Oh man, I didnt even think of that, Walter. My bench might be thick enough that i could need to do the same to the underside. My top isnt affixed to the base of the bench, just a friction fit with the huge tenons of the legs. I should be able to pop the top off, but I remember that sucker weighing a ton. My shop helper is currently 6.5 months pregnant with twins, so i will be on my own with lifting the top off to flip and route the recesses. I guess i wont know until i have it in hand. How thick is your bench top that it needed modified for the vise screw? The vise im looking at is a K1, i think, and it has the 18" by 7" jaws. If i was going to get one, i wanted the big boy. Thanks for sending me the plate dimensions, they are close to what i estimated, but it sounds like it will fit on that short overhang section.