http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html After a few years’ use the very basic standard vice on my bench was ailing badly - it needed the strength of a carthorse to get a decent grip wtih it. So I decided to replace it and get a bit of extra capacity at the same time. Veritas to two versions - small and large. I went for the large on the basis that unused capacity is better than too little. However, I found that the cost of this (apart from the extra £30) is a lot of extra hassle in fitting. The large vice has support collets, not required on the smaller version, that need very accurate fitting and require a huge forstner or sawtooth bit to do it - and if you don’t already have one big enough it’s an expensive tool to buy for one task. To be candid, if I were buying another, for the small-scale work I do, I’d go for the smaller version of the vice. And if you’re tempted to the large one by the offset screw designed to prevent racking - it doesn’t. When I was chatting with David Charlesworthm before I bought this replacement, I mentioned that my vice racked and he replied, ‘They all do’. I wish I’d listened. Having said that, the vice itself is very good indeed. I fitted it to my entry-level Sjoberg Nordic Plus bench, which involved a fair bit of fiddling to get it in place, including repositioning some dog-holes. The outcome, however, is well worth the effort as I can now effortlessly grip a workpiece and have confidence it isn’t going to slip. http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html#0 479a108d-5abc-4858-af7b-30fe8404d442 http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0402.jpg?derivative=thumb http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0402.jpg?derivative=micro http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0402.jpg?derivative=mip <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_182_135"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">A new vice for my retirement! It is an excellent piece of kit (as you’d expect from Veritas) but there were one or two unforeseen complications in the fitting of it</p></div></div> http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html#1 7ad6868d-7089-4e1f-967c-d4fe7e2c3be4 http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0372.jpg?derivative=thumb http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0372.jpg?derivative=micro http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0372.jpg?derivative=mip <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_182_135"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">My Nordic Plus benchtop is on the thin side, with an apron, and needed packing out to enable the fitting of the vice. </p></div></div> http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html#2 a7fe8fbb-aa73-48d9-9007-043dc0e642ba http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0381.jpg?derivative=thumb http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0381.jpg?derivative=micro http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0381.jpg?derivative=mip <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_182_135"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">Those support collets! My largest forstner bit was just a shade too small, so rather than pay £100+ for another, I whittled the edges of the hole with a narrow chisel.</p></div></div> http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html#3 8b195d84-b0fc-43d6-b66e-78a2dfa6984b http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0389.jpg?derivative=thumb http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0389.jpg?derivative=micro http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0389.jpg?derivative=mip <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_182_135"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">The vice carriage, screwed to the underside fo the bench, blocks some of the dog-holes. so my final task will be to drill some new ones in the bench and in the front jaw</p></div></div> http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice.html#4 b547571b-a2ec-4639-9fbe-c1bd7b01c51d http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0398.jpg?derivative=thumb http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0398.jpg?derivative=micro http://web.me.com/wordsifter/Woodworkingforlove/My_Kit/Pages/Veritas_Front_Vice_files/Media/SAM_0398.jpg?derivative=mip <div style="padding: 0px; " class="image_cluster_layout_style_default_External_182_135"><div class="image_cluster_layout_style_default"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="Caption">The dog holes in the front jaw need either a long bit or to be drilled from both sides. I chose the latter option, which tested my marking out skills if the holes don’t meet up perfectly, the dogs won’t go in</p></div></div>