I want to make some pads for the vice I use for guns.

My thought is to laminate wood (hardboard or MDF) to cork and cover with leather. The wood and cork would be 1/4". I have a lot of tanned Elephant leather...would you have the "smooth" side out (contacting the gun) or the "suede" side out?

Any comments or input is appreciate.

are you planning to clamp finished wood or unfinished....or are you just clamping steel parts like barrels and actions.

I use soft pine for everything except finished and checkered wood.....

I'm kind of cheap and lazy. I buy the magnetic sticky ones off FleaWay for about $9.00 a piece. I change them out after about 2 weeks or so when they get impregnated with dirt and such and downgrade them to the vise that I hold machined parts in. After they get really ratty I either give them to friends or strip off the rubber in the belt sander and use them for aluminum soft jaws in the mill.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
are you planning to clamp finished wood or unfinished....or are you just clamping steel parts like barrels and actions.

I use soft pine for everything except finished and checkered wood.....

All of the above. I was messing with a shotgun last night and found myself needing a third hand. I wrapped the buttstock in a towel and clamped it lightly in the vise. That's not something I think will be a good long term practice so would like to get some jaw pads for that sort of thing.

http://www.brownells.com/searc...k=vise+pad&ksubmit=y

When I bought these YEARS ago they were not this expensive, but then I'm still using them.
Actually the two sets I bought was 1 set red and 1 set green, one for metal and one for wood.
Super hold vise pads.

I've got jaw pads in copper, lead, elastomer and plain steel. For quick gun cleaning I cut plywood covers. Cover one pair with carpet for holding buttstocks. Drape a rag over the bare pair to grab the lumps on doubles.

Dave

I am cheaper; I have a pair of plastic blocks I set in the jaws, and some wood panels as well. For stocks, I throw a leather glove in the jaws.

I made mine from a piece of hardwood that I salvaged from a cabinet drawer that was getting thrown out and covered the face with some scrap leather that I had. They have worked great for me.

Mine are Wilton yellow rubber

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I am cheaper; I have a pair of plastic blocks I set in the jaws, and some wood panels as well. For stocks, I throw a leather glove in the jaws.

I must be even cheaper, I often use (depending on the work piece) folded layers of corrugated cardboard.