What is a toe-in feature?
What is a toe-in feature? |
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A toe-in is simply a regular jaw that is slightly tilted inwards. It is an additional feature found on many woodworking vices to avoid top-to-bottom racking. For information on racking, visit | |||
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It is called a toe-in because it involves an inwardly-angled adjustment of the vice jaw. | |||
How does a toe-in work? |
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A toe-in feature means that the sliding jaw of the vice is tilted slightly inwards, so that when the jaws are empty and closed, they only meet at the top. | |||
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The feature is built in to the design of many vices, especially plain screw and quick-release woodwork types, in order to compensate for the screw being at the bottom of the vice. | |||
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This feature means that when an object is clamped, the sliding jaw does not tilt outwards. Instead, the inwards tilt counteracts any danger of the jaw tilting outwards when the jaws are closed around a workpiece.
When in clamping motion, the sliding jaw actually becomes parallel with the stationary jaw, thus providing equal clamping pressure across the whole depth of the workpiece. |
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By using a toe-in, the risk of top-to-bottom racking is avoided, especially when completing heavy-duty applications, such as sawing or drilling. | |||
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If a vice is not designed with the toe-in feature, then it is possible for a user to create one themselves. To do this, they can simply make a tapered jaw pad out of wood, and apply it onto the surface of the sliding jaw. | |||
