Least-Offensive Location for Mechanic's Vise on Bench?

[Steve H Graham]

My bench is not a real woodworking bench. I made it a long time ago, before I had any idea there was such a thing as a woodworking bench, and I use it for all sorts of stuff. It's made of the finest Home Depot pine two-by-sixes, with a number of 1/4" flat-top screw heads flush with the top surface. The top is 1.5" thick. The area is about 67" by 30".

Now that I am making a semi-serious effort to fix up my shop so I can do woodworking as well as random tool tasks, I would like to make some changes to the bench. I am not going to replace it or put a fancy top on it right now, because I don't expect to stay in this location very long.

There is a heavy 5" mechanics' vise on the front left corner of the bench. I can't get rid of that. It's too useful. But I can move it. I am thinking I would like to put a front vise on the bench fairly close to the current location of the mechanic's vise. It seems like the front left corner is the standard location.

I am thinking the least-bad location for the mechanic's vise is the front right corner. I wouldn't be able to have a tail vise, but I feel like that's something to put off for a future bench anyway. I figure I can use holdfasts and a batten Will I have big problems if about one square foot of space in the right front corner is permanently unavailable? I can move it temporarily if absolutely necessary.

[Jim Becker]

I mounted my "mechanic's vice" on a plywood base with a 90º foot that I can secure in my bench's woodworking vice. That way, it's "not there" unless I'm actually using it for something, which is very rare. (I also put a cover on my bench if I'm doing something with metal whenever possible to not contaminate the bench) I store the mechanic's vice out of the way when it's not in use...which is most of the time. It can also then be used in other locations, too, simply by clamping it down to any surface that a clamp or two can be used with.

[Chuck Nickerson]

I mounted my "mechanic's vice" on a plywood base with a 90º foot that I can secure in my bench's woodworking vice.

This +100. This approach also lets you have more than one vise: machinist, parrot, carving, etc., any of which can be dropped into place.

[Pat Barry]

I mounted my "mechanic's vice" on a plywood base with a 90º foot that I can secure in my bench's woodworking vice. That way, it's "not there" unless I'm actually using it for something, which is very rare. (I also put a cover on my bench if I'm doing something with metal whenever possible to not contaminate the bench) I store the mechanic's vice out of the way when it's not in use...which is most of the time. It can also then be used in other locations, too, simply by clamping it down to any surface that a clamp or two can be used with.


This is also what I did. Maybe I got the idea from Jim originally
:)

Of course my vise isn't alll that heavy that I can't lift it and the plywood base onto my benchtop when needed.

[Bruce Page]

I have my mechanics' vise mounted on the front right of my bench. I do some metal working and at times need to whale away on it aggressively. Mounting it into my woodworking vise wouldn't work for me. I don't do very much Neander work and my bench top is 36"x96" so the mechanics' vise has never gotten in my way, it's easy enough to remove if it does.

[glenn bradley]

I mounted my "mechanic's vice" on a plywood base with a 90º foot that I can secure in my bench's woodworking vice.


This +100. This approach also lets you have more than one vise: machinist, parrot, carving, etc., any of which can be dropped into place.


This is also what I did. Maybe I got the idea from Jim originally

Yep. These posts echo my humble opinion. Unless you can successfully mix wood and metal work areas (I never have been able to) the least offensive area for your machinists vise is off the bench until its needed.

The offensiveness will vary with what you do and how you do it but, I cannot imagine anything spiking my blood pressure like shifting the position of a nearly completed drawer unit on the bench and running into a vise (or anything else proud of my bench surface) :D

[Larry Browning]

I have a separate bench that my mechanics vice is mounted on. Prior to that I had it mounted on a 2X6 that was the width of the bench. I clamped it to the bench.
I don't know about you, but I sometimes apply quite a bit of torque to that vice and having it mounted and clamped I occasionally was able to break it loose from the clamps. Which was annoying at best and sometimes dangerous. I'm not saying this will happen to you or that I could have not devised a more secure way to clamp it to the workbench, but I can say that since bolting it to the separate workbench that has never happened. Mine is bolted to the right front corner of the bench, but I am left handed so maybe the left front corner would be better.

[Steve H Graham]

I'm in the same boat as Bruce. I can't use clamps or temporary fasteners to hold the vise down. It has to be rock-solid. And it weighs 50 pounds, so I would like to avoid moving it. It has to stay attached.

I guess it's going to the right front corner.

[Dave Cav]

Like most of the other guys, I had mine mounted in on a piece of plywood and clamped it in the front vise on the WW bench. Then I finally built a separate metalworking bench, then ultimately put a small addition on the shop for all the MW stuff to keep it and the WW stuff separate.

I agree that a big, beefy metalworking vise is very handy, but it's ALWAYS in the way on a WW bench, unless, maybe your bench is 16 feet long.

[Larry Edgerton]

I bolted mine to a plate, welded the plate to a hitch drop hitch upside down, and bolted a receiver on the bottom of a bench. Take out the pin, slide it out and its out of the way. If I need it outside I can slide it in the receiver in my truck or the one on my tractor.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Questions:



How often do you use it? If it is a bit of trouble to remove it and I do not use it much, well, then it can be a bit problematic to remove and install.
How big is your bench? (so how in the way will it be) If you routinely move things around that would make it "in the way", then it should probably be removable.
Are there space considerations that dictate where it must go? If you connect large things to the vice, it may need to be in a specific location so that there is room to attach things.
How secure can you make it and still have it removable? If you have holed in your bench, you can probably create some sort of system that allows you to attach the vice using the existing holes. If it need not always be rock solid, you can use a bench hook that drops into wood vice to hold it in place, and, when it must be super duper sturdy, then you drop bolts through those holes in your bench and tighten it down.


Just some thoughts.

[Peter Quinn]

I bolted mine to a piece of 5/4 hard pine, i can easily clamp it to my bench if thats where I need to work, but it spends more time on the drill press because I can clamp it to the DP table and use it to secure work, it also has a lower round jaw for holding pipes which has come in handy at the DP too. I have since gotten a little X-Y table for the DP, but the stout metal vice still gets some use there for certain things. My bench happens to be the out feed table for my TS, so I can't have a permanent vise above the plane of the table.

[Steve H Graham]

I moved it. Getting it off the bench allowed me to plane the front two boards so things would actually sit level, and I also removed all the screws in the front of the bench, countersunk them deeper, and reinstalled them so the heads are below the bench surface.

Here's something weird: while I was drilling a hole for one of the bolts, I hit something that sounded just like metal. I thought I had run into a screw. I tried to knock it out with a carbide masonry bit, but it wouldn't move. I found a piece of scrap metal (stainless rod), put it in the hole, and bopped it with a hammer. The hole bottom gave out, taking a chunk of pine with it, but at least I was able to bolt the vise down.

There is no metal there and no knot, so why is it so hard?

[Michael W. Clark]

I bolted mine to a plate, welded the plate to a hitch drop hitch upside down, and bolted a receiver on the bottom of a bench. Take out the pin, slide it out and its out of the way. If I need it outside I can slide it in the receiver in my truck or the one on my tractor.

Good idea and it would extend it past the bench for good access.

[Keith Outten]

My receiver hitch is welded to a post in my shop but I have seen the same type of system installed on work benches...something like the one I use on my metal workbench in picture number three. You could weld tabs on the receiver at locations to fit your wooden bench structure and bolt the receiver to your wooden bench.

The hitch receivers in my shop are invaluable. I have motors with buffing wheels, sanders and whole host of metal benders and other things that are mounted to 2" square tubing so the can be used in the receivers. I also have a coupe table tops that I use in this system. One the the tables is aluminum with angle iron fastened to the bottom which fits in the metal vise. The other is a plywood table that is mounted to a piece of square tubing, I use this one for routing and other jobs where its handy to be able to work around a project 360 degrees. Its handy to be able to set a turntable on top of the wooden table for spray painting projects and to fasten a vacuum puck so I can route projects without clamping.
.

[Bernie May]

I have been getting ready to clamp mine to my new bench, but a new thought occurred. Maybe I can hinge it to the bench so it flops over the side or the back side when not in use.

[Mac McQuinn]

I've used large threaded brass inserts in the top of my reloading bench to hold things like a vice and press to the bench. Top is a torsion box, MDO/2x4 construction. Seems to do the job and keeps the bench "clean". Storage for press and vice is in "Rubbermaid" containers underneath on shelf.
Mac

[ian maybury]

Having done it for many years I'm not a big fan of a metal working vise on a bench where woodworking is done - the issue for me is cross contamination of the woodwork with metal particles from filing, hacksawing and the like. Cutting with an angle grinder is the worst of all - it spews a stream of hot metal particles everywhere. If nothing else it's potentially a fire risk (not sure how real the risk is) when there's wood shavings and sawdust about. There's also times i weld, braze or solder, which can drip hot material on the bench causing burn marks as well.

If forced to do metalwork on a woodworking bench i'd argue strongly for at minimum a well sealed, smooth and decently hard coating on the bench - so that the metal particles are easily swept up. A fancier and much better solution (since hot grits can burn into and partly stick to wood finishes which messes up the effectiveness of the vacuum) can be to sheet the area around the vise with some (brushed?) stainless steel sheet. Drill it to suit the vise, and it can be sandwiched with/held down by it and some countersunk screws (drill at slow speed to prevent over heating and hardening), get it folded in the local fab shop and it can wrap around the front edge of the bench top. Which latter prevents the edge getting damaged or rubbish getting under it, and looks neater.

Best of all though is a dedicated/separate metal working bench, ideally in a room separate from the woodworking...

[Jim Becker]

Keith, the hitch receiver thing is an incredible idea!

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

I can't take credit for the receiver hitch idea, its been around for a long time. I have expanded on it though, finding more and more places that it makes sense and allows me to get more done in a variety of situations. What I need now is to design a shop rack to store all of the things that I have installed on square tubing that fits in my receivers.

I have receivers mounted on my van, tractor, garden tractor, golf cart, lawn mower, work bench and the one on the post in my shop. Soon I will add several more receivers on the post at various levels to accommodate more jobs and machines.

[Shawn Pixley]

Like Larry, my mechanic's vise is mounted to a separate bench. I the can apply big torque and not overly worry about metal bits. I would not mount it to woodworking bench give the way I work.

[Larry Edgerton]

Keith, never thought of using my setup for a grinder. I will now!

Thanks

[Matthew Hills]

I've got my mechanics vise on my original bench that is used with rigid spindle sander, desktop drill press, misc. home repairs, and sharpening. My woodworking bench is on the opposite side of the shop and remains wood-only.

Matt

[Keith Outten]

Keith, never thought of using my setup for a grinder. I will now!

Thanks

Larry,

You can mount your bench grinder to a metal plate and either use fasteners or weld the plate to the square tubing. I have also used plywood mounts shaped like a "T" for several tools so I can quickly mount them in either my woodworking or metal vise. All of my scroll benders are mounted to 1/2" thick wall aluminum "T" or "L" shapes so I can swap them out real quick when I need to do multiple bends. If I roll the scroll bender 90 degrees I can bend vertically and the T tubing piece that you can see in pic with the pipe vise allows me to rotate into a vertical mode as well.

In the second pic you can see how I can mount my small pipe vise. The options are endless as you work through a variety of jobs you will find more ways to use the receivers for rigging and holding long boards and pipe..you name it.

A receiver could easily be tucked under a bench top and fastened underneath so it would never get in the way of normal work or projects. Using square tubing as an extender can get whatever tool you need to work with away from the bench and provide a lot of clearance that you can't get from a bench mounted vise. Imagine working at your vise with no obstructions underneath and being able to use a shop stool right up close to the vise as well. I can also setup a table for my miter saw and have a very long temporary station ready to cut long boards in just a couple of minutes. I can transfer the miter saw station to the receiver on my mower or garden tractor and cut vinyl siding or framing lumber outside and its mobile.

I have a one ton trailer that has a receiver welded to the center support that will accept any of my tools and setups as well as one of the truck lifting booms.