Home Made Bench Vise

my favorite technique is a home made bench vise. It is better than a bought bench vise because it supports the wood for edge planning better than any bench vise I have seen, Here It Is:

requires 3 blocks of hardwood made good and square.
2 blocks of hardwood made 2″ × 2″ × 10″. one fastened to the bench along the front edge. the other fastened at a 1:10 slope @ 2" back from the first. I actually use the 3rd block for this positioning.
Then a 3rd block to make a wedge, left loose, cut at a 1:10 with a little toe sticking out of the narrow end (as per picture). the “toe” should be about as thin as your thinnest stock and about 1" for strength.

set the loose block between the other two blocks set your board to be edge planed on edge inbetween the front block and the loose block and up against the toe. Push smartly into the wedge clamping everything nicely. then plane
A tap of the hammer loosens the wedge and frees the board. no dead-man or other support needed for long boards.

I started using this in @ 1986 after reading and seeing pictures of it. I think it was in the Smithsonian magazine in an article about Pompeii where they had found a boat builders shed. (talk about old school)

bee well and happy shavings
K