Device consisting of two parallel jaws for holding a workpiece.
One of the jaws is fixed, and the other can be moved by a screw , lever , or cam . Vises used for holding a workpiece during hand operations (such as filing, hammering, or sawing) are usually permanently bolted to a bench. In vises designed to hold metallic workpieces, the faces of the jaws are hardened steel plates, often removable, with teeth that grip the workpiece. Woodworking vises have smooth jaws, often of wood, and rely on friction alone rather than on teeth.