Benchcrafted Crisscross Retro Manuel d'instructions

Crisscross Contents:

Pictured items in bold

Quantity Description

2 Crisscross arms

1 pivot pin

3 snap rings (one extra)

2 8” mounting pins (Solo only)

2 2-1/2” mounting pins (Retro only)

2 iron mounting brackets (Retro only)

4 5/16” x 1-1/4” cap screws (Retro only)

2 1-3/4” steel bearing plates

2 #8 wood screws

ATTENTION!

Read and understand these instructions COMPLETELY AND THOROUGHLY

before starting the installation or cutting into your bench. This includes instal-

lation of both Crisscross Solo and Retro, and the Troubleshooting sections.

We highly recommend that you NOT begin installation without the Crisscross

and all vise hardware in your possession.

AAsssseemmbbllyy && IInnssttaallllaattiioonn IInnssttrruuccttiioonnss FFoorr::

BBeenncchhccrraafftteedd CCrriissssccrroossss SSoolloo && RReettrroo

Install a Crisscross with any leg vise hardware, begin here

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Unpacking your Crisscross:

Some parts are heavy. Be careful as you unpack and handle them. Also be aware that although we make

every effort to ease all edges, being cast and machined parts you may encounter a sharp egde or burr. If

you do, ease it with some fine abrasive paper or a fine file. Some components may have a rust prevent

tive oil applied. You may want to remove this oil before installing the vise. Wipe it off with a paper towel.

This will leave a light film of oil on the parts that will help prevent rust and keep the parts moving smoothly.

CCrriissssccrroossss

SSoolloo

CCrriissssccrroossss

RReettrroo

BBeenncchhccrraafftteedd GGlliiddee MM && GGlliiddee CC

Install a Glide M or Glide C, begin on page 12

Origins of the Benchcrafted Crisscross

A popular mechanism for maintaining parallelism in vise jaws began to surface in the American patent

record in the mid 19th century. There are also documented sources of this mechanism in the La Forge

Royale catalog, Paris, late 19th to early 20th c. This device is basically two pieces or "arms" of metal or

wood, equal in length, joined in the middle to create a pivot. The upper ends of the arms (also on pivots)

are joined to the bench’s leg and the chop. The resulting mechanism not only maintains a parallel open-

ing, but also supports the weight of itself, the vise components, and the chop. The beauty of the mecha-

nism is its simplicity. In modern times this mechanism has become known as the "St. Peter’s Cross",

taken from an early 20th c. publication describing it as such. To our knowledge, this is the only reference

to this device by name. There has been some discussion about the history of this moniker, and the pos-

sible misnomer, since it was the Apostle Andrew that was crucified on an "X"-shaped cross, St. Peter

being crucified on a "T"-shaped cross, albeit upside down. We eventually acquired a 19th century version

of the St. Peter’s Cross, and used it to prototype our version, the Benchcrafted Crisscross.

The Crisscross is built with a small amount of toe-in. In other words, the chop will contact the bench top at

the upper end of the vise slightly before it contacts the bottom. This helps hold thin or irregular stock. You

will need to follow the specific installation sequence in order to install the Crisscross to best effect.

About these instructions

We don’t like to be wordy, and we don’t like complexity. The length of these instructions is such as to

convey the information you need to install the Crisscross intelligently. If it’s superfluous, we won’t include it,

if its useful for the installation, you bet we’re going to include it. We know you don’t want any surprises,

and we know the Crisscross is going into some beautiful benches. This is the info you need to get it right

straightway. It’s an easy install, but you can screw it up if you dive in without reading this.

1. Retrofitting to an existing leg vise - getting your chop vertically centered

skip to section 2 if you’re installing a Crisscross and leg vise into a new bench

If you’re retrofitting a Crisscross Retro to an existing leg vise, first study the drawings to make sure you

have enough space, and your screw’s position is compatible. If your chop isn’t thick enough, or long

enough, make a new one or laminate material onto the inside face to house the Crisscross mortise. If

your existing chop has a mortise for a parallel guide, you may want to patch that just for looks. You may

want to patch the hole in the leg as well, but chances are it will fall under the bearing plate. You probably

don’t need to patch it for strength. If the mounting hole in the plate lands on the void, you can install it

upside down.

Normally when installing a Crisscross, the vise hardware itself is installed last. It’s easier to get the hard-

ware aligned with the Crisscross travel than vise versa. But since you’re retrofitting a Crisscross, you’ll

need to find the vertical center of your existing chop, screw and nut, then layout the location of the Criss-

cross based on this location. Once the Crisscross is installed, the vise screw needs to be travelling

parallel to the movement of the Crisscross. If your screw is off a few degrees (tilted up or down in its nut)

your vise may at worst bind, or at least not work smoothly. The Crisscross completely supports the weight

of the vise and chop, so to take advantage of this smooth movement, you also want the screw to turn

freely in its nut, and travel in a straight line, parallel to the in-out travel of the Crisscross. Again, if you’re

installing a new vise, install the Crisscross first, to establish the movement of the chop, then install the

vise screw. If a new chop is required for your retrofit, you could treat your install as new, and skip ahead to

section 2. Make sure you layout the hole in the new chop for the screw based on the location of the exist-

ing hole and nut in your bench leg.

Finding Vertical center in an existing chop

So now that you know that the screw travel and Crisscross travel need to be parallel, here’s how to find

the vertical center of your existing leg vise hardware in its chop. Close the vise almost all the way by

turning the screw clockwise, leaving it open just enough so the chop isn’t tight. Mark the back of the chop

and the side of the leg with a short, horizontal line--mark both the chop and the leg at the same spot. It

doesn’t matter where vertically, somewhere close to the top is fine for convenience. The weight of the

chop should be pulling down on the screw. This represents the lower position. (if your vise has a parallel

guide, make sure you remove it from the chop before this procedure.) Now, pull up on the screw’s handle

and watch the mark you made on the chop--it should move up from the corresponding mark on the leg.

Transfer this upper position to the leg by drawing a short line. It should fall just above the lower line on the

leg. The leg should now have two marks on it. Now tighten the vise slightly so it will hold its position as

you make the third mark. Depending on where the chop tightened up, adjust the vertical position of the

chop (tap down or lift up) until the mark on the back of the chop is centered between the two marks on the

leg. The screw is now vertically centered in the nut. It’s important that during this process the screw does

not contact wood as it passes through the clearance hole in the leg. If it does, enlarge the hole in the leg,

so with the vise vertically centered the screw does not contact any wood. You DO NOT want the screw to

rub on the inside of the hole.

With the chop still tight, draw a single horizontal line across the side of both the chop and leg. Open the

vise, then continue this line across the inside face of both the chop and leg. This is your datum, or refer-

ence line. When marking out the position of the Crisscross mortise, always measure and mark from this

line equally on the chop and leg. This will ensure your Crisscross is perfectly aligned with your vise screw.

Do not measure or reference off the ends of the chop or leg. And equally important, DO NOT change the

position of the nut on the back of the leg. If you do, you’ll have to find vertical center again.

Continue on in section 3, next page.

2. Note on New Installations

Installing a Crisscross Retro or Crisscross Solo in a new bench

In new installations (Retro or Solo) simply layout your main screw and Crisscross locations carefully,

keeping everything properly aligned using the drawings at the end of the instructions as a guide. You do

not need to find vertical center (section 1.) Your accurate layout and milling will all but guarantee your

screw running in line with the Crisscross. However, DO NOT fasten the main screw’s nut to the back of

the leg until the Crisscross and vise is mounted.

3. Mortise Layout - All Installations

The Crisscross occupies 19-1/2” of vertical space in your bench leg and chop. You can position the

Crisscross anywhere you like vertically (it should be centered left-to-right in the leg and chop, directly

below the vise screw) with a minimum of 1” of material left below the Crisscross mortise in the leg (you

can run the mortise clear through to the bottom of the leg if you absolutely have to.) The Crisscross will

open to a maximum of about 16”, but this is governed by the length of the vise screw. You should not

mount the Crisscross Solo in a bench leg that’s narrower than 3”, or the Retro in a leg narrower than 4”.

Bench leg and chop each need to be at least 2-1/2” thick (you could go thinner, at your own risk.) You

don’t need thick stock, you can laminate 8/4 stock onto 4/4 stock to achieve that thickness. Position the

glue lines towards the inside face so the mortise floor falls within solid stock (not on a glue line.) The chop

can be as narrow as 5”, but you’ll get better holding if you make it around 8” wide at the top. You can cut

any design you like onto the sides of the chop--tombstone shape, coves and curves-whatever. Just save

that step for the very end.

To layout the Crisscross mortises, refer to the measured drawings at the end of these instructions. It is not

necessary for the Crisscross to be a specific distance below the vise screw (but remember to allow

enough for the acetal bushing if you’re using one of our Benchcrafted leg vises.) The location on the

drawing is simply a lowest position of both the Crisscross and vise screw together in a given bench

height. You can shift both the Crisscross and your vise screw locations up or down to suit your bench

(Dimension “X”) Layout everything in full size before you cut anything.

Four points to consider when determining where to

vertically position your Crisscross:

The space below the Crisscross mortise

: ideally, you don’t want the mortise to be open at the bottom

of the leg. Best to keep some material here. 1" minimum. Although if you have a wide and thick leg (5" or

more) an open mortise won’t pose any problems. Make sure you chamfer the end of the mortise so you

don’t blow out material if you drag your bench across the floor.

The distance between the top of the Crisscross mortise and the vise screw

: Leave a little material

between the screw and the mortise for strength. You can get a bit closer with the Solo. If you’re installing a

Glide Leg Vise, the drawings show the ideal distance below the acetal bushing.

Height of the bench:

If you have a tallish bench of 36" or so, you might want to move everything up a

little. The drawings show, again, lowest possible position. This makes for a lot of room above the screw,

but you might want to reduce this so you’re not bending over too much to grab the vise handle.

4. Possible interference with an upper rail and/or the benchtop (see ilus. below) If you position your vise

and Crisscross without regard to upper rails running between your front and rear legs, or the benchtop

itself, you might find either part ending up where the vise’s nut needs to be, especially if your nut has a

large flange, or you’re using a thick wooden nut. This especially important in very short benches. If you are

retrofitting a Crisscross and have less than about 20” below the screw, you may need to move the entire

vise up to accomodate the Crisscross. Again, layout in full size before cutting or drilling.If you’re installing

a Crisscross Retro, skip ahead to section 5.

4. Crisscross Solo Installation

for installation in new, unassembled benches only

(skip to section 5 if you’re installing a Crisscross Retro)

NOTE: DO NOT install your leg vise hardware before installing the Crisscross Solo. But DO layout for

it. Accomplish all vise and Crisscross installation work on the chop and leg with the leg itself not yet

permanently joined to the bench. You can layout and cut bench joinery, but its easiest to install your

vise before final bench assembly.

Refer to the drawings at the end for the Crisscross Solo installation. Make sure you leave your chop a

little long at the top, you’ll cut it flush with the top surface of the bench after the Crisscross is completely

mounted and functioning smoothly.

Drill the holes for the mounting pins on a drill press. This is where the Solo is best used. If you don’t have

a drill press, or aren’t confident in drilling deep, straight holes, you should use the Crisscross Retro.

Tip: when drilling deep holes use a sharp, high quality bit and back the bit out frequently (every 3/4” at

most) to clear chips. You should drill clear through the leg and chop to make installation easier should you

need to tap the pins out from the opposite side.

Once the holes are drilled, cut the mortises with your method of choice. You’re just getting wood out of the

way here, the mortises don’t have to be perfect, although the bottom portions do need to be flat for the

bearing plates to seat flatly. We like to hog out most of the waste on the drill press with a large Forstner

bit, followed by a fence-equipped router.

After the mortises are cut, install the two bearing plates with the included screws at the bottom of each

mortise.These bear the force of the bottom of each Crisscross arms.

Next, assemble the Crisscross arms, with the flat backs together and the ends with holes on the same

end (up). Align the center hole and insert the pivot pin with ONLY ONE snap ring installed. Leaving one

snap ring off lets you test fit and disassemble easily during the installation process. The pin might shift

around a little during the install, but that won’t affect anything. Once your leg vise and Crisscross are

completely finished, you can snap the other ring into place. To get a ring off, pry it open slightly with a

small, flat head screwdriver placed in one of the small openings in the perimeter of the snap ring.

Now drive the mounting pins into the holes in the chop and leg until they just come into the mortise. Place

one half of the assembled Crisscross into the leg mortise and slip the arm onto the end of the pin. Tap the

pin until it passes into the opposite hole in the leg. Now get the chop and repeat the same process for the

other half of the Crisscross. Make sure the Crisscross isn’t rubbing on the sides of the mortise. If it is,

shift it left or right. Once its in position, it will find its own center and generally stay there. The chop should

now “float” in and out quite easily as the Crisscross supports the weight of the chop.

Now check the vise for proper toe-in, see section 6.

To remove a mounting pin during installation, use a smaller pin (we use a hex ball driver with screwdriver

handle) to drive it out. The smaller pin will catch the hole in the Crisscross and keep the arm engaged

with the chop/leg. You can now pull the smaller pin out easily since it’s loose in the hole and safely remove

the Crisscross arm from the mortise. Now you can cut the mounting pins to final length and polish the

ends for a finished look.

Next, drill the necessary holes in the chop and leg for your leg vise hardware and install the screw only.

Here’s a critical step: You need to position the vise’s nut and fasten it to the bench leg so its in

line with the movement of the Crisscross.

Here’s how you do it:

With the chop completely closed and the screw ‘s flange/handle (T-casting, Glide handwheel, wooden

screw hub, etc.) mounted to the chop, and with the Crisscross mounted, thread the nut onto the screw

until it gets close to the back of the leg. Make sure the chop is centered left-to-right on the leg. Now with

one hand, press hard on the vise’s handle directly in line with the screw. This will push the chop closed,

forcing the inner surface of the vise handle to seat flat on the outside of the chop, flange or casting, posi-

tioning the screw into a closely parallel orientation with the Crisscross (assuming of course that you’ve

made the faces of your chop flat and parallel) As you’re pushing in, you can observe the end of the screw

raising up and finding its center within the leg’s clearance hole. It

must not touch any wood

in the chop

or the leg. While still pushing in, tighten the nut against the back of the leg until snug. If your vise chop has

a lot of toe-in (see section 6) your screw will point more towards the floor. Keep this in mind during the

next step. Crouch down and while holding the nut in position with one hand, slowly operate the vise. Try

not to move the nut. If the vise operates smoothly, close the vise carefully until the nut is again snug

against the back of the leg. If it doesn’t operate smoothly, try shifting the nut around to find a spot where

the vise does operate smoothly. What you’re doing here is finding the sweet spot where the screw is

resting gently inside the nut. This will allow the vise to operate at its peak.

When you’re satisfied, mark the leg through the nut mounting holes for the mounting screws (snug the vise

enough that the weight of the screw does not drop down and spoil the location of the nut.) Mark the nut

itself so when you install it, its in the same orientation as before. Now remove the nut, drill the pilot holes

for the screws, and attach the nut. Thread the screw back through the nut and test the action. The vise

should now work sweetly. Your Crisscross Solo install is complete. You can now cut the chop to final

length, do any shaping, and if you like, glue some suede onto the inside of the chop and top and apply

any finish.

5. Retro Installation

for retrofitting an assembled bench

for new installations in unassembled benches

Note for retrofitting a Benchcrafted Split Top Roubo, or other assembled benches:

For those who

are retrofitting into our Split Top Roubo, or installing into a new Split Top Roubo, or are retrofitting into

similar benches, the Crisscross mortise in the leg requires some different joinery between the leg and

front rail. In the Split Top Roubo, the typical placement of the mortise and tenon of the front rail, and the

bolt and barrel nut falls within the Crisscross mortise. To solve this issue, a thicker front rail (and tenon) is

made to allow the bolt and barrel nut to be installed

behind

the Crisscross mortise. See drawings at the

end of these instructions.

Note for new installations only: DO NOT install your leg vise hardware before installing the Criss-

cross Retro. But DO layout for it. Accomplish all vise and Crisscross installation work on the chop and

leg with the leg itself not yet permanently joined to the bench. You can layout and cut bench joinery,

but its easiest to install your vise before final bench assembly.

Refer to the drawings for the Crisscross Retro installation. Make sure you leave your chop a little long at

the top, you’ll cut it flush with the top surface of the bench after the Crisscross is completely mounted and

functioning smoothly.

If you haven’t already, review section

1. “Retrofitting to an existing leg vise”

to make sure you’ve

vertically centered the chop. If you’re retrofitting to an existing bench, but building a new chop, you should

still do this step since the nut is already attached to your bench leg and may be difficult to relocate. That

means you’ll need to mount the vise hardware to the new chop first, using the existing location of the

clearance hole and nut position in the leg as a guide, then find vertical center, then proceed with installing

the Crisscross.

After accomplishing your layout, cut the stepped mortises for the mounting brackets and arms. At the

upper end of each mortise where the two machined surfaces of the mounting bracket bear against the

wood, be diligent to chop the end grain of the mortise so it’s square to floor of the mortise. The bracket

needs to seat firmly and squarely here. See illustration below.

Next, place a bracket in the mortise and press it tight to the upper end of the mortise (where it butts into

end grain) and while holding it tight, use a transfer punch to mark for the two mounting screws. Try to bias

the location slightly towards the upper end of the mortise, so as you install the screws the bracket will be

drawn tight to the upper end of the mortise. You can see why its important to layout your mortise carefully,

since the end of the mortise here, where you chopped it square, determines the vertical position of the

Crisscross and the alignment of the arms to each other. Be diligent to get everything correct here. Take

your time and work with care and attention.

Drill and tap for the 5/16” mounting screws. (See the addendum at the end for info on tapping wood for

machine screws) Then test mount both brackets in the leg and chop. After you’ve determined that they fit

properly you’ll need to remove them to install the arms.

New installs only:

Drill the necessary holes in the

chop and leg for the vise hardware. DO NOT

MOUNT THE NUT.

Install the two bearing plates at the very bottom of

each mortise with the included wood screws.

These bear the force of the bottom of each Criss-

cross arm.

To mount the Crisscross Retro, first join each arm

to the brackets with the 2-1/2” mounting pins. See

the illustration at left to get the orientation correct.

The pins just slip in place and fit loosely and rotate

with no resistance. These are held in place by the

walls of the mortise, and once the bracket is in-

stalled, they are trapped in place. Now place the

bracket in the mortise and drive the two mounting

screws. You’ll need to swing the arm up and out of

the way to access the mounting holes. Mount both

assemblies to the leg and the chop. (You will find it

easier to work on the assembled vise with the leg

clamped to a bench or the like.)

Get ready to test the action of the assembled

Crisscross. If you’re building new, clamp the leg in

a vise or against a bench so you can test the

Crisscross action in the proper position. Place the

pivot pin in one of the arms with only one snap ring

installed (leaving one snap ring off lets you test fit

and disassemble easily during the installation

process. The pin might shift around a little during

the installation, but that won’t affect anything. Once

your leg vise and Crisscross are completely fin-

ished, you can snap the other ring into place. To

get a ring off, pry it open slightly with a small, flat

head screwdriver placed in one of the small open-

ings in the perimeter of the snap ring) Now swing

the arms together, flat back to flat back, until the

central pivot pin holes align. Push the pin into the

other arm.

Make sure the Crisscross isn’t rubbing on the

sides of the mortise. If it is, shift it left or right. Once

its in position, it will find its own center and gener-

ally stay there. The chop should now “float” in and

out quite easily as the Crisscross supports the

weight of the chop.

Now check the vise for proper toe-in, see section

Retrofitting only:

With the Crisscross functioning properly, go ahead and remount the vise onto the chop

and thread the main screw into the nut to test the vise for smooth action. The vise should work sweetly.

Your Crisscross Retro install is complete. You can now cut the chop to final length, do any shaping, and if

you like, glue some suede onto the inside of the chop and top and apply any finish.

New installs:

Here’s a critical part. You’ll need to position the vise’s nut and fasten it to the bench leg so

its in line with the movement of the Crisscross. Here’s how you do it: