Buyer’s Guide to Bench Vises

Although a bench vise is not the largest tool in your arsenal, the most expensive, or the most high-tech, choosing the right bench vise for your work makes a big difference. With the right bench vise, you will be able to work more quickly and more precisely, with your materials held securely for you so they will not slip or vibrate. With a bench vise to hold your project securely in place, every stroke with the plane will be smooth and steady, each cut of your saw will be exact and effortless, and sanding will be quick and easy. However, to get these benefits from your bench vise, you need to be certain that you’ve chosen the most appropriate bench vise for the work you do before you make your purchase. That’s where we come in.

This guide to bench vises will describe the different types of bench vise on the market and when each type should be used—giving you the information you need to narrow the field and determine which bench vise will work best for you. Let’s dive in.

All types of bench vise have the same basic function, whether they’re used in woodworking, metalworking, working on cars, or in hobbyist shops. These devices bolt to your workbench, either to the top, the side, or the underside, and have jaws to hold your materials in place as you work. A screwing mechanism operates the vise’s jaws, which stand parallel from one another so they can be opened to accommodate the object and closed to clamp down tightly on it.

In addition to holding your project securely, the bench vise can be used to give you something solid to hammer objects on. Bench vises are so handy because they free up both your hands to work and also help you maintain a safe distance when doing tricky work. Although all bench vises have the same basic function, there are many different types of bench vise that are made to be used in specific situations. Here’s what you need to know to figure out which type of bench vise will best suit your workshop.