I live in Brazil and here we have very low quality bench vise screws, and NO woodworker bench vises for sale. Buying overseas the price starts at 200 dollars with shipping (shipping and taxes are more expensive than the vise).
I want to start playing with woodworking, some cabinet making using MDF and plywood, and maybe some furniture using salvaged wood. Can I realistically work on wood using a bench with no vises, or just vises that uses wedges, bench dogs, etc?
I guess my major problem would be edge work (planning, cutting, routing, etc). Some of that can me solved using an engineer vise (available here) or holding wood to the bench legs using clamps.
Also, is there any good bench designs that DON'T incorporate a front and tail vises?
Best Answer
I have no vice and I've always been able to get by without one. In fact, in all the shows I've seen about woodworking, building houses, and doing home improvement work I cannot think of a single time I've ever seen anyone use a vice. I much more frequently use clamps anyways, which are much more versatile.
Good woodworking is as much about using your brains to improvise as it is having the exact tools for every single job. In many cases you can build what you don't have, which are some interesting projects.