I use a 6" clamp-on bench vise in my shop for many jobs. When it was new, I installed some simple wood jaw faces in the vise to make it easier to use for woodworking. But over time, these wood faces had become nicked, scarred, and encrusted with glue. Needing some new faces, I decided it would be useful to make a few different styles for various tasks. I also wanted to make them so they would be easy to switch out. What I decided on is the design you see above.
My interchangable jaw faces are easy to make. After cutting the new jaw faces to size from plywood, I routed T-slots in the back face of each replacement jaw.
A T-slot cutting bit in the router table makes quick work of the task. The slots line up with the mounting holes on the face of the vise jaws.
Insert a couple of hex head bolts in the vise and thread them in just enough so that the wood jaws slip in place. I made one regular set of jaws, one set with cork faces for delicate parts, and one set with V-grooves for round stock.
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