The patternmakers' vise shown
in Fig. 1, although made over twenty years ago, possesses
some advantages deserving attention.
Its main advantage is the quickness
with which it can be adjusted to any size of work.
Its mode of operation will be seen
by reference to the figure. The jaws A A are made of hard wood,
4 inches by 4-1/2
inches. The iron straps B B are pivoted at their upper ends to
the jaws of the vise and are pivoted together at their common
center C. Their free ends bear against iron plates L L, set
into the sides of the jaws. The action of the straps is to keep
the movable jaw at all times parallel with the fixed jaw or
post. Both the movable jaw and the post are recessed
sufficiently to receive the straps and thus allow the jaws to
close together.
The vise screw D is of ash. A
square thread at the front end is fitted with a handle nut and
is used for short adjustments and for clamping. The back end of
the screw is cut with coarse square teeth, with three of which
the stop E is engaged when the vise is being used.
This stop E is held into mesh with
the teeth by the spiral spring F. When the foot lever G is depressed the wire H draws down the block E
and the front jaw of the vise may be pulled out or pushed in at
will. This affords the quick adjustment. When the jaws are
pulled out a little beyond the required width the block E is
released and, rising, engages the teeth of the screw. The work
is then clamped by a few turns of the handle of the nut J.
On the face of each jaw is an iron
plate, the edges of which are beveled to fit the dovetail on the
back of the adjustable jaws. These jaws, shown in Fig. 2, have a
grooved or dovetailed back corresponding to the plates on the
jaws, and this back supports a jaw face which is pivoted on the
pin K so as to allow it to adjust itself to any taper that may
be on the work to be held.
One of the jaw plates is beveled on
its perpendicular sides while the other is beveled on its top
and bottom edge, so that the face of one adjustable Jaw pivots
vertically and the other horizontally. This allows the vise to
accommodate itself to work of almost any shape that it may be
desired to hold.
Donald Ladd
Westfleld, PA
