I have had this vise for a while now, and have a couple projects that I need to use it, and need to mount it.
When I built my workbench, I didn't really build it with a vise in mind, especially a larger one. It's 2x4's with a double 3/4" ply top, with a 1/4" hard board sacrificial top. The back is 3/4" ply, and the sides and shelf are thin plywood. It's all glued and screwed, but the frame was built mostly with pocket hole screws. As seen, I haven't used it a ton yet. The bench is pretty small, at roughly 24"x48". It's in a small 3 car garage, so there's not a lot of room for a large bench. It's pretty sturdy for what it's meant for, but not a heavy bench to beat on.
The vise is a Rock Island #51, and was a gift. It's fairly beat (lots of dings and the tail is cracked I think), and probably large for the work bench, but it's better than the new cheapies and works just fine. I looked at maybe getting a cheap small one, but they weren't anywhere as smooth as this one, and really seemed like a waste of money. I'd still probably have issues mounting one of those.
In the picture, it's sitting about where I think I can mount it. The static jaw is over the work bench, which is not ideal. If I mount it in an ideal location I would have to run the bolts through the 2x4 beams (hidden behind the front piece in the picture). I am not real fond of that idea, and I am pretty sure the 6" bolts I bought to do that are too short.
Is mounting it this way going to be a problem, or will I regret it? It almost seems like it's going to be in the way on the bench, but other than that, not mounting the static jaw over the edge, am I going to end up cursing that? Mostly at this point it's going to be used for things like sharpening lawn mower blades, gunsmithing, and working on a truck rebuild/restore. I thought about building a wood stand for it, but don't really want another thing to work around in the garage.
I really need to get this thing mounted up so I can put together my dad's Christmas present. I just finally got all the little stuff I needed, as some of the parts unexpectedly didn't come with.
When I built my workbench, I didn't really build it with a vise in mind, especially a larger one. It's 2x4's with a double 3/4" ply top, with a 1/4" hard board sacrificial top. The back is 3/4" ply, and the sides and shelf are thin plywood. It's all glued and screwed, but the frame was built mostly with pocket hole screws. As seen, I haven't used it a ton yet. The bench is pretty small, at roughly 24"x48". It's in a small 3 car garage, so there's not a lot of room for a large bench. It's pretty sturdy for what it's meant for, but not a heavy bench to beat on.
The vise is a Rock Island #51, and was a gift. It's fairly beat (lots of dings and the tail is cracked I think), and probably large for the work bench, but it's better than the new cheapies and works just fine. I looked at maybe getting a cheap small one, but they weren't anywhere as smooth as this one, and really seemed like a waste of money. I'd still probably have issues mounting one of those.
In the picture, it's sitting about where I think I can mount it. The static jaw is over the work bench, which is not ideal. If I mount it in an ideal location I would have to run the bolts through the 2x4 beams (hidden behind the front piece in the picture). I am not real fond of that idea, and I am pretty sure the 6" bolts I bought to do that are too short.
Is mounting it this way going to be a problem, or will I regret it? It almost seems like it's going to be in the way on the bench, but other than that, not mounting the static jaw over the edge, am I going to end up cursing that? Mostly at this point it's going to be used for things like sharpening lawn mower blades, gunsmithing, and working on a truck rebuild/restore. I thought about building a wood stand for it, but don't really want another thing to work around in the garage.
I really need to get this thing mounted up so I can put together my dad's Christmas present. I just finally got all the little stuff I needed, as some of the parts unexpectedly didn't come with.
