Mod a Generation 3 clamp

Gary I’d be interested to see what results you get.  If you do it please share your experience.  I don’t know if there’s any real advantage to having the split jaws with-out the tension adjustment feature incorporated with the newer version vice.  I don’t see the split jaws really flexing unless I really clamp with a lot of pressure.  I don’t believe the older vice develops that amount of clamping tension.

If you are going to try to cut a split down the jaws I’d be sure to drill a hole first for the bottom of the slot to avoid splitting/breaking the jaw’s aluminum when using them.

Gary if you’ve never used it, possible you can discuss with Wicked Edge if they’ll let you ship that one in to them for the modification.  That is the addition of the jaw tension adjuster if it can even be added to the older style vice.  The split jaws can be purchased as an add-on accessory.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Marc H.

Gary in reference to my suggestion above to send in your old vice to Wicked Edge for a parts upgrade including the tension adjusting box, after further consideration I remembered there are other differences in the older, original version, Gen 3 vices. Theses have an open sided vice housing, different cam springs and cam followers. These differences may make the old version Gen 3 Vice incompatible with the new version Gen 3 features like the vice tension adjusting box.
I, like you, have an old first version Gen 3 Vice that predates the tension adjustment and split jaws. On this jaw pair the left side jaw has four depth key holes, two side by side holes on top, for the shallow depth clamping position and a second pair of side by side depth key holes lower down for the deeper knife clamping position.

The right side of this jaw pair has vertical rounded slots opposite and in alignment with the right side two depth hole pairs.

To cut a third slot in the center may be an option on the right but probably pretty difficult to do on the left side in between the existing slots.

The jaws on the newest version Gen 3 Vice only have the upper and lower depth key holes and the right and left jaws are the same and also are interchangeable, side to side.

As you can see the relief slot in the new split jaws is orientated at the center and at an even depth with the center of the bottom depth key holes.

It may be worth the try to see if cutting the slot helps.  You have nothing to loose if you’re prepared to buy the vice upgrade and change it out.  I can say having owned and used both the first version and the latest version Gen 3 vices that the newest vice with the tension adjustment feature and split jaws does work very well for my needs and uses.

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Haffner