reikimaster

Ok... on my "temporary" bench, I wanted to have a vise. (I'm calling it temporary until I figure out how I USE my bench before I go off and build a heavy duty bench).

So I was at Lowes and I saw this vise for under $20 an bought it. Figured.... what the heck. Now here's my problem... I'm not sure how to mount this thing.

Here's a picture of it. This isn't the brand I bought, but it *is* the exact same construction.
http://www.amazon.com/Columbian-3317...032845&sr=8-38

My bench is 2.25" thick. It's 2 pieces of 3/4" MDF laminated and then a piece of 3/4" plywood on top. Currently there is no apron so the front edge is just .... well you see the layers of MDF and plywood.

So I could flip my bench top over and lag it in, right? But I'm looking at those holes for mounting it and they're awfully close to the edge. Just lagging it into the MDF doesn't make me feel exceptionally confident. I'm afraid if I put something in the vise and then DO anything with it... like... planing or something... that i'll loosen up the lags in the MDF or just break 'em out the front.

Now I know it's a light duty vise. And heavier stuff would warrant a heavier vise....and bench, for that matter... but would I be better off like.... recessing a piece of 3/4" maple or oak into the bottom of my benchtop and using that as a mount point? I mean.... I could actually use nuts and bolts right through a piece of hard wood and then screw THAT into the bottom of the bench.

Then there's aesthetics... just bolt the darn thing on? Or should I recess the vise into the front of the bench so that only its wood jaw face sticks out?

I'm in a quandry.


oh yeah..... it came with no instructions at all (remember my other post about "This is why you shouldn't cheap out"?) .... hehehehe.... over and over and over we learn.... until we finally "get it".

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Fourleftpaws

Really pretty simple - you just slide it up to your bench with the two stabilizing bars and the screw bar under the bench. Then screw the back of the vice (should have two holes) to the side of your bench - and by the stabilizing bars and screw bar there is another two hole that you add screw to the underside of the bench. (Is that as plane as mud or what??) Also a some wood to the inside of the jaws so you will not damage what ever you putting in the vise.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne/338638317/

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Larry

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duckarrowtypes

I did what fourleftpaws did and haven't had any problems. We probably have the same vice!

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reikimaster

Ok, but just so you understand what I'm talking about.... YOUR vise has 4 screws going UP into the bottom of your bench. (plus a couple through the face of the jaw).

The vise I have only has 2 holes for screws going up into the bottom of the bench. Mine has ONLY the 2 holes closest to the edge of the bench. It doesn't have the other 2 which on yours are slotted.

My concern is that those 2 holes are too close to the edge. The screws would be biting into 1.5" of MDF only about half inch from the edge. If I had 4 screws in the bottom like yours, I'm not sure I'd be concerned, but with only 2, and with both of those being so close to the edge, ..... makes me nervous.

I think I've talked myself into mounting the vise on a good, solid piece of wood, big enough that I can recess it into the bottom of the bench and run about 4 to 6 meaningful screws into the bench.

bobj3

Hi reikimaster

I had one like you now have , this is how I got around the mounting it to the work bench, I took off the front plate and drilled two holes in the back plate and used two 1/4" x 2 1/2" flat head wood, then made a wood plates out of 1/2" and 3/4" hardwood for both parts of the vise then screwed them in place and I also made a pair of sliding hardwood dogs for the front part of the vise...that would slide up to hold parts for hand plane work.


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AxlMyk

I have mine mounted with 2 carriage bolts through the bench, and 2 screws into the face of the bench. I don't see why your bench wouldn't hold it, especially with the ply top.

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curiousgeorge

Why can't you simply drill two holes all the way through the bench and counter sink on the top for the bolt heads. That way you will have the strength of both the ply and mdf. If that breaks you need to work on smaller rhino's. ;-)

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George

If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem...

reikimaster

yeah.... thanks for the reality check. This is, after all, a light duty vise and I knew that when I bought it. I gotta stop thinking so much.

AxlMyk

Just make sure that you get it positioned with the vise completely assembled and closed.. I didn't do that and found that the bench interfered with the vise screw after I mounted it. I had to remount it a couple inches to the right..

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reikimaster

Ok I mounted it. I actually drilled the holes with my drill press

Pulled the benchtop and set it on my table saw, hanging over the edge. Pulled my drill press over zapped some holes in the table top. To give you an idea how close these holes are to the edge, when I drilled the 3/4" countersinks, they were literally a hair away from peeking through the front edge.

It worked though and I put 1/2" oak on the faces because I had a piece layin' here that fit.

AND.... I still have access to the drawer that's right below the vise. I thought I'd lose that drawer.