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Avise orvice (British English) is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by ascrew andlever. The jaws are often flat but may have grooves,[1] adapt to the shape of the workpiece or be custom made.[2]
Avise grip is not a vise but a pair of lever-actuated locking pliers.
The etymology ofvise can be tracked via Middle Englishvys Anglo-Frenchvyz from Latinvitis "vine".[3] The tight grip of the mechanical device was likened to that of the twines of the plant.
A face vise is the standardwoodworking vise, always securely attached to aworkbench flush with its work surface. Its jaws are made of wood or metal, the latter usually faced with wood, called cheeks, to avoid marring the work.[4] The movable jaw may include a retractable dog to hold work against abench dog.
A "quick-release" woodworker's vise employs asplit nut that allows the screw to engage or disengage with a half-turn of the handle. When disengaged the movable jaw may be moved in or out throughout its entire range of motion, vastly speeding up the process of adjustment. Common thread types areAcme andbuttress.
Traditionalwoodworking workbench vises are commonly either face vises, attached to the front of the workbench near the left end of its long side (for a right-handed worker), or end (or tail) vises, attached to or forming part of the right side of the narrow end of the bench.
An engineer's vise, also known as ametalworking vise,machinist's vise, or, informally, a "bench vise", is used to clamp metal instead of wood. It is used to hold metal when filing or cutting. It is sometimes made ofcast steel ormalleable cast iron, but most are made ofcast iron. The jaws are often separate and replaceable, usually engraved with serrated or diamond teeth. Soft jaw covers made ofaluminum,copper,wood (for woodworking) orplastic may be used to protect delicate work. The jaw opening of an engineer's vise generally equals its jaw width, though it may be wider.
An engineer's vise is bolted onto the top surface of a workbench,[5] with the face of the fixed jaw just forward of its front edge. The vise may include other features such as a smallanvil on the back of its body. Most engineer's vises have a swivel base. Some engineer's vises marketed as "homeowner grade" are made ofpot metal or a very low grade of iron.[citation needed] Many homeowner's bench vises have an exposed screw.
A combination-vise combines an engineer-style vise with a subsidiary set of curved serrated jaws below the main for clamping pipe. A pivoting base is standard.
A clamp-on vise is a light-duty bench vise secured to a board, table, or bench by a vise-type screw on its base which rarely is able to pivot.
A vacuum-mounted vise is a small engineer's vise secured by asuction cup base and is typically used by hobbyists for very light-duty work.
Machine vises are mounted ondrill presses,grinding machines andmilling machines.Abrasive chop saws have a coarse-threaded or cam-actuated machine-type vise built into the saw.
A pipe vise is used by aplumber to hold pipes for threading and cutting. There are two main styles, yoke and chain.[6] The yoke uses a top-mounted screw to clamp the pipe between two fixed angled jaws at its base; the chain style secures the pipe by wrapping it within a chain designed to adjust to length by link, tightened by a cam lever.
Other kinds of vises include:
