Nicholson style workbench vice.
When we started the Unplugged Woodshop – Toronto, it was important to keep the student to teacher ratio low. Most of the schools I teach at Internationally have 8 workbenches which seems to work quite well. I decided to follow that model and made 6 Nicholson style workbenches, and 2 Roubo.
Over the past two weeks, between classes and courses, we’ve installed some traditional style vices on the Nicholson style benches. They require one vice screw, which we purchased at Lee Valley Tools, and the rest is made up of 8/4 stock. As you’ll see in this new video, it doesn’t take a lot of materials, and only a handful of tools to make and install.
If you’d like to build your own Nicholson style workbench, here’s a pdf. and Sketch Up file to show you how we made ours.
If you’re in the Toronto area, we also offer bench kits to make the process of assembling your cut list that much easier. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Cheers~
Thank you for this video!
I’m a beginner with a big-box lumber NIcholson style bench, so this is perfect.
Would there be any advantage to installing two of the screws instead of the screw and beam? Or is that a bad idea for a reason i’m not seeing yet?
Regards, Dan
Thanks for the question and comment-
The only issue I could see would be wracking/tightening the vise and keeping the two screws parallel.
In twin screw vises, the two screws are linked together so they move as “one”.
Best way to find out would be to test it-; )
best of luck!
Hi Tom, Great video. Can you tell me if there is any guideline in spacing the screw apart from the guide rail? Can you put them too far apart? Thanks
Thanks for the question…
I haven’t experimented with how-far apart they could be, but I’d trust my judgement and consider that the guide rail side may wrack if the distance became too far. Maybe a test would be in order?
Hi Tom
I am currently building my own bench and trying to decide what vise to make /fit. I like the Nicholson style in your video but I was just wondering. With the screw off centre does it loose clamping force towards the other side?
Thanks!
Hey Matt,
thanks for the question. The short answer is yes, it doesn’t grip as firmly on the side opposite the screw. But that said, does it have to? We get along fine with them here at the school and believe me, they get a ton of use and abuse.
If you have the budget, a vise system with guide rods are a little more stable and don’t wrack as easily.
Hope that helps,
all the best~
Hi Tom – yet another question about the workbench itself… How did you attach the bench top pieces to the frame? Didn’t see any screws on the top side, so wondering what you chose to do.
Thanks in advance,
Rob.
We screwed it from the underside. It really doesn’t need anything as its glued to the top of the aprons and then the aprons are bolted to the legs…but we drove a couple of screws up through the cross braces of the leg frames.
best of luck with your bench build!
Hi Tom, really nice job on the bench. I’m actually building one, based on you’re sketchup and cutlist.
I’m at the step of assembling the leg of the bench and I was wondering what you used for you’re bench? The fast and easy answer is screw, but not sure about the finish… I’ve been thinking of using dowels and glue but i don’t know if it’s gonna be solid enough.
We used screws and the lap joints in the base. It worked well for this style bench and we were on a budget as we needed to build a lot of benches. If I was only making one of them, I’d swap the joinery for mortise and tenons and use dowels.
all the best~
Hi Tom – another question. Any reason why the apron end supports are only 1″ thick, while the inside supports are 1.5″? I have 1.5″ thick lumber, and wasn’t sure if I should thickness them down to 1″ for the end supports, or just leave them as-is.
Many thanks,
Rob.
Thanks Rob- not sure what area you’re referring to.? The aprons are 1 1/2″ with a 1″ back board…the cross stretchers/supports are all 1 1/2″. Whatever area you mean, never a bad idea to use thicker stock when it comes to a workbench, so anywhere we used 1″ material, you could use 1 1/2″ without any worries.
Hope that helps-
Hi Tom,
Very professional and inspiring video. I had a go at making this vice here in Italy. Mine doesn’t seem to hold as readily as yours and I’m struggling to understand why. I used beech because it’s all I could find in my town that wasn’t soft construction grade timber. Do you think this is why? I’m a bit new to all this and haven’t yet planed the top because my plane is on order!
Dreaming of a visit to attend one of your courses…fingers crossed.
Hi Lee-
I don’t think the wood species would have any bearing on the holding force but I could be mistaken. Ours are all going strong, now a few months in use with lots of students using ( and abusing ) them. Could something have gone wrong with the screw? That would be my only guess if it isn’t tightening up for you- hard to say without seeing it in person.
Maybe you’ll work it out when your plane arrives-; )
best of luck and thanks for the comments!
Thank you so much for the video. Looks amazing..
Iv’e had a hard time finding the vice itself. Any idea where can i buy one?
Thanks
Meir
Thanks for the comments.
Vice is available right here: http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=41664&cat=1,41637,41659
all the best~
Hi Tom,
Your link now directs just to the Lee Valley homepage. Am I right in thinking this is Lee Valley’s “Tail-Vise Screw” (item 70G0152)?
I’m gearing up to build a Nicholson bench of my own and this screw seems like the best intersection of quality and cost for me. Thanks for the inspiring video!
Thanks David,
you are correct!
-; )
all the best~
Thank you so much for making the video and posting the design! I’m starting to get into woodworking, hopefully focusing on hand tools, and currently in the process of designing my workbench, heavily influenced by your plans. Just a couple of questions:
1) What kind of wood did you use for the bench top, and where did you buy it? Was it the same wood for the vise jaw?
2) For the wooden slider that you wedged into the left side of the outer vise jaw, why did you bother cutting a tenon? Why not just use the same size as the rest of the slider (?
Very interested in attending your basic joints class, but can’t make the upcoming one. Hopefully you’ll have another in the new year.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the questions and comments Rob. The wood is Haliburton Pine, we sell a bit of it here at the UW as well as full bench kits. ( also out of Haliburton Pine ) and yes, the vise chop was also pine. The parallel guide bar was mortised through the chop for added strength and durability. The tenon creates a shoulder which is much stronger than if you just run the full piece through and prevents the guide from slipping.
Hope that helps-
If you’re interested in one of our bench kits, come by the UW and have a look. We have two in stock and they’re really nice stock.
all the best~
I would like to build myself a Nicholson’s bench, but am not sure what wood to choose. The pine I find in Montreal is so soft, I can easily mark it with my fingernail. What wood did you use for the bench top?
Thank you!
BTW, I love your books; looking forward to tackling some of those projects
Thanks for the comments and question Filippo,
we used Haliburton pine, a local species that was cut in 2008, and air dried since. Its great for a bench top- if you drop your work, the bench will dent instead of the part, its easy to flatten and re-flatten, and it won’t break the bank gathering materials.
I suggest you find a local mill and assemble a cut list for them.
best of luck and thanks again~
Tom, quick question: You have a wedged tenon for the guide. From looking at the video it looks like the walls of its mortise are square and not slightly widened to accommodate the wedge or make a mini-dovetail internally. Did you simply bang the heck out of the wedge to compress the split tenon into the mortise? I recently made a bench with wedged through tenons and widened the mortises to increase the strength of the mechanical joint. I’m wondering if I added extra work ‘for nothing.’
Thanks much in advance.
Thanks for the question Allen- you’re right, other than a little paring, there’s no wedge shape formed in the mortise. Due to the scale of the tenon, the wedge is there to spread the cheeks a little and make for a super tight fit. all the best~
What is the cost of a bench kit?
Hi Matt,
Here’s a link with the details.
Cheers
Like others, really enjoyed this. I want to install a full width vice on the end of my bench and was trying to justify the money for a veritas twin screw vice. This nicholson style vice looks like it will do me just right. Thanks for the inspiration.
Happy to hear it helped!
Thanks for taking the time to comment-;)
Cheers!
Tom: Really enjoy your videos, everything from video style, soundtrack, and presentation are first class, not to mention the excellent woodworking content.
The vice looks very practical and a perfect complement to the bench. Should the vice guide have a snug fit through the apron, or is there some amount of clearance there?
Thank you.
Hey Lonny,
thanks for the comments. That’s a really great question- the truth is, if you were to measure all six of our vices you’d probably have six slightly different measurements! Its kind of like the set on a really nice saw- too little, the saw binds, too much, it wanders. The parallel guide is the same- we had one that was too tight and it was hard to adjust…I’d say you want as little ‘slop’ in the travel as possible, without the guide grabbing. There’s a sweet spot- maybe 1/64-in.? maybe 1/32…?
– those tolerances are subjective. Shoot for an exact fit and adjust accordingly-; )
hope that helps~
Thank You very much for making and sharing this video ! Have just finished building my workbench, and getting to installing the vice, I was a bit worried as I had no plans for my second hand vice which I plan to install, now I have a much clearer picture of how to install it. Thank you!
Thanks roland-
hope it helps!
best of luck with the new vice.
Hello Tom,
Can you comment on the strength of this style of vice, for instance are pieces held securely at the batten end or only near the screw?
An excellent build none the less.
Hi Wade,
thanks for the question. We tested it with thin boards on edge, thick boards on edge, and have had students using them for the past two weeks in real class scenarios…they pass. They held the work and that’s the bottom line. Is there a bit of wracking? Yes. Are they as fast and/or strong as a double screw vice? Probably not- but that said, they work really well.
Hope that helps-
Thanks for the video, it shows how accessible building a nicholson style vise is. One quick question, the large paddle bit that you used, can you give the brand/source? I have an expandable bit for bores larger than 1″ but it does not work so hot for me, and augers larger than 1″ are rare and/or expensive.
Thanks for the question – they’re called Daredevils and made by Bosch. I picked them up at a local big box store.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Tom! I would not have thought to look for paddle bits with a snail at a big box store. I see that they have a hex shank, so now I have a reason to pick up an adapter for my brace to stay unplugged. ;-)
I am interested in this build for my bench. I am reluctant to cut into my butcher block top and this seems to reduce that. I am however finding it hard to find the hardware itself. Figuring I would not get it for the low 6 dollars but I am not finding it anywhere. Any help to source this is much appreciated. Great build by the way.
Hey James, thanks for the comments. If you’re looking for the screw vice hardware- follow the Lee Valley link above.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Tom! Great idea & good design!
1000 thanks
My pleasure Xavi-
hope it helps!
Tom,
That was great. I have been considering what type of bench I want to build when I get back to the states. Something easy and quick and I think I have found it. Great work. And thanks for making that available to everyone out there. Looking forward to meeting up with you later this year.
Mark Hynek
Thanks Mark!
I think this might be the perfect vise for my bench. It’s currently under construction and is a very similar design (based on the workbench tutorial by Paul Sellers).
Getting closer to finishing it. One of my first woodworking projects. And the first using all hand tools. Very satisfying project.
Thanks for all the inspiration Tom
Cheers,
Mark
Thanks Mark!
Happy to hear that it helped-
Best of luck with the new bench.
A great one Tom!
I’m glad you made the video, Thanks
Thanks António!