Another Chain Drive Vise
By Benjamen Johnson
Sean previously covered the Veritas twin screw vise with a chain drive here at TM. Evidently Lie-Nielsen thought it was such a good idea they produced their own chain drive vise. The concept behind both vises is simple: make sure the large jaw closes parallel by turning both screws the same amount.
The 1-1/8″ x 5tpi screws are made from rolled thread acme rod and are designed to give you a maximum opening of 8-1/4″. You can choose to set the screws 8″, 12″, 18″, or 24″ apart depending on your needs. Four bronze bushings and four needle bearing and washer assemblies reduce wear and make the vise operate smoothly.
The hardware to make the vise will run you $285 with $18 shipping. You can either buy a pre-made jaw with 12″ screw spacing for $70 plus $12 shipping or “borrow” an installation kit for a $45 deposit. The vise handle, which can be mounted on either the right or left screw, is sold separately for $35.
Chain Drive Vise [Lie-Nielsen]
October 29th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Golly, nearly $400 for the simple parts in the picture. There has to be a $350 profit margin on that vise. I’m in the wrong line of work.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Hmmm. I happened by their showroom in Warren, ME recently, and if that’s the vise they had on the workbench in the middle of the room, it’s a beaut. All their stuff is. But for the money, it’s nuts. They’re selling to the same kind of trade that buys $25,000 Paul Reed Smith guitars: Rich amateurs. Pffft.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
@ Bloath
Do not assume that Lie Nielsen sells only to high end amateur tool collectors.
While we don’t buy much of their line - all my master carpenters carry one of their 60-1/2 block planes. These are great trimmers and inspire superior work. Naturally we don’t use a $165 plane for trimming shingles up-on-the-roof - preferring to stick to $8 cheapie for this sort of task - but for fitting site made casework and cabinetry - there is nothing better IMHO.
October 30th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I’ve got a set of their bench chisels and one of their spokeshaves. Very high quality stuff.
Bought them at two different 25% off sales, or I probably wouldn’t have them, admittedly.