Making A Steel Bench Vice

Before getting started on a steel table build which I had been planning, I had to look for a bench vice. In the end I made my own…

- John Heisz

My experience in the past with the lower cost vices was not positive, in that I’ve owned two and broken two. The first split along the ‘anvil’ surface (flat area behind the fixed jaw) from pounding out metal on it. Since then, I’ve been told that this is not to be used as an anvil. If that’s the case, why make it so darn attractive to use like that? Machined flat, the right size and in a good location…

The second one broke where the lead screw threads in. I tried to weld this together again, but the repair didn’t hold.

Both of these vices were made from cast iron. Cast iron is perfect for making cheap vices, since it is a cheap material itself, has a relatively low melting point, good fluidity and castability. However, it is brittle and not as durable as most other iron alloys, like steel, for example. It is also very difficult to weld effectively, so repairs to a fracture are usually not long lasting.