"Dave Jackson" wrote in
nk.net:

Armed with a large cup of coffee, several plans printed off the
internet
and a copy of "The Workbench Book" I proceeded to shamelessly steal
and mix a bunch of ideas together to create my future bench this
morning. As of now, the base for the new workbench is roughed out
and dry fitted. What really needs to happen next is I have to make
some decisions on the vises before I build the top. I've done some
research here, but would like to get some opinions to help with the
final decision. So far, the Veritas twin screw looks good for the
tail, (unless anyone has another suggestion to look into), so the
dilemma is mainly on the front vise. The "Tucker" vise from Lee
Valley looks like the cadillac of vises, but also has a cadillac price
of $550, there are imported knockoff patternmakers vises for less,
but I'm unsure if I need a patternmakers vise anyway. I prefer hand
cut joinery, and am learning to carve so the vice should be able to
accommodate those tasks. Also, I'm not against just buying a screw
and building the jaws. Anyone have a suggestion or preference I can
look into? Any input appreciated. --dave

I'd definitely recommend a tail vise. Once you get used to a tail vise and
dogs you will not be able to live without one. I built mine sort of like
the "Fortune vise" design in The Workbench Book, but instead using
commercially available sliding vise hardware such as Lee Valley #70G09.01.

For economy's sake, I use a beech-lined Chinese quick release clamp front
vise. It's a clone of a Record vise. The expense of a patternmaker's vise
would be difficult for me to justify since the front vise is rarely used
compared to the tail vise.

Here's a pic of the workbench I built:
http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/workbench04/P8260198.JPG