location of bench vises?

[Jon Steffen]

Why do most work benches I see have a full width vise on one end, and on the long edge to the left of this, have another smaller vise all the way at the other end?

Why is the small vise rarely all the way down the long end to the right of the full width vise? Is this a left handed/right handed for hand planing thing?

437751

I'm building an adjust a bench 4x8 torsion box bench, and hope to also use it for a mini/midi lathe for some time, until I have room for a dedicated lathe stand/cart. I think the lathe would best be located on the corner where that small vise is. they might both be able to be there and I just wouldn't use that vise unless the lathe is off the bench.

[mike stenson]

It's a handedess thing. Right hand, you have the face vise on the left and the end vise on the right (left hand vise versa ;) ). It works out so much better for most operations. I'm sure others will pipe up, or I'll give some examples when I'm not on my phone.

[Jon Steffen]

It's a handedess thing. Right hand, you have the face vise on the left and the end vise on the right (left hand vise versa ;) ). It works out so much better for most operations. I'm sure others will pipe up, or I'll give some examples when I'm not on my phone.
Thanks mike. I figured this was the case. I look forward to seeing/hearing of the examples. I'm thinking I can put a face vise on the left and it won't be in the way of the lathe use. But we'll see.

[Mike Kees]

I always figured the side vise was backwards for the way I thought it should be. I am very close to ambidextrous so sometimes things seem "wrong" when they are not to someone who uses right or left hands dominantly all the time. I would think about how you work and check out what Mike shows for examples and then put them where they will work best for you. My vise ended up on the left side of the long side of the bench. If something feels awkward I just switch hands.

[Jon Steffen]

I always figured the side vise was backwards for the way I thought it should be. I am very close to ambidextrous so sometimes things seem "wrong" when they are not to someone who uses right or left hands dominantly all the time. I would think about how you work and check out what Mike shows for examples and then put them where they will work best for you. My vise ended up on the left side of the long side of the bench. If something feels awkward I just switch hands.

Yeah, it's kinda funny. I need a workbench to build my workbench. Which came first, the chicken or the egg. I'm also trying to design the workbench so that the face vise can go on either side without too much headache.

Chances are ill mess something up and will rebuild/improve it years down the road.

[Bill Dufour]

AFAIK all lathes are set up the same with the headstock to the left, tailstock to the right so the vise location will affect the future lathe equally. There are some rare lathes with a powered headstock at both ends for glass or real heavy lathes for pipe work. On metal lathes the handwheel on the carriage can be either right or left side of the carriage. American and British lathes tend to have the wheel on the left. European lathes mostly to the right, away from the hot chips. Asian lathes either way depending on which one they are copying.
The headstock is on the left end iss originally so threaded chucks can use a right hand thread.
Bil lD

[Derek Cohen]

Why do most work benches I see have a full width vise on one end, and on the long edge to the left of this, have another smaller vise all the way at the other end?

Why is the small vise rarely all the way down the long end to the right of the full width vise? Is this a left handed/right handed for hand planing thing?

437751

I'm building an adjust a bench 4x8 torsion box bench, and hope to also use it for a mini/midi lathe for some time, until I have room for a dedicated lathe stand/cart. I think the lathe would best be located on the corner where that small vise is. they might both be able to be there and I just wouldn't use that vise unless the lathe is off the bench.


It does not matter where you place the vises if you only use power tools. It matters a great deal if you use hand planes to dimension and/or finish boards/panels.

The flat bench top is a reference surface as well as part of the method to hold board fro planing. I am right handed, so the vise is at the left side.

https://i.postimg.cc/9MRnrZrT/6a.jpg

Leg vise plus sliding deadman hold wide panels for planing ...

https://i.postimg.cc/903jW1Wk/sliding-deadmana-zpsf5frcknr.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/EntryHallTableForANiece2_html_m1dd9ab31.jpg

The vise is over the leg to provide maximum stability when mortising with a chisel.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/MorticingByChisel_html_26dd5384.jpg

There is a tail vise at the other end to hold longer pieces, or to work against a dog ..


https://i.postimg.cc/NffdYGd3/D4a.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/76F2hdmg/2a-zpsr3knvsw-v.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Transformations3_html_4ea80a19.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Bassett]

Yeah, it's kinda funny. I need a workbench to build my workbench. Which came first, the chicken or the egg. ...

Mike Siemsen, in his "Naked Woodworker" video*, starts with two 5 gal buckets, rehabs swap meet hand tools, builds saw benches from construction lumber, and then builds a Nicholson, or "English", workbench from construction lumber. There are ways to do it without a workbench, though I'm sure a second bench would be easier (an existing bench being one of many reasons.)

(* that's "naked" as in without tools, not without clothes. I've seen folks put off by the click-bait title.)

[Jim Matthews]

I keep two benches in my shop. If your lathe weighs what I suppose, a dedicated fixture makes sense.

Woodworking with back strain isn't fun.

[Rob Luter]

I went the opposite way, with the twin screw on the side and the small vice on the end. I wish I would have gone the other way. The twin screw gets in the way. Since this photo was taken I've replaced the chop with one about half the thickness but it still gets in the way when planing long boards.

437758

[Mark e Kessler]

Just completed mine, I use the tail vise much more than I thought I would - everything from clamping a board for using a router to hand planing and sawing dovetails. I wish I had put the leg vise a little closer to the end so I could work the wood when clamped in it from that side, not a huge deal and I think it might be because I am ambidextrous so instead of flipping the wood around it is just natural for me to swap the tool to the other hand.

Also do yourself a favor and use the Benchcrafted hardware, it is superb.

437759437760

[glenn bradley]

Why do most work benches I see have a full width vise on one end, and on the long edge to the left of this, have another smaller vise all the way at the other end?

Most that I see have a smaller end vise like a tail or wagon vise. The front vise is indeed a 'handed' thing with the left position working for righty's and the right position working for lefty's. As of the last decade it seems that I see more large scale front vises but, that could be the phenomena where you see a lot of the model of car you just got. I will work with just about any holding method but, went large in front and at the tail for my last bench. You want to ignore trends and build for how you work. You will be happier longer. :)

437762

[Jim Becker]

Vice location and type is always very personal and "handedness" certainly comes into play, especially when hand tools are involved. Most of my vice needs are handled by a simple front vice on the left side like is shown in many of the photos in this thread. I don't have any kind of end vice on my main bench. I do have one on my guitar bench, but it's in that location because it would be a physical hazard to be on the front with the way my shop is arranged. For workholding, I use holdfasts like in Derek's first photo in post number 7. I'll use dogs and other stops on the top of a bench for when that's what's necessary to contain a workpiece without clamping.

Think about how you work. You can't go wrong with a front vice for general use initially while you figure the rest out. For that reason, you could consider a more modest benchtop at first until you really know what your needs are.

[John Gornall]

A wood lathe is annoying on a bench. Much better with legs. On a bench continuous buildup of chips to be cleared , better on the floor. Turn a bowl and 4/5ths of the block is chips.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I put it on the left side, since I am right handed, then you can hold your work piece in the right/dominant hand and operate the vise with the left/stupid hand.

Doc

[mike stenson]

Ahhh Derek beat me to it, I rather suspected he would. Since I really don't have any pictures of workholding, I'd have had to spend a much longer time typing it out. One of the things I was going to point out was that for rough cross cuts you have the vise to your right, and so your offhand is capable of holding the offcut. This is also true for machinist vises IMO, if you mount it on the left side it'll swivel so that the jaws are off the bench (instead of over the bench).

The other thing I was going to mention is that my current bench has a full width end vise. I really wish I hadn't done that. It's turned out to be so much less useful than I thought, so much so it's hardly used and I have just figured out easier ways to hold for things like planing (where Derek is using two dogs above).

[Andy D Jones]

It sounded to me like the OP wanted to mount the tail vise and the front vise adjacent to the same corner.

That usually won't work, unless the front vise is a leg vise, because the undercarriages will interfere with each other.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Randy Heinemann]

To make a bench the most useful it can possibly be, equip it to match the way you work. If you don't need vises where you normally see them, find some way to mount a vise where it provides the most use for you. When I made my bench I installed an end vise the full width of my bench with do holes perpendicular to the face of the vise at various points on the bench top. That's because I tend to have a use for holding boards on the bench top, sometimes for routing, sometimes for other tasks. I don't have any other vises on my bench.

[Prashun Patel]

You do you....but from my experience:

A lathe takes over. You'll need space for its tools and for cleaning off its chips. I suggest putting it on its own base over in a corner of your shop that you can dedicate to it, or with a stand that can accommodate its tools. Lathe tool sharpening happens much more frequently than flat work blades, so plan for proximity of your grinder or whatever you're using for sharpening too.

As for vises, if I were to do it again, I'd probably put a face vise both on the front left and front right corners of the bench. While I plane right to left, when sawing I prefer through cuts on the left (so I can support the offcut), and joinery cuts on the right (I just see them better). Long pieces could be supported in both for edge work. It would impede very long jointing on super wide boards, though.

If money were no object, I'd make one or both of those twin screw vises. The end vise is something I don't wish for. It in fact requires unencumbered access there, which would mean you have to think twice about having the bench against the wall.

Given your plan, I'd go with your instinct, but be prepared to reconfigure in a while. Your style will develop organically.

[Mike Burke]

This is interesting subject. I was wondering the same thing as I was redoing my work shop and bench placment.

I work at a bench all day fixing windows/screens and cutting glass (have all my live) and I have always worked on the Right corner of my bench or table.
So its strange when I get home and start working on the Left corner of my wood working bench. And then one end of my wood bench is kind of up against the wall and its the Right end/corner. So I always find myself migrating back to the Right corner.

My Work..work bench and my Home Wood working bench are opposite.

437847

[Jon Steffen]

Thanks to all for great feedback. I think an end vise will suite me well and needs to be more thought out with my torsion box I have in my head. I think I'll design it to accept a face vise on either side in case I find my working needs one, but for now I'll forgo the additional hardware and expense.

I know my lathes final resting place will be by itself, but for now I don't have the room. After 3rd stall is built next spring, it'll be moved.

My bench/assembly table will have a noden setup so I can see not only beat height for myself turning on lathe, but also assembling. I'll use this knowledge when I build the lathes final spot next spring.

[Jon Steffen]

This is interesting subject. I was wondering the same thing as I was redoing my work shop and bench placment.

I work at a bench all day fixing windows/screens and cutting glass (have all my live) and I have always worked on the Right corner of my bench or table.
So its strange when I get home and start working on the Left corner of my wood working bench. And then one end of my wood bench is kind of up against the wall and its the Right end/corner. So I always find myself migrating back to the Right corner.

My Work..work bench and my Home Wood working bench are opposite.

437847
different tasks, different needs perhaps?

[Jon Steffen]

It sounded to me like the OP wanted to mount the tail vise and the front vise adjacent to the same corner.

That usually won't work, unless the front vise is a leg vise, because the undercarriages will interfere with each other.

-- Andy - Arlington TX
I was wondering about the front vise being mounted across the table from the photo i posted in post 1.

[Jim Matthews]

437847

That's a Helipad, not a bench.

[Tom Bender]

4 x 8 is an aircraft carrier. Sounds like you are letting the material design the bench.

When you design a stand for your lathe make it heavy and compact. It should accommodate tools etc. When ready, explore this in the turner's forum.

My bench has only an end vise. I have plenty of access around it. I use the right and left sides about equally.

When planing it is often necessary to plane both ways to accommodate the grain. Sometimes I pull the plane and sometimes push right to left or turn the piece around.

[Jon Steffen]

4 x 8 is an aircraft carrier. Sounds like you are letting the material design the bench.

When you design a stand for your lathe make it heavy and compact. It should accommodate tools etc. When ready, explore this in the turner's forum.

My bench has only an end vise. I have plenty of access around it. I use the right and left sides about equally.

When planing it is often necessary to plane both ways to accommodate the grain. Sometimes I pull the plane and sometimes push right to left or turn the piece around.
in one way you are correct. The size of sheet good being 4x8 is dictating how big my assembly/track saw/work bench table needs to be. I always thought it silly people use track saws to rough cut panels, then finish them up on the table saw. With the right setup, you can just get perpendicular track saw cuts and be done with it.

Since I don't have funds for a sliding table saw, and already have a festool track saw, i'm going to see if this table can serve triple duty. =) Once I start building it, maybe it'll make sense, or be a total flop.:eek:

I'm going to also try just the end vise, but be prepared to to put a face vise on in case.

[mike stenson]

It's a lot easier to make final cuts on a table saw, because the fence to blade distance is fixed. Unless you do something, like move the fence (don't do that, make all the same cuts a the same time). That's why you tend to break down with a track saw, and make final cuts on a table saw. There is no error induced by measuring.