Friday, May 15, 2020

How to make removable magnetic vise jaws for woodworking











Tools and materials I propose:

My Greek friends can find my metal vise here.


A metal vise has by default metal jaws which leave tool marks on wood.

In order to work with wood you can make special purpose jaws for this job. I made mine out of beech wood, leather and magnets. I wanted the jaws to be easily removed. So magnets proved a pretty good idea.

Beech is a pretty hard wood. So I think it’s perfect for this job.

I took a few measurements from my vise and then I cut my stock to size on the table saw.

I created a groove on the back of the jaws. I did that with several passes on the table saw. I wanted it to fit easily. I then cleaned the saw marks with a sharp chisel. 

I then used a forstner bit on my drill press to drill the holes for the magnets. Then I used 5 minute epoxy to glue the rare earth magnets in place. 

Leather has a really nice grip on wood and it’s really gentle with it as well. To glue leather on wood you can use contact adhesive. But I decided to use pearl glue. You can also use hide glue. Pearl glue is also organic and can be reversed ( unglued ) with heat. So it is ideal for repair jobs. Pearl glue comes in pearls. You soak the pearls in water and they become jelly. Then you heat the glue in bain marie to melt it. If your solution is too thin you can add more pearls. If it is too thick you can add water. Then I added the glue on both surfaces, clamped them and let the pieces dry over night. 

Next day I trimmed the excess leather and my jaws were ready. They seem to hold really well and the fact that they are removable is amazing.

But that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 


Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

No comments:

Post a Comment