Benchcrafted Glide Leg Vise

Inspired by the 18th century designs of Andre Roubo, this vise hardware lets you plan and create the ultimate front vise for your workbench that will allow you to clamp and hold your stock and projects with exceptional strength.

A leg vise (whose long front jaw pad is called a “chop”) has several advantages over conventional cast iron vises. Because a leg vise does not need the pair of guide rods required on a Record-style vise, it’s possible to clamp a workpiece right up against the screw and thus virtually eliminate racking. Leg vises also allow about 9″ of workable depth, more than twice the space typical of iron face vises, plus the mechanical advantage inherent in a leg vise’s geometry provides a more powerful overall grip.

Benchcrafted’s exquisitely smooth action of their double-lead, acme screw with a 4 tpi pitch, gives this vise hardware a highly efficient 1/2″ of travel per revolution of the hand wheel.

Crisscross Mechanism

Benchcrafted’s Crisscross mechanism makes operation of the Glide Vise even sweeter. The scissor action of the “St. Peter’s Cross” eliminates the need for a traditional leg vise’s parallel guide and adjustment pin, and instead takes advantage of the mass and free spinning action of the hand wheel to provide smooth and unencumbered movement over the vise’s entire range.

Benchcrafted Crisscross hardware comes three versions.

• The Solo Crisscross mechanism is for installation in new bench construction. It is made from cast iron and powder coated in a matte black finish.
• The Retro Crisscross mechanism is almost the same as the Solo version, but includes mounting brackets which make it easier to install when retrofitting an existing bench. The Retro can be used on new benches and is actually easier to install. It is made from cast iron and powder coated in a matte black finish.
• The Crisscross 14 is a smaller version of the Solo Crisscross mechanism for use on benches shorter than 30″. The mortise required is only 14-1/4″ long – compared to 19-1/2″ for the Solo & Retro. It is made from cold rolled steel. It can be used on taller benches, but is optimized for benches with a front vise jaw (the chop) that is under 30″ in length.

Which Crisscross should you choose?

If you can put your bench leg on a drill press table to drill the top pivot mounting hole, choose the Solo. If not, choose the Retro. The Crisscross 14 is not available in a retro version. On a shorter bench requiring the crisscross 14, you’ll need to drill the leg on a drill press.

Handwheel

Benchcrafted offers two options for the handwheel of the Glide Leg Vise. Both are completely designed and manufactured in the USA.

• Polished — This 8″ handwheel is polished to a beautiful gloss and features aluminum knobs with a black wrinkle coating.
• Cast — This 8″ handwheel has a retro rough-cast look and and features aluminum knobs with a black wrinkle finish.

Important Note – Crisscross Design Change

In February 2025, Benchcrafted released a new version of the Crisscross Solo and Retro.

The length of the Crisscross arms (the two main parts of the mechanism) were shortened by 1-1/2″. This allows the Crisscross to be fit into a wider variety of workbench heights and allows for a greater variety of vise installation positions without affecting performance. The mortise for the V2 Crisscross arm is now 18″ long, the previous version being 19-1/2″ long. All other aspects of the Crisscross Solo and Retro remain unchanged.

Updated instructions can be downloaded below or on the Benchcrafted website.

Additional Information

Benchcrafted Glide M or Glide C Vise Installation Instructions.

Benchcrafted Glide M or Glide C Vise Installation Instructions 2022.

Benchcrafted Glide M or Glide C Vise Installation Instructions 2025.

Benchcrafted Glide M or Glide C Vise Installation Instructions (Crisscross 14) 2025.

Installation Instructions for the previous Benchcrafted Glide Vise.