Rockwell Bench Jaw

  Back in January I talked about a cool new tool, the Rockwell Bench Jaw.  I was impressed with the idea and had seem the Jaw Horse at wood shows for a number of years.  I liked the Jaw Horse but didn't want to give up floor space in my shop, so the Bench Jaw seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.

  Yesterday I mounted my new Bench Jaw on my work table/bench and have used it both last evening and today so I thought I would share my initial impressions. 

  

  The Bench Jaw came with very clear and easy to follow assembly instructions.  Out of the box and onto the bench in less than 20 minutes.  It would have been 10 minutes if the quality of the nuts and bolts supplied had been of better quality.  As it was one of the nuts supplied wasn't threaded properly, luckily I have a jar of miscellaneous nuts and bolts and had a substitute. 

   Not having quality hardware is an on going problem with many tools now.  To save a dime and keep the cost down makes for aggravation I certainly can do without.  I would happily pay a bit extra for better quality nuts and bolts.  Or... don't include them, just include a parts list and I'll go to a hardware store and get my own bits and pieces.

  Once the Jaws are assembled and attached to the bench they work as advertised.  If you go to the link at the top you can see their promotional video.

  In my photos  you can see small wooden wedges  inserted between the clamping head and the mounting plate.

  I found that the locking mechanism is as claimed, it really holds and is very easy to use but there was a bit of play between the body of the Jaws and the frame holding it to the work bench.  Not a bunch of play but enough that it was noticeable.  

   The Bench Jaw body and mounting frame are not precision machined parts, they are stamped metal so the tolerances are a bit loose.  I wasn't really surprised that were was some wiggle for the price a bit of wiggle is expected.  The wedges  make the Jaws more stable and remove movement that would probably increase with use as torque was applied over time.

  Generally I am happy with the Rockwell Bench Jaw, it think it a product commensurate with its cost. I have every expectation of using it for a long time and  the idea of having two hands available to place and adjust a work piece when clamping is real bonus. Further my Bench Jaw is fastened to my lower height work table and so it holds things at a very good working height for me.

  If I were a movie critic I would give it 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars.

cheers, ian