Metalworking Bench Vise

Drilling, reaming, threading, filing and sawing all need a workpiece that cannot move. A 6″ heavy-duty bench vise bolted to a solid bench is the simplest, cheapest way to create that dead-solid workholding for metal. The applications overview is in what a vise is used for.

A vise that flexes pushes the workpiece out of square and ruins the cut. The amount of clamping force the frame delivers, and how well it is mounted to the bench, decide whether the vise moves or the file does.

That is why heavier vises have more body mass — the body material is the rigidity source.

Hardened, serrated jaws grip raw stock firmly. For finished or polished parts, swap in replaceable soft jaws. The jaw hardness and pattern are covered in jaw design and 60 HRC explained.

A throat deep enough to clear a saw blade matters when cutting long sections — the throat depth guide shows what to measure. Filing the top of a clamped piece demands a vise that does not rock, which brings the choice back to mass and mounting.

Metalworking is a broad trade. The choosing guide balances jaw width, opening and throat against the kinds of metalwork you do. For OEM product lines the manufacturing team can specify the exact platform.