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The Benchcrafted Tail Vise is extremely robust, precise, and operates smoothly and effortlessly. Our tail vise (this type of vise is also called a wagon vise) is designed around a Roubo-style bench with a top thickness of 4" or greater. However, the vise can easily be used in any bench with a solid top. It can be used in thinner benches provided with wider aprons and end cap. Retrofitting existing benches is also possible. All necessary mounting hardware is included. The wooden dog block (example pictured below, not included) will be customer-made to conform to individual dog hole dimensions and bench species and thickness. The unique feature of this vise, unlike typical wagon vises, is the moving dog block shuttle.

Specifications:

• American made precision-rolled carbon steel acme threaded 1¼" dia. screw & nut.

• 4 tpi screw pitch strikes a balance between rapid movement & controlled gradual clamping pressure.

• 5" dia. handwheel is chromed cast iron, polished to a high luster. The rim is comfortable to grip when approaching final position or releasing the vise. Rosewood knob included.

• 3/8" thick cold-rolled steel flange is blued for a subtle look and rust protection.

• Cold-rolled steel guide rails support the robust sliding plate assembly, which run in precise grooves milled into the rails.

• Made in the U.S.A.

Versatile & Innovative

Typical wagon vises have the nut attached to the bench, necessitating the screw to protrude past the end of the bench when the vise is opened, causing both a nuisance and a potential hazard, plus sloppy action when the vise is opened. The Benchcrafted Tail Vise is different in that the screw is affixed to the bench, while the nut-- which is bolted to the dog block shuttle -- traverses the stationary screw. The dog block is positioned alongside the screw to allow the full length of the screw to be utilized. The great benefit here is that the screw remains in same position at all times, never protruding past the end of the bench. The left-hand thread precision acme screw provides for correct rotation when operating the vise.

Wagon Vises Versus Traditional Tail Vises

Traditional "moving-section" tail vises have some disadvantages that limit the usefulness of this area of the bench. Mallet work, such as mortising or chopping dovetails over the vise can damage the mechanism over a short time. The vise is also prone to sagging with use and wear, which causes all sorts of problems for clamping between dogs. Once the vise starts to sag, often it will raise up above the surface of the bench when tightening, raising up the workpiece with it. This can cause hand plane chatter among other issues. The vise also protrudes past the end of the bench as its opened. One advantage the traditional tail vise has over the wagon vise is the open-front jaws. However, the large gap of the open jaws can make for a large unsupported area below workpieces, and this can cause some problems when planing, especially with shorter pieces.

Wagon vises solve almost all of the problems of traditional tail vises. The area of the bench around the vise can be used in the same way as the rest of the bench. The vise can't sag. The screw doesn't extend past the end of the bench when the vise is opened, making this vise a great choice for cramped shops. The dog block also cannot raise up when tightened. The area around the vise will always remain as flat as the rest of the bench, since the "moving block" section of the traditional tail vise is eliminated. The Benchcrafted Tail Vise is also much easier to install than traditional tail vises, since it eliminates the task of building the complex wood superstructure around the vise hardware. We think the significant advantages of the wagon vise more than make up for the lack of the open-front jaws of the traditional "moving-section" tail vise. Plus, there is no unsupported area that open jaws create, except on very narrow workpieces.

Benchcrafted Tail Vise Features and Capacities

Clamping between dogs is the main task of any tail vise, and the Benchcrafted Tail Vise excels at this task. In fact, it's about twice as fast as a traditional T-handle vise due to the chrome-plated, cast iron handwheel. The heavy wheel allows you to rapidly spin the dog block into position and the rosewood knob provides a comfortable grip. Grasping the rim of the wheel allows precise, controlled pressure to be exerted when approaching final position.

Vertical clamping between vise jaws can be easily accomplished with our vise, and when lined with leather (recommended), the grip is tenacious. This is an ideal vise for cutting dovetails on the ends of boards. The vise, when installed for its maximum capacity and using a 5" long dog block, is capable of handling an 11-3/4" wide board. Maximum travel is 12-1/4" using a 2-7/8" end cap.

Lefties

The Benchcrafted Tail Vise is also available in a left hand version (pictured at left installed) at no additional cost, for use in left handed benches. For help in deciding which vise to choose, see this blog post.

Roubo Retrofits

For those who've built Christopher Schwarz's Roubo bench featured in Woodworking Magazine and Schwarz's book Workbenches: From Design and Theory To Construction And Use and would like to install the vise in the same way that Chris did on his own bench, please download instructions and templates below.

Complete instructions and templates are provided via PDF documents.

Complete Vise Instructions PDF file HERE.
Standard Templates PDF HERE.
Left Handed Templates PDF HERE.
SchwarzRoubo Instructions/Templates PDF HERE.

REVIEWS: Reviews from both Woodworking Magazine's Editor, Christopher Schwarz & Ron Brese of Brese Planes can be seen here.

$350.00
Prices do not include shipping.

See our ordering page.