http://www.bigwoodvise.com/ All Wood Vise Components and Kits http://www.bigwoodvise.com/images/bwv_no_logo_long.jpg http://www.bigwoodvise.com/ http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#36 Big Wood Vise is temporarily unable to accept new orders at this time. All current orders are being fulfilled. Please leave a message for me with your contact information on the "contact" tab and I'll send you an email when I am able to be back in production, or if you have any questions that need answering, etc.. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. In the mean time - send me pictures of your workbench - whether it be antique, modern, or "ad hoc". Hey- while we're at it - send me pictures of your "Shop Dog" or "Shop Cat" and we'll start a section for that, too. Best Regards, and Thank You For Your Patience, Joe http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#35 2010 Economic Stimulus Sale! I know that 2009 was a tough year financially for a lot of people... therefore, I'm starting an Economic Stimulus Sale, .. and I'm going to keep the Holiday savings going. Now Save $20 on a single Classic vise kit, and Save $50 when you buy two Classic vise kits. Prices are good until May 1, 2010 Please keep in mind - that I am presently 3-4 weeks behind on orders due to work load at my day job, so please be patient.The Big News: Popular WoodWorking Magazine: I received a note that Big Wood Vise was among 12 products that were awarded the Popular WoodWorking Magazine's "Best New Tools of the Year - 2009" ! I can't tell you what a thrill it is to be among the selected for this prestigious award, especialy after a Big Wood Vise Screw was used on Megan Fitzpatrick's and Chris Schwarz's "LVL Workbench", which was on the cover of the November 2009 issue. They've been gracious enough to allow me to post some photo's - Out on the gallery. Note To Customers: I'm back from Germany - and getting caught up on Orders! I'm back from Germany and working hard on getting caught up on orders. Rest assured your order will be processed in the order that I received them, and I'll be getting them out to you as soon as possible. Please note that Big Wood Vise is my evening enterprise. By days, I'm an engineer working in the "Corporate World" for a living. Evenings and weekends are devoted to Family, Shop Dog (Meko) - and of course - Big Wood Vise. WorkBench Restaurant in Germany - Scheinerei-Pfeiffer: While in Germany a good friend and colleague of mine had told me about a great restaurant in Bad Homburg - the "Scheinerei-Pfeiffer". The restaurant is an old woodworking shop, and all the tables are made from the original European workbenches used in the shop. The walls are adorned with late 1800 / early 1900 woodworking tools. You have to check this out. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#28 Note to Customers - Big Wood Vise Will Be Closed from October 10, 2009 until November 14,2009 I'm terribly sorry, but I have to be in Europe from October 10- November 14. We will be contacting you via email regarding your order position in the queue when I return. Thank You for Your Patience, and Your Understanding, Joe at Big Wood Vise. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#26 October 2008 - RSS Feed Added! To keep you better informed of new additions to the website - my great IT guy has added an RSS Feed feature to the website. If you have Internet Explorer 7.0 or newer, or an RSS Feed reader - you can subscribe to the Big Wood Vise RSS Feed, and be instantly notified of new additions to the website, articles, gallery updates, new products, - and - Sales! http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#18 Just a picture to let you folks know that the Vise Kits are heading out to the post office. I'm able to work a bit more each day, and your orders will all soon be filled. Thank You for your patience as I get them done. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#15 April 6, 2008 - Work in Progress! Just a shot from the shop, to let everyone know that work has been steadily progressing through the shop. It's a big change from going from making these things from 1 at a time to 10 at a time - but its coming together nicely. So far, everyone that has received their components has had very nice things to say (look for more testimonials soon). I'm making another batch of classics, followed by a batch of shakers, then back to the classics - its the only way to do this in any timely fashion. My thanks to everyone for being patient - I am overwhelmed with orders but working steadily through them - as you can see in the shop picture. That's a stack of 40 threaded nut stocks, 150+ drilled balls, 40+ handles, and only 5 classic vise screws in the picture - but 7 more behind me. I'll be boxing and shipping this evening. Oh, there in the background is the "Mark 1" vise that I made when I started my "refined" process about 8-9 years ago. That's my shop "beater" vise, thrown together in 30 minutes (ok -it shows it, too) - I use it virtually every day in the shop. It is mounted on the end of my table saw. It grips so strong that I can (and I have) lift the tablesaw into the air - by a workpiece held in the vise! Thanks Again! http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#1 Just click the add to cart button next to each product to place your order. Please note: BigWoodVise.com is using Paypal for order processing, - however - you do not need to have (or to create) a paypal account to purchase our products. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#10 I had never expected the response that I am getting, and I know that in order to meet demand - I have to beef up my jigs and fixtures (this is an eternal process with me- but definitely needed for the volume of orders that I am getting). Please be patient with me - this will insure that your orders are filled, and that I can spend my time making you the quality product that you deserve. At BigWoodVise - I truly believe in "Quality without Compromise" - if somethings not right - you won't receive it. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#9 Chris Schwarz posts his e-mail newsletter - with reference to the blog entry. My website started getting a lot of views! Thanks Chris! http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#8 Chris Schwarz's posts favorable mention of the wood vise screws in his blog. Well, apparently there are a lot of serious woodworkers that read Chris's blog on the internet. My website was receiving a ton of views! Lots of product inquiries, and orders! http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#7 I met Chris Schwarz, editor of WoodWorking Magazine, and Author of "Workbenches, from Design and Theory to Construction and Use", at WoodCraft in Sterling Heights, Michigan, before a class that he was teaching. I let him examine some of my all wooden vise screws and nuts that I have been making. Chris carefully inspected my work, and seemed to be really excited about them. He took some pictures of the vise screws and said that he would post them on his blog. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#6 I published the first primitive renditions of BigWoodVise.com - purposely omitting things to get the website picked up by search engines. I wanted to develop the website, and then start the "marketing plan" I had developed. Much to my surprise - I started getting inquiries from woodworkers around the world regarding the site - and wanting to purchase my all wood vise screws! My dreams of having a small business of my own were coming true. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#5 I finally decided that it was time that I quit talking about starting a hobby business - (as I had for years) - and decided to do it. I knew that if you wanted to make a business work these days, you had to really market to the world via the internet. I'm passionate about woodworking, and my hobbies include metalworking/machinist work, making cnc equipment, etc- and decided to market a product I've been developing and making for years - the all-wood vise for woodworker's workbenches. A product that is not only traditional looking -but incredibly functional and traditional, as well. I've been developing the process of making brutally strong wood screws for over 10 years. I'm a mechanical engineer - and love to tinker. I've been building, modifying and re-building equipment in a seemingly endless development cycle (Ok - I love to experiment), to perfect a brutally strong wood screw. So, I thought, what better product to start out with? Surely there are other woodworkers that would like a centuries old traditional wood vise... so.... BigWoodVise.com - was born! http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#3 I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. I have always had a passion for all things mechanical, in how they worked, and what they did. I have also always enjoyed woodworking and metalworking. I'm a mechanical engineer - that loves to tinker and build things - and so I began tinkering with making wooden screws and nuts and gears and what not. I decided that I wanted to build a strong wooden vise - complete with a wooden screw and nut - and began toying with ideas on how to make one. I eventually worked it out, to my satisfaction, and what you see today is the fruit of about 8-10 years of tinkering with various ways to manufacture them. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#14 In 1800 - Henry Maudsley invented the Engine lathe. This was the first powered lathe with a "lead screw" - which couples the rotational movement of the headstock with the lateral movement of the carriage - to cut the first accurate screws. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#13 Archimedes (287 BC - 212 BC) came up with the clever invention of using the screw thread to raise water. This principle is still in use today in grain elevators, and semi-solid handling systems. http://www.bigwoodvise.com/whats_new.cfm#12 It is popularly believed that the screw thread was invented about 400BC by Archytas of Tarentum (428 BC - 350 BC). Archytas is often referred to as the founder of mechanics and was a contemporary of Plato. One of the first applications of the screw principle was in presses for the extraction of oils from olives and juice from grapes. The oil presses have been found in ancient Pomeii worked by the screw principle.