Bench vise mount ideas wanted

[ebinmaine 67,530]

I'd like to see where you folks have your "go-to" primary use bench vise set up. 

How is held?

What height is it at?

Do you have a mobile or modular mount of some sort?

 

What types of information did you consider in placing your vise where it landed?

 

[wallfish 17,000]

On the corner of the strongest work bench.

Bolted through the bench because it will tear out lag bolts (or at least the abuse mine takes will).

The corner allows more versatility for holding long or big objects.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

For mobility, mount it on some square tubing and utilize the hitch on your truck. 

[ebinmaine 67,530]

10 minutes ago, wallfish said:

On the corner of the strongest work bench

 

1 minute ago, AMC RULES said:

For mobility, mount it on some square tubing and utilize the hitch on your truck. 

 

How 'bout bolting some of that same square tubing to the corner of the workbench so the vise can be moved?

How can I make it feasible to have good strength at the bench? 

Maybe square tubing with a flange welded to it? Bolts going through the flange?

 

[wallfish 17,000]

Anything made to make it removable better be anchored solid. Can't stress that enough but I guess it depends upon the use. I abuse mine like hammering stuff and bending heavy bar etc etc.

Maybe bolt the vice to a trailer ball hitch? Bolt a receiver section to the bench? Now you can move it from bench to vehicle to tractor to ???

 

 I have a piece of sq tube to mount to the side of the bench and a spare trailer hitch. I'd like to have protrude out from the bench a little. Maybe weld some bolts to the bottom of a thick plate to pinch it on the trailer hitch. Hmmm

Edited June 10, 2022 by wallfish

[JPWH 6,034]

I made a vise stand using 2 lengths of 6" channel iron. It has two wheels and a handle I can raise when needed to make moving easier. It also has my port-a-band mounted on the back side.

 

[ebinmaine 67,530]

6 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Anything made to make it removable better be anchored solid. Can't stress that enough but I guess it depends upon the use. I abuse mine like hammering stuff and bending heavy bar etc etc.

Maybe bolt the vice to a trailer ball hitch? Bolt a receiver section to the bench? Now you can move it from bench to vehicle to tractor to ???

 

Exactly my concern.  

 

I do the same with mine. 

It would NEED to be VERY stable when mounted.  

Maybe weld some set screw holders to the bench mounted tube?

 

[cschannuth 3,816]

I don’t have a picture of it handy but mine is mounted on the corner of my workbench and that end of my workbench is right by my garage door so it gives me a lot of flexibility for holding different size projects with the door open. My work bench is made out of 2 x 6 material and I have bolts that run all the way through with heavy fender washers on the bottom of the bench surface. My work bench is fastened to the wall so it is very stout. 

[Rob J. 1,942]

I made “sleeves” out of plate steel in the shape of a “u” and slide it in my bench and bolted the vise to the bench. I’ll send some pics later. Real simple and very stout. 

[Rob J. 1,942]

5 minutes ago, Rob J. said:

I made “sleeves” out of plate steel in the shape of a “u” and slide it in my bench and bolted the vise to the bench. I’ll send some pics later. Real simple and very stout. 

 

[JoeM 7,874]

harbo fright caries these sleeves that could be adapted to a bench. Accepts a 2 inch tube. 

 

 

I got my vise about 25 inches off the floor. I usually am working and need leverage. The vise rotates two ways and has a set of pipe jaws. 

I have another light duty setup that clamps to a bench. 

[pacer 3,173]

@JPWH Wow! now THAT is quite a set-up!! THREE vises - moveable!

 

I consider my vice to be very possibly THE most ... used? tool in my shop! I beat the CRAP out of it!!

 

I lucked up some 30 years and while hunting and ran up on a falling down barn and was poking around in it and stumbled over a 5" solid mount Columbian bench vise ... in excellent condition!! - probable 50-60 yrs old. I had been using the swivel types and had developed a .... dislike for them, and had broke 2 of the cheap imports. So I quickly found the non-moveable Columbian a dream. I'm on my 3rd set of jaws for it, When I have beat them to death, I make up another set.....

 

Gotta LOVE a vice --- A good one, not one of those cheap/breakable imports pieces of crap!

[squonk 41,121]

My last job we had an E350 transit work truck. Guy I worked with wanted a vise. We finally get approval for one. So he says we need to get it so it mounts to the trailer hitch. Weeks go by and I find a suitable plate for it. He says great! So I get it drilled and get the bolts. He says he'll take it to the welding shop and get some tubing and weld er up. weeks go by. Finally he gets it done. I tell him "now remember that thing is in there!" First week we're changing some steam lines and he goes out to the truck to get something. The back doors are open so it kind of hides the rear of the truck. He rounds the back corner and ZOT!!! Walked right into that vise. Got both shins! 

[ri702bill 8,326]

As they say, we all have our Vises! Over the years, I have acquired several. My primary use vise was my Dad's fixed mounted under the bench cast woodworking vise, that is mounted on the left hand end of his 10 foot workbench. A smaller removable clamp-on style I have mounted to the right end of a bench nearby - odd shapes sometimes require a different mount. A third, and probably the most useful of all at the time is a 3" Wilton swivel vise mounted on a heavy gauge shelf attached to my Assembly Roll away. It served as a third hand, mostly used to hold the tubing flareing tools - I did a LOT of custom pneumatic and hydraulic tubing work as a Machine Builder. Last is the 5 inch Milling Machine vise, shown without the removable swivel base. Any heavy pressing or bending now gets done in the 20 ton press.

Bill

[squonk 41,121]

I remember special ordering a 10" Columbia vise for a local college. Took a week to get and they kept calling wanting to know if it came in. Finally it shows up. I had to use a hand truck just to move it. They come and get it and are all happy. 3 days later they come to the store with the vise in 3 pieces. They never did tell me how they broke it! 

[ri702bill 8,326]

18 minutes ago, squonk said:

They never did tell me how they broke it!

We had a 10 ton Instron Compression / Tension Test Machine at the last job; one of my tasks was to design fixture tooling to hold our products that required that manner of testing - and we DID break a lot of things....

[Kenneth R Cluley 522]

Mounted my beating bending holding vise(4") to a pipe bolted to a truck brake drum. Fine for a lot of things but not stable enough for big torque jobs as it moves around. Built a trailer hitch mount for my other vise that accommodates a standard vise as well as a ridgid pipe vise. All very handy for their respective functions.

[ebinmaine 67,530]

42 minutes ago, Kenneth R Cluley said:

truck brake drum

What's the diameter on that drum?

That'd be handy for a grinder or portable band saw.  

[Kenneth R Cluley 522]

19" x about a foot deep. approx 100 lbs. Came off a Fire Truck. No exchange or core on them anymore so they scrap them. Mechanic gave it to me. Old wheel rim from truck works well too. here is my grinder set up.

[ri702bill 8,326]

47 minutes ago, Kenneth R Cluley said:

No exchange or core on them anymore so they scrap them.

Yep, funny about that. Recently did a scrap run before the price dropped - 19 brake rotors accumulated over 3 years or so and 2 dead water heaters - worked out to $2 a rotor and $11 each for the water heaters...

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

EB, just a small tip, be sure to mount the vice so it sticks out far enough. That way you can clamp onto long pieces vertically without hitting the bench.

[Rob J. 1,942]

Bench is still in progress. Finishing off the bottom with doors for storing larger items and cabinetry on the back side. 

[CCW 1,295]

@ebinmaine you have set my brain in gear once again.  My vise is mounted on my bench, but I am going to look at creating a mount to put on my anvil.  Anvil does not get a lot of use, but I image it will create a great base for the vise.

[ebinmaine 67,530]

54 minutes ago, Rob J. said:

Bench is still in progress. Finishing off the bottom with doors for storing larger items and cabinetry on the back side. 

IMG_5909.MOV

I like how you have both vises mounted at a 45⁰. 

[Rob J. 1,942]

45 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I like how you have both vises mounted at a 45⁰. 

Yep purposely done it that way as I built it for working on guns. I can clamp up a long gun and swing 360degrees. But it will also double for working on my new hobby too. 😉