It’s been one of those weeks

It’s been one of those weeks- I finally had to buy a new vice for my bench.

I had been using one these quick release Axminster vices: quite a clever little mechanism- to tighten the vice you turn the handle clockwise and to open it you just pull the handle back and the jaws slide apart without having to turn the handle.

Out with the old.....

However, after a couple of years the mechanism seems to have worn and now the vice pops open at the most inopportune times! So it’s now been replaced with a simple Varitas vice- no gizmos! I had a couple of off-cuts of maple and ash to make some fancy jaws for it. Very pleasing to use!

.....in with the new

Also my two vacuum cleaners/extractors decided to die within a few days of each other. So, I bought this Axminster power tool extractor- it’s so much quieter, I can now actually hear the band saw running! You can also plug a power tool, such as the router, into the extractor, so that when you turn the router on, the extractor automatically comes on too! Ah the joys of modern day living!