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All-purpose bench vises—the heavy cast-iron type your grandfather might need had mounted on a bench in his storage—are helpful for holding gadgets similar to bars, pipes, and axes. They’re usually used to grip such objects for welding, sharpening, and a number of different duties, however they’re not nice for woodworking since their serrated iron jaws have a tendency to go away imprints in wooden.

For furnishings makers and DIY woodworkers, a delegated woodworking vise is critical as a result of it holds boards and planks with out leaving imprints. I not too long ago examined the Yost Woodworking Vise together with a number of different sorts of bench vises. It carried out properly sufficient to earn a spot in our greatest bench vise lineup, and it deserves a extra in-depth evaluate right here.

The Yost Woodworking Vise: At a Look

Picture: Glenda Taylor

Score: 8.95/10

PROS

• Comes with holes for attaching custom-fabricated wooden jaw liners
• Includes a quick-release lever that speeds jaw adjustment to save lots of time
• Adjustable canine permits customers to securely maintain wider boards for sanding or planing

CONS

• Not appropriate for heavy shop-type use as a consequence of its {smooth} jaw surfaces
• Mounting the woodworking vise requires putting in bolts within the backside of the workbench
• The bar deal with is on the skinny aspect and would profit from being thicker

Get the Yost Woodworking Bench Vise at:

What’s the Yost Woodworking Vise?

The Yost woodworking vise is a smooth-jaw vise designed for mounting to a workbench’s entrance edge (face) to securely maintain boards whereas the consumer is slicing, sanding, or routing. Like most vises, it options two jaws that tighten by way of a screw deal with. Its place on the entrance of the workbench permits customers to carry out woodworking duties comfortably—no must pressure or lean over the bench to entry the board.

The Yost woodworking vise is a 9-inch vise, that means the width of its metal jaw plates measures 9 inches backward and forward. It opens to a max of 10.25 inches, making it properly fitted to holding giant boards. Along with adjusting the jaws with the screw deal with, I appreciated the vise’s quick-release lever, which allowed me to shortly pull the jaws aside or push them collectively. This can be a time-saver. I used the lever to maneuver the jaws to the approximate spot—after which it took only one or two turns of the screw deal with to fine-tune the jaw place.

Picture: Glenda Taylor

What’s concerned in putting in the vise?

The vise didn’t include bolts, which is to be anticipated as a result of producers don’t know the thickness of the bench customers shall be bolting the vise to—and a few customers could desire particular bolts. I selected 5/16-inch carriage bolts as a result of I didn’t need the heads of the bolts to stay up above the workbench’s floor. Carriage bolts are designed for countersinking, so that they’re an excellent choice to forestall obstructions on the floor of the workbench.

It wasn’t tough to put in the Yost vise—it takes simply 4 bolts to safe the vise’s screw mechanism to the underside of the bench. I turned the vise the other way up within the spot the place I wished to mount it, marked the 4 holes with a pencil, after which drilled top-down holes. That is the only approach to mount the vise, and it really works nice. The choice—making an attempt to carry the vise on the underside of the bench and drill from the underside—is far more difficult, and it’s pointless.

I then inserted the carriage bolts down via the holes and positioned the vise on the underside of the workbench. The bolts match completely. I twisted nuts on the bolts and tightened them with a socket wrench. The tightening course of attracts the heads of the carriage bolts downward so that they don’t prolong above the workbench floor. After it was put in, the vise was prepared to begin testing.

Will the Yost vise go away imprints on wooden?

The distinction between an all-purpose vise and the Yost woodworking vise lies within the design of its jaw plates. Not like an all-purpose vise that options serrated jaws for gripping pipes and metal gadgets, a woodworking vise comes with {smooth} jaws which can be much less prone to injury boards.

I tightened a number of lengthy and brief oak, pine, and cedar boards within the vise. I cranked onerous on the screw deal with to place as a lot strain as potential on the boards—extra pressure than I’d sometimes use to carry them for routing or slicing. After I launched the jaws, the one board that got here away with a really faint imprint was the cedar board, which is a fairly delicate wooden. The oak and pine boards didn’t present any imprinting.

The Yost’s design gives further insurance coverage in opposition to imprinting—it comes with holes inside its jaw plates for attaching {custom} jaw liners. I fabricated my very own set of jaw liners from 16-inch-long cedar boards. Then, utilizing bolts, I connected one inside every jaw. With my jaw liners in place, I put one other cedar board within the vise and tightened it as a lot as potential. After I launched the jaws, there have been no imprints in any respect. Making your personal jaw liners is non-obligatory, however {most professional} woodworkers use them as a result of they add one other stage of safety for the wooden.

Picture: Glenda Taylor

Is the Yost vise appropriate for makes use of aside from woodworking?

The Yost bench vise can be utilized in a pinch to carry different supplies so long as the supplies have flat sides. I used it to clamp a bit of sq. metallic railing, and the vise held agency as I drilled holes within the metallic.

I’d keep away from making an attempt to clamp irregular-size gadgets, similar to spherical pipes that might injury the jaw’s {smooth} floor if the vise is overtightened. In our extra in depth bench vise checks, we used a number of all-purpose vises to carry pipes whereas we twisted off stuck-on fittings with a wrench. That’s most likely too aggressive a use for this woodworking vise.

However I wouldn’t hesitate to make use of it for light-duty gripping, similar to holding different flat objects like sheet metallic, drywall, or plastic panels for slicing or shaping.

Picture: Glenda Taylor

Is the Yost woodworking vise appropriate for bigger tasks?

The Yost vise isn’t designed for heavy-duty use, so don’t count on it to carry giant timbers. Nevertheless, customers can safe boards wider than the utmost jaw opening through the use of the adjustable canine within the vise’s outer jaw. A “canine” is woodworker lingo for one thing further that helps safe the board in place. On the Yost vise, the canine is an adjustable metal bar that extends upward. It’s designed for use with a bench cease (not included).

I constructed a easy bench cease by screwing down a block of wooden to the middle of my workbench, after which I positioned a large, flat board between the bench cease and the canine. With a couple of cranks of the vise’s deal with screw, I might cosy the board firmly between the canine and the cease whereas I routed the board’s edges and sanded it.

Is the Yost woodworking vise best for you?

These on the lookout for a vise for a wooden store will probably be happy with the Yost woodworking vise. I discovered it sturdy, sturdy, and versatile sufficient to satisfy a lot of the makes use of I’ve for a woodworking vise. It’s not a mechanic’s vise, so don’t count on it to do double obligation. Its power lies in holding most sorts of wooden whereas holding them free from undesirable imprints and marring.

The power so as to add custom-fabricated wooden jaw liners places it excessive and turns it into knowledgeable woodworker’s software, and the quick-release lever is a boon for saving time. For me, essentially the most versatile plus was Yost’s adjustable canine, which allowed me to carry extensive boards firmly between the canine and the bench cease.

The place to Purchase the Yost Woodworking Bench Vise

Get the Yost Woodworking Bench Vise at:

Meet the Tester

Glenda Taylor is a product tester and author specializing within the development, transforming, and actual property trade. She and her husband personal a normal contracting firm, and Taylor is skilled in each residential and industrial constructing functions. She checks a variety of energy instruments in addition to different house enchancment, family, and lawn-and-garden merchandise.