How To Plate quench using bench vice.

[BlueSun]

I'm just getting ready to attempt my first 154CM blade. I have some AL quench plates that I was planning on mounting to a woodworkers vice as I've seen in many videos. I haven't bought a vice yet and the vices I've seen are toed-in at the top to allow a tighter clamp. Is that something I need to worry about when buying a vice or will the plates straighten out when clamped?
Thanks

 

[Hubert S.]

I put a piece of rubber between the quench plate and the top vise jaw to allow the plate to rotate slightly and make good contact. If you are buying a new vise, consider a quick release vise. They are a bit expensive, but I think they are worth it for the convenience.

 

[weo]

will the plates straighten out when clamped?

Sorry, but I'm not following this, are the plates not already straight?
If you're asking about the plates flattening against a tapered blade, then using rubber as Hubert mentioned above can work. What I did was use springs to allow the plate to adjust to the blade. Just make sure you have strong springs so you don't have to close the vice jaws all the way and changing the way the pates contact the blade.
Here's a picture of my set-up that seems to work:

Just a harbor freight woodworkers bench vice where I used aluminum jaws instead of wood jaws. I tapped the aluminum plates for the bolts, and the springs allow some shifting of the plates as necessary.