1) The Vise

Vises exist in several different designs. They can cost from a few dollars to many hundreds of dollars. The very cheap vises are not recommended. They are hard to adjust, don’t hold the hook well, don’t last very long and cause much frustration. Your vise must have very strong jaws that can be tightened so the hook won’t slip under pressure. You must be able to adjust the jaws to allow for different hook sizes.

Go to a retailer that has several types on display. Try them out and choose one in your price range that you feel comfortable working with.

Vises can be held in place one of two ways. Shown here is a pedestal vice. It can be used anywhere but it is heavy.

Here is a clamp mount vise. This style will firmly hold your vise in place and allows for height adjustment. The only problem is that it can’t be attached to surfaces with wide edges. Also if you attach it to fine dining room furniture someone may protest!

Here is a clamp mount vise ready to use. Note that it faces right for right handed people. If you are left handed, make the vise point to your left.

Here a hook is placed in the vice with the thread attached and the bobbin hanging down. The jaw tips should be at least 10 cm. above the table. This allows the bobbin to not hit the table when hanging down. This is important because you need the weight of the bobbin to keep pressure on the thread. This prevents what you have tied from coming apart.

If you find the vice too high for comfort when tying, add a pillow or two to your chair to raise your height.

Here is a close up of the adjusting knob on this vice. Notice that only one knob is there compared to the three adjustment knobs that are shown on the older pedestal vice. The single adjustment makes life a lot simpler.