leg vise spring alternative.

[BartW]

Hello;

 

Just found this one. Very strange setup - couple parts missing - ; but the spring is quite intresting.

Why hasn't anyone ever done this ? Seems like a viable alternative to a leaf spring.I got to try this kind one one of mine too some day :-)

 

greetz; Bart

[JHCC]

Leaf spring is a lot easier for a smith to forge a replacement out of whatever is at hand.

[ThomasPowers]

Bart, that makes the diameter of the screw system larger right where you want to make it smaller so you can fit steel past it and still have more of it fully in the jaws.

Also you can forge a standard type of vise spring from mild steel and have it work well---not so a coil spring as you would be compressing it past the yield point of mild steel.

I've seen coil springs as replacements used, both  like that and down near the pivot.  Whatever is to hand, Whatever works!

[Frosty]

I've seen pics of this kind of repair. Folk say it only opens the vise a little way. Looks that way to me.

Forging a leaf replacement is silly easy, if you pick the right width all you need do is cut it and maybe arc it. Forging the retainer wedge and key is harder.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Sure, it could work. In addition to the above tho., the coil spring there could compress fully and act as a spacer not letting the jaws fully close. Cutting coils off would be the fix but then it might not push it open as far. 

Just easier to make the typical leaf spring. 

[RogerrogerD]

You're gonna need a bracket to fix it to a stand of some sort...and the bracket on a traditional vise incorporates the top of a normal spring.  A normal spring meeds nothing at the bottom other than an ear on either side.  So do you have a bracket and if so would it hold the top of a traditional vise spring?