Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan Hillis
After using one for the past 25+ years I'm not sure I agree with you on the reason for the "leg". Vises in general are not intended to hold something that is going to be hammered on hard enough for the vise itself to need vertical stabilization. That's what anvils are for. They are, however, called upon to hold things that are filed, bent, or otherwise "coerced" in a horizontal or lateral direction. The long leg gives tremendous support to the vise to prevent horizontal and lateral movement. JMHO.
SRH
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Not to get too far off topic here but it is interesting (at least to me). I have and use one too. I also have a forge and an anvil that I use regularly. You're right the leg helps support the vice when bending metal but in most cases a blacksmith will also bang on the piece to help bend it. Especially when he needs a crisp right angle. Most blacksmiths also mount the vice so that they can work all the way around it. The guy in the picture and in the Youtube videos has mounted a blacksmith's vice to a bench to do light machinist work. You really can't tell from the picture but it looks like the workbench leg that the vice is attached to is not braced and is just sitting on the floor. If you put too much bending force on that vice you'll move the leg. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see how that vice mounted that way has any advantage over a bench vise.
Check out the description of this blacksmith vice for sale:
https://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/post-leg-vise