Knifves not Clamping

[Josh]

I’m thinking that it has to be one of two issues:

1. vise is bent
2. not clamping down hard enough

now before you guys jump all over point number 2, let me say this. I have noticed that if you don’t want to have any vertical movement (i.e. if you want your knife so solid in the vise that the handle won’t move up and down) then you REALLY have to clamp down on the top AND the bottom screw – this will cause the aluminum vise to bend. That’s why I had mine made out of tool steel, I could probably pick up the table that my WEPS mounted on the panavise is suctioned to without the handle moving vertical in the vise. When I had my stock vise I noticed that you can’t get it completely tight, but you don’t really need to for the purposes of putting an edge on something, it’s only those of us that are anal about it lol.

floyd it looked like it was somewhat tight, did you test your kershaw a year ago when you posted that by trying to move it vertically and see if you had any slippage?

[tcmeyer]

I got the impression from the video that Floyd is cranking too hard on the upper screw. Could be that the vise is never closing at the top.

If you need, for one reason or another, to apply a lot of torque to the top screw, you should already have the bottom screw extended farther than the thickness of the knife’s spine. If you don’t, the top part of the jaw may never touch the blade. Another way to consider this: the gap at the top screw must not be less than the spine thickness.

[Pinkfloyd]

Razor,
Yes it was secure back then, I try to make sure knife is always secure before starting

[Pinkfloyd]

Tcmeyer,
That is why I included vid of clamping alignment guide, it is totally flat and no gap at top of clamp when tight.

[Mark76]

We can speculate a lot, but I’m really interested in Clay’s diagnosis.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[tcmeyer]

The fact that you used the guide is irrelevant. When you tighten the top screw with any force, if the lower screw is retracted, you are pulling the lower part of the jaw in, pivoting it around the bottom edge of the spine. Then when you tighten the bottom screw, it only applies high force at the bottom corner of the blade.

That said, I am in total agreement – Clay needs to look at the vise to see what’s wrong.

[Mark76]

This really seems a mystery to me. I am curious what Clay finds.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Pinkfloyd]

All,

I think problem is solved. Not saying new jaws was the total fix, but I tried them with knife and I have gotten positive lockup of knife. Thanks to all for suggestions, for being kind.
Including link to vid of how positive lockup is.
Again thanks to all, WE Customer Service.

[Author]

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