Popular Post rmac Posted November 15, 2011 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 All the talk in the recent thread about racking vises and spacers to prevent same inspired this little gizmo. The idea of course is that you can easily make any size spacer you need just by rotating the leaves in and out of the way. The 3/4" thick blocks on each end of the bolt keep the thing from falling through the vise while you position your workpiece with one hand and snug up the vise with the other. -- Russ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areynoldsre Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 what are the little spaces - 1/4" mdf? I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 What are the little spacers? 1/8" Masonite (or whatever they call it these days). I also put a couple of thinner ones made out of Formica (or whatever they call it these days) on one end for really fine adjustments. I can't imagine ever really needing them, though. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areynoldsre Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 1/8" Masonite (or whatever they call it these days). I also put a couple of thinner ones made out of Formica (or whatever they call it these days) on one end for really fine adjustments. I can't imagine ever really needing them, though. -- Russ That's even better than what I was thinking. Great thought. Reminds me of a jig a friend made to cut feather boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I made one with a handfull of paint stir sticks. Super handy to kill the racking. Not as nice as Russ's, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Great, idea. Consider it stolen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Great idea. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Now THAT'S a better mouse trap! Colors.....color code them for the most common thicknesses (?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Home run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Now THAT'S a better mouse trap! Colors.....color code them for the most common thicknesses (?) Yes! I like that! Another thing you can do is hold the jig up to the workpiece and just use the workpiece itself to flip the leaves that you need into position. That sets it automatically, and works for any thickness, common or not. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 And a few months later, we have this: from Lee Valley. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 How much are your royalties, Russ? Dang thieves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Now tell us that you filed a patent on your spacer, then tell us about all the new tools you can buy with your profits. Oh, no patent, no profits and no new tools. Oh well, you still saved $13 by making your own (plus shipping). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I saw the LV version, too! This thread was the first thing I thought of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdale51@yahoo.com Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 That's how you know you've stumbled upon pure genius Russ! The "man" done stole your idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 It would be interesting to know where LV got the idea, and it would be even more interesting to know when somebody first thought of it. I mean, it's such a small leap from a set of feeler gauges to the vise spacer that somebody somewhere must have done the same thing a long time ago. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Looks like it works great. I don't mean to rain on anyones royalty parade but these have been around for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 I made a couple of them yesterday . After cutting the slats out of scrap 1/4 MDF , drilling and inserting the threaded rod I decided to run the stack thru the drum sander and then rounded over the corners on the router table. Those few extra minutes yielded a device that is much nicer to handle. A client is building a basic workbench and I made him a vise jaw from some scrap 8/4 stock so the second spacer is for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 After I saw your simple design I realized I had some scrap plexi and a couple long bolts laying around. An hour or so in the shop and voila! Thanks for the inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted July 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 The plexiglas looks good! -- Russ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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