Grinding vise right of passage

[Bob Korves]

Probably commercial shop vises with the scars. NOT MINE!!! says the culprit... We need to be quite careful to keep them pristine, doesn't always happen, particularly in a commercial shop, where hired hands on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, and deep into the Thursday graveyard shift can increase the risk greatly...

 

[projectnut]

Fortunately I haven't made any "witness marks" on any of my grinder vises. I'm not sure if it's been just plain dumb luck, or caution from lessons learned. I did one time throw a dressing tool across the room and ruin a grinding wheel. I had just put the dresser on the chuck when someone came up beside me and asked a question. I was cranking the table into position when I looked over my shoulder to give an answer. At that moment the wheel struck the dresser and tossed it across the room. It also took a chunk out of the wheel and put a slight ding in the chuck.

No one was hurt, but the sound of the dresser hitting the stock rack about 6' away certainly got everyone's attention. No major damage in that the wheel and dressing tool were near the end of their lives. I replaced the wheel and dresser, but left the ding in the table as a reminder of what not to do.