This page is about choosing. How face, leg, tail and twin-screw vises hold work, and why a jaw racks, is in the vise guide. Most vises sold simply as “bench vises” are engineer’s vises for metalwork; this guide does not cover them.
Note— How this guide was made
It compares types of woodworking vise and their published specifications. No vise was tested for it, no product is ranked, and no price or rating appears.
Start from the bench and the work
| Bench and work | Vise | Why |
|---|---|---|
| An existing bench with a front apron; general work | An iron face vise with a quick release, lined with wood | Holds work on edge and upright; bolts under most tops |
| Building a heavy bench for hand work | A leg vise, or a twin-screw vise | Both resist racking; a leg vise holds long boards low |
| Face planing without clamps | A tail or end vise with dogs — or a planing stop and holdfasts | Holds boards flat between dogs |
| Dovetailing wide boards | A twin-screw vise | Wide boards fit between the screws; the chain keeps the jaw parallel |
| A table or portable bench with no apron | A small clamp-on vise, or a portable bench’s own jaws | Nothing to bolt a face vise to |
| Metal as well as wood | A separate engineer’s vise | Serrated steel jaws mark wood; keep the two jobs apart |
One good front vise covers most early work; a tail vise, or dogs and a planing stop, can follow.
What to check
| Specification | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Opening, less jaws and apron | The widest work it holds. Veritas states 12-1/4 in of travel before the wooden jaw and bench apron are subtracted; Yost’s M10WW opens 14-7/8 in and its M7WW 8 in. |
| Jaw width | How long a board it supports on edge: 10.5 in (Yost M10WW), 7 in (M7WW). Wooden faces can extend it. |
| Throat depth | How deep work can sit between the jaws, from their top edge down to the screw and slide: 4 in (M10WW), 3 in (M7WW). |
| Quick release | Slides the jaw straight to the work instead of winding: a cam lever (Veritas) or rapid-action lever (Yost). |
| Force | Few makers publish it; Veritas states up to 400 lb for its front vise and 300 lb for its tail vise. A missing figure is not a weak vise. |
| Guide rods and sag | Rods keep the jaw square to the screw; Veritas states minimal jaw sag at full extension. |
| Racking resistance | Work held off-centre swings a single-screw jaw; a leg vise holds work beside its screw, and a twin-screw vise’s chain keeps the ends together. |
| Toe-in | Jaws that close first at the top grip the work where it is held; IRWIN builds its jaws to toe in. |
| Mounting requirements | The vise must fit your bench: Veritas asks for a clear 12 × 16 in area under the top for its front vise, designed around a 2 in apron. |
| Jaw faces | Iron jaws need wooden or leather faces to protect the work; check for holes to fix them (IRWIN) or liners (Veritas). |
| Care and parts | Screws need grease; Veritas advises greasing its tail vise screw and not releasing the half nut under load. |
What matters less than it seems
- The biggest opening. Most work is well under a vise’s maximum; a vise that opens wider than your bench can use adds weight, not use.
- A published force figure. It is useful when given, but most makers do not publish one.
- Looking like a metalworking vise. An engineer’s vise’s anvil and swivel base do nothing for woodwork, and its jaws mark wood.
Checklist
Before buying a vise
- It is a woodworking vise, not an engineer’s vise, unless you need one for metal.
- It suits the bench: there is room under the top, and the apron and top are the thickness it expects.
- The opening, after the jaws and apron, holds the widest work you expect.
- The jaw is wide enough for the boards you hold on edge.
- It has a way to resist racking, or you will keep a spacer to hand.
- The jaws take wooden faces, and their tops can sit at or below the bench top.
- It has a quick release if you often change between thin and thick work.
- Parts and instructions are available from the maker.
Choosing the bench it goes on is covered in how to choose a workbench.
Sources
This guide is specification-based: it compares types of woodworking vise and what makers state, and no vise was tested for it. Figures are the makers’ own for one vise each. Which vise suits which bench is established bench practice.
- 1.
Veritas Quick-Release Front Vise. Veritas Tools Inc..
Used for: 12-1/4 in of travel less the jaw and apron; up to 400 lb of force; minimal jaw sag at full extension; a 12 × 16 in mounting area with a 2 in apron and a 1-3/4 in jaw.
- 2.
Veritas Quick-Release Sliding Tail Vise. Veritas Tools Inc..
Used for: 7-3/4 in of travel; up to 300 lb; a 17 × 6-1/2 in mounting area; greasing the screw periodically and not releasing the half nut under load.
- 3.
Veritas Twin-Screw Vise. Veritas Tools Inc..
Used for: Screw centres up to 16-7/8 in or 24 in; a 12 in opening; a chain drive that keeps the jaws parallel; user-made hardwood jaws.
- 4.
Glide Leg Vise. Benchcrafted.
Used for: A leg vise holding work right against its screw, which Benchcrafted says virtually eliminates racking; 1/2 in of travel per turn.
- 5.
Yost Model M10WW 10 Inch Medium Duty Rapid Action Woodworking Vise. Yost Vises.
Used for: 10.5 in jaws, 14-7/8 in opening, 4 in throat depth; rapid-action lever; steel guide rails.
- 6.
Yost Model M7WW 7 Inch Rapid Action Woodworking Vise. Yost Vises.
Used for: 7 in jaws, 8 in opening, 3 in throat depth.
- 7.
Yost Model COV-3 3 Inch Clamp on Vise. Yost Vises.
Used for: A light-duty clamp-on vise with 3 in jaws opening 2.5 in, for surfaces up to 2 in thick.
- 8.
Woodworkers Vise (226361). IRWIN (Record).
Used for: Jaws that toe in toward the top; under-bench mounting; provision for wooden cheeks.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.