How Did You Attach Vice to Bench?

[glenn bradley]

I guess we've figured out I'm in bench building mode about now. Many plans I have looked at show 3/8" lag screws attaching the vice. Did you use lags or bolts/t-nuts/threaded inserts and how do you like it?

Thanks!

P.s. My top for this guy is four layers of 3/4" MDF a-la ShopNotes issue 89.

[Reg Mitchell]

Actually it's according what kind of "vice" your useing. This one is attached with 4 long wood screws countersunk
Reg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d99/male_man/shoppics012.jpg

[glenn bradley]

Sorry Reg. Good point. One sorta like this:

http://woodworker.com/images/j80/801-744.jpg (http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=801-744)
The rear jaw will be buried behind the table edge trim (1 1/2" thick). There are positions for four screws or bolts that screw up into the bottom of the bench through holes on the vise body.

[mark page]

Hi Glenn,

It depends on your vice. I have a Jorgensen 9 inch that I used two large lag screws and two large wood screws, both of which were provided with the vice. The Jorgensen provides two mounting locations from below and two from the front side. I also have an economy 7 inch model which I used two large lag screws 3/8" and two carriage bolts countersunk through the entire table top for rigidity. Standing from several feet back the countersunk bolt holes look just like bench dog holes. May not be aesthically appealling from a top view of the bench but very functional. But most of my workbench items are made for function rather than aesthetics. For a very good looking bench with aesthetics and function that fits my woodworking style, search for Bruce Page's bench. "No relation, but wish I could inherit some of his styles".
Thanks,
Mark

[Jim C Bradley]

Reg
Beautiful bench! Do you actually have enough nerve to work on it?
Enjoy,
Jim Bradley (Glenn's dad)

[Mike Heidrick]

Glen, I have the Wilton vise similar to the Jorgy. I have the manual that WMH emailed me. Do you need that?

I used lag bolts into hard maple on the bottom of my table. It is just my assembly table with laminate top that I use for everything. One day I will build a nice bench.

[Andrew Williams]

I drilled completely through, then widened the top parts of the holes with a jig-guided forstner bit, and used bolts and nuts with washers. Those bolt holes on the bench top occasionally serve to mount little shop made pups in case I need to clamp something right in that spot.

I felt that relying on screw threads was not going to work for me, especially with all of the hand edge-jointing that I do (not to mention the big vise weighs almost 100 lbs and has a throw of 14". The way I have it set up now I could probably stand on the open vise jaw (not that I would).

http://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=62003&d=1176051406

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

from under neath through the bolt holes.
Space it off downward with wide-ish hardwood stock so the vice is not quite flush with the bench top being just a scoch lower. Be sure that the little sliding metal plug that serves as a bench dog can slide up well above the top of the bench.

If the top isn't thick enough to tolerate the tension, use heavy stock to make it stronger from underneath I'd add 2" x 4" maple sticks running front to back with the end-cut on the bias at the front to make it stand out les less .

My personal preference is to mount the vice using machine thread steel bolts (grade 8), using largest diameter you can get through the holes in the vice. and recess the heads into the bench using large diameter and thick washers. I don't mind the holes in the bench top as the trade off in rigidity is great. If it did bother me I could epoxy the holes up or just plug 'em. But, it doesn't.

[Jim Becker]

Since you're doing MDF, you may want to consider through bolts in countersunk holes with washers rather than lag bolts. Alternatively embed some solid stock or a section of plywood in one of your MDF layers (make a cutout and insert the other material in it) so that the lag bolts have something to hold to.

[Jeff Wright]

See http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=53956 for some photos of my install of two Record knockoff vises onto a Noden AdustaBench. I used 6 or 8 lag bolts to mount the vises through three layers of birch ply. I elected to make a rear vise plate cover that serves as an apron the full length of the bench front. Same with the end vise install. Quick release vises are a must; like mine a lot. Additional photos below:

[Matt Meiser]

Mine are mounted much like Jeff's. I used lag bolts since my bench top is 3" thick baltic birch, but I agree with Jim that you'll probably want to use through bolts in MDF. You could embed the bolts in all but the top layer of MDF so that they are out of the way. If you do, fill the space around the bolt head with epoxy to keep it from spinning. Also, when I mounted mine, I used some epoxy putty between the apron and the back vise jaw. That was recommended in a FWW article a few years ago.