Toggle Clamp Vise
To get the best results when working by hand, it’s important to be comfortable. Having the piece at a good working height will make for better joints (and it’ll feel a lot better on your lower back). There are plenty of options, but the best one for me has been the shop-made vise you see at left.
You can see below how I put this vise together. Plywood is the material of choice here for its stability, save for the clamping face where I chose to use hardboard for a nice, smooth surface. Screws and butt joints do the heavy lifting. Four toggle clamps attach to the front, allowing me to quickly swap between workpieces. -Mike Pekovich Middlebury, Connecticut
