Reply To: Vice Depth opinions please

I also have about a cm between the top of the vise and the main bench. Most vises will not have exactly parallel faces, there will be a little toe in, so that the top will pinch first. If your liners can flex a little, this gets you a bit extra grip. I have softwood faces and I also put some old cork tiles on the inside of mine, about 5mm down. This gives me a softer face for gripping (I use mostly softwood), and also a nice lip that I can use if I am wanting to grip thin pieces laterally. Saves having to balance the piece while fiddling with the vise.
An added benefit of the extra material on the face above the metal jaw, should you feel the need, is that when sawing down to a specific depth, you can set the depth at the top of the face, and not worry about damaging your saw on the metal jaw. Challenge yourself not to hit the liners though, it will help you in the long term.
The liners on mine extend about 5 or 6 cm out to either side, so that I have a face wide enough to capture taller boards. I try to use both sides evenly to avoid too much damage from racking.