Greenbeast Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I've been using my leg vice for 6+ months now and it's been ok but it has non-parallel jaws and this does make using it somewhat frustrating sometimes Any tips on fixing it? Or is it a case of just grinding the jaw back? I can put a pic up tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Grinding the jaws back would be the last option, for me. I had the same problem with my 6" vice, when I first got it. It took a little bit of work, but I took the hinge bolt out and heated the hinge plates in my coal forge. I then tweeked them to one side and it straightened out the jaws, when put back together. It was worth the trouble. I got to do the repair the "old way" and didn't need to do any grinding. The jaws now line up and work fine. Try that before you grind on it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 thanks very much, yes i didn't really want to grind anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 How about posting some good pictures from the side and front. It may be the plates out but more likely one of the legs is bent. Many folks crank on the screw to hard and one of the legs bend. This is normally easy to fix with a large fire and a striker and flatter. I have straightened 3 or 4 to true them up. I just find the bend in the leg, mark it with chalk, take the vice apart and heat the bent area in the forge and work it out with a striker and flatter over the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Spacers help. My vise does not meet evenly but it is close enough I can grab a spacer with the one side then grab my work on the other. At some point I should straighten the leg, realign the pivot, and get it to match up neat. The misalignment is so little (about 3/8 inch across the jaw) I don't want to go through the effort right now. I did correct the alignment some, cold, when I first set up the vise. It had a jaw high and more misalignment than it has now. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Making a set of spacers you can use when cranking down on stock on one side of the vise is a GOOD IDEA. I have them from 1/8" through 1". For the smaller ones I took a piece of sq stock and spiraled the top of it. For the large stock I hot split the top of the stock and bent the flaps over the vise jaws making a "T". Then I stamped the size on the tops as students can't tell the difference from 5/8" and 1/2" in my experience. I keep them by my big vise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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