What am I doing wrong?
Every knife I clamp will not stay secured.
I even clamped the alignment guide like it was a knife(totally flat surface), tried with and without chamois, it still moved. The jaws are not spreading. I use synthetic chamois on all my FFG blades, for alignment help. I have used this system successfully before on the same knives, it has been awhile since I have used it though. Am wondering if I am having a brain fart and forgetting something?
I called WE customer support, and as always they were great! They are sending new clamps, but I’m not sure if that is the problem, the clamps look OK. Am attaching a link to a video of what I am trying to explain.
Z71,
You are correct, I was exaggerating somewhat to show that it is not holding the knife. I can, have cranked on bottom screw, and it still wont hold.
Thanks
Mark76
I have had the issue of the clamps spreading before, got those replaced. These are flush when mated together, (I have removed the screws and held them together to check for spreading,bending) are not bending. That was my first thought when I noticed knives not being secure.
I can get a pic later though.
Thanks
[quote quote=“pinkfloyd74” post=18778]Mark76
I have had the issue of the clamps spreading before, got those replaced. These are flush when mated together, (I have removed the screws and held them together to check for spreading,bending) are not bending. That was my first thought when I noticed knives not being secure.
I can get a pic later though.
Thanks[/quote]
this was my first thought as well. There is something going on here.
When you clamp, prior to putting the knife in, do you make sure that your bottom screw is screwed in enough to adjust for the spine width? In other words, you should have about the same amount of screw poking out of the inside of the vise (on the bottom screw) to equal how thick your spine is on your knife. That way when you tighten the top screw, the gap in the center of your vise should be almost parallel all the way up, and when you turn the lower screw once or twice it will make it perfectly parallel.
Also, have you tried clamping without the chamois?
Its the friction on the blade. Try painters tape. Its looks really polished. If that doesn’t work tighten the bottom screw more. Try another knife for a basis. Ive secured all types of knives and other items it comes down to clamping power of coarse. -
I’m concerned about this talk about tightening the screws more. If the jaws are set up right, it shouldn’t take more than a half-turn past contact at the bottom screw. That should produce enough clamping force to hold almost any blade. If not, then something else is going on. Excess torque on the bottom screw can bend the vise jaws.
Your symptoms point at a jaw which is only making contact at the bottom of the blade. To repeat what others have said here, the top screw is only used to set the position of the jaw relative to the knife. The lower screw is used to tighten the vise. A half-turn on the lower screw will produce hundreds of pounds of clamping force.
I second the motion of using painter’s tape, but pay close attention to the alignment of the jaw at the face of the knife. If anything, you should leave the top screw slightly loose, so that when you tighten the bottom screw, the vise closes at the top of the jaw first. Ideally, the jaw faces should fit flat against the blade faces. The diagram below shows an exaggerated view of how the jaws should be positioned relative to the blade.
Oiled the top screw where the head cones into the clamp.
Oiled the bottom screw.
Tried different knives.
Used Painters tape.
Made sure gap in jaws was equal to width of knife blade by
squeezing clamp, then setting bottom screw to just touch opposite jaw, then tightening top then bottom screw. None have worked.
I am including a link to a video of me clamping the Alignment bar as if it were a knife using painters tape. It is flat and should clamp really tight.
but it moves easily also. I think I am about to give up!
I’d really like to see that sharpener in person. Would you care to give a call so we can send you a shipping label? I’ll look at it and turn it back around to you quickly.
I have called, they are sending new jaws with a return label for me to send this one back. Again WE support is Stellar as usual. I was only posting these vids for advice from this group on figuring out what I was doing wrong.
Thanks
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?
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.
