Help with clamping thick blade

[Ken Lau]

Hi all,

Just received my new WE Pro Pack 1 and I wanted to test the WE on a fairly thick blade. However I noticed that the lower vise screw is not long enough to push the bottom part of the code to clamp the blade tightly. So my question is this.  How long should the vise screw be? I have got 2. One that was installed in the WE and a shorter one. Not sure what is good for. Anyone give me some advice?

[Marc H]

Welcome to the forum Ken.  Theoretically the standard vise setup utilized in the WE100 and WE120 can clamp any thickness knife.  You may have to procure longer screws then those the setup came with for really wide/thick bladed knives.  The clamping method you use is always the same.  That is tighten the top screw to snug the knife between roughly parallel jaws.  Then tighten the button screw to apply the appropriate amount of clamping pressure to hold the knife stably and securely.  Ideally you’ll want to use the shortest screws that can accomplish this with the least amount of extra threads protruding from the vise sides or keeping the screw head protruding too far.

It’s been a while, but if I remember right the clamping screws are 1/4-28 threads.  I’d take a screw or the right side vise part with you to the hardware store, just to be sure.  Before you go to get longer screws, by placing the knife between the vise sides and closing and holding the jaws sides together on the appropriately positioned knife and squeezing them snugly against the positioned knife blade you should be able to get a rough measurement of the length screws you’ll need.  While at it you may want to pick up a mix of different length screws for a variety of thickness knives while you’re at it.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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Brewbear

[Ken Lau]

Hi Marc

Thanks for the tips. I don’t have any decent hardware stores near me that will sell this type of screw. My best bet is ebay but I’ll need to check the thread pitch. If its 28 threads per inch, that’s a UNF screw. If it’s 20 tpi, it’s UNC. I’m not sure if I have an imperial pitch gauge. Must check later . I think that it’ll be easier to me to buy a few long ones and grind them to size! Shame that there aren’t a few screws thrown in as extras.

 

Cheers again

Ken

[tcmeyer]

I think I was corrected once by Clay that the Gen 1 vise screws are 1/4″-20, not 28.  Just check to be sure.

If you can’t find one locally, send me a PM with your mailing address and if I have some, I’ll mail a couple to you.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by tcmeyer.

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Brewbear, NotSharpEnuff, Marc H, Organic

[Ken Lau]

Hi TC, I checked my screws and they are indeed 20 tpi. I got a few ordered from ebay. But thanks for your kind offer.

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Marc H

[tcmeyer]

Good thing… I checked and I do have stainless 1/4″-20 flat head screws, but they’re philips head and probably not long enough.

[airscapes]

One thing to note about the standard  vise with  jack screw is that the vise has a heilcoil (thread insert) installed for the jack screw.  I have read posts where the insert comes out with the screw.

The other day I needed to remove the bottom screw and it bound up as the threads at the end had been some what crushed from cranking the screw down tighter than need be.  Not a lot but enough that would not allow the end of the screw to come through the vise.   Rather than continuing to crank it out, I took the other screw out and used a file to fix the threads and the screw came out smoothy.  I assume that if I had cranked away, the heilcoil would have come out as well.  May want to buy SS replacement screws over standard for this reason.

PS: Now I think about it, this screw had been cut down with a screw cutter so that may have been my issue..

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by airscapes.

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Marc H

[John Paul]

I got the same system a few days ago and noticed the same problem with mine. I have a blade stock of 0.140”  and tighten the top vise screw with the guide inserted in the lower holes (same issue with the lower holes).  When I try and tighten the jack screw it doesn’t make contact with the opposite jaw. I am having the same issue on my other folding knives.  I removed the screws to make sure that the longer one was in the jack screw position.  My lower jack screw is 3/4”.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by John Paul.

[tcmeyer]

A blade thickness of 0.140″ shouldn’t have any problem clamping in the WE100 vise.  With the proper screws supplied, it should clamp blades of 0.25″ and better.

Just to be clear, let’s talk about the vise set-up.  For blades with parallel face grinds, you should adjust the upper screw so that the right-side jaw (the moveable side) is vertical – the space between the jaws is the same at the top as at the bottom.  Snug the upper screw so that the blade is snug, but not tight.  Then you should be able to run the jack screw (the bottom screw) in until it contacts the lower part of the moveable vise jaw.  Once contact is made, another one-half turn of the jack screw ought to secure the blade solidly in the vise.  For vises which have been bent by prior over-tightening, it maybe be necessary to tighten as much as one full turn, but this should be avoided to prevent additional damage to the vise jaws.

That all having been said, it is possible that you have screws which are too short.

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