Re: Nothing Special For You Guys, but it is metalworking

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:101251f$236uo$1@dont-email.me...
On 5/26/2025 7:24 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Snag"  wrote in message news:10106f7$1k4i2$1@dont-email.me...
>
   Mine's a shop made 2 1/2" made from mystery steel . Realized when I
was about 75% complete the plans called for aluminum .

I have an old Columbia or Columbian bench vise that came with a heavy
steel work bench.  The guy who gave it to me long ago showed me some of
the best soft jaws for it was either plywood or MDF cut the width of the
jaws with with a notch cut to fit the square lower of the front jaw.
Drop on and take off in a second.  For parts sensitive to marring, have
one set of MDF drop ins with leather glued inside.
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Cutoffs of oak hold up pretty well as jaw pads or rough parallels for milling and especially drilling. I tested a piece to 2000 PSI across the grain with only slight deformation, mostly erasing the saw marks, to qualify my shed rafter design for metal joist hangers. You may accumulate scrap aluminum the way I do scrap oak.
The worst job I give soft jaws is clamping pipe fittings and the threads of stubborn bolts etc.
When the neighbor who installed kitchen cabinets cleaned out his work truck in addition to oak I also acquired countertop scrap which made good milling vise jaw padding. The dull circular saw blades can be annealed, cut, worked, and rehardened enough to cut glass before tempering.