screws countersunk. Front jaws get short screws fitted through the vise from the front. When you're done everything (the metal backing plates and the replaceable jaws) should be flush with the top of the workbench.
 
When you're done everything (the metal backing plates and the replaceable jaws) should be flush with the top of the workbench.

I think I’d rather have the metal parts slightly below the surface of the bench, although the wooden inserts can be flush with the surface.

There aren’t a lot of instances where it makes a difference, but cleaning up the bench top with a scraper is one.
 








 
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