SECURE WORK SAFELY WITH CORRECT VISE

The vise, sometimes called the third hand, is the indispensable tool in the home workshop.

According to the Hand tools Institute (HTI), the association for American manufacturers of quality hand tools, there are seven basic categories of vises and many special purpose vises. While most can be used for a wide variety of work, it is important to select the vise most suitable for the prime application and strong enough for any work required.

The basic types of vises and their chief uses are: machinists' vise for heavy industrial work, utility or workshop vise for light work and home workshop, mechanics' vise for service station and garage work, woodworkers' vise for carpentry and general wood work, pipe vise for plumbing and pipe work, milling machine vise for milling machine work, and drill press vise to hold work on a drill press.

A well-equipped shop may have a metal-working vise mounted at the left side of the workbench and a woodworking vise at the right.

But most common in use is the utility vise, a lighter duty version of the machinists' vise. It usually has pipe jaws located below the flat jaw facings and comes in jaw widths from three to five inches. The Acme thread, or screw that draws the jaws together, may or may not be exposed.

Vises usually are mounted on a workbench, or a similar firm support, to hold the material to be worked on. In mounting they should be bolted -- never screwed -- in place.

It also is important to mount any vise with the stationary jaw projecting slightly beyond the edge of the workbench so that long work then can be secured in the vise without being blocked by the edge of the workbench.

Some other safety points to remember when using a vise include that following:

Don't use the jaws of a vise as an anvil.

Wear safety glasses or goggles when hammering or pounding on an object held by the vise.

Use jaw liners with a vise if there is a possibility of marring the work.

Never pound on the vise handle or use a cheater pipe to tighten beyond hand pressure.

Don't try to do heavy work in a light vise; the vise could break or be ripped from its moorings.