scooternut
Well-known member
And that 404 is hot! Love a Reed.
ALEC: so according to your Avatar do you like Harley or not? you didn't say what size or how big your vise is that you are making a stand for. 200 pounds is probably overkill for any vise unless you have a 150+ pound on and are putting a few hundred pound objects in it's jaws.
here's my 130 pound Parker on about a 150 pound stand and i never had to bolt it down where i carried rolled it there it would sit.
can you post up a few pictures of your vise you plan to mount and maybe the materials if you haven't made the stand yet?
Adding provisions for bolting in the event it was required wouldn't take much work.
I use a grinder stand and red head drop in anchors. Have several locations throughout the shop to mount it. When the holes are not in use I use Allen screws to prevent debris from getting into the threads.
Point I'm making is I don't think it is worth the added expense to try to factor out the rare occasion that an average weight stand will require more weight to combat movement. For those occasions you could hand tighten some bolts in the floor.
I don't believe I've ever posted my grinder stand in this specific thread, so here goes!
I keep all of my spare pulleys, gears, turnbuckles and hinge hardware organized in the lower drawers.
I leave the top few free to keep loose parts I am working on, vicegrips, arbor wrench, extra wheels and other grinder specific items. Weighs a ton full, doesn't rattle and is a great use of space!
I REALLY hesitated posting this because it isn't welded and doesn't weigh more than 300 lbs. But, here it goes. Be gentle.
Find a cheap weight plate, make a box for sand or even cast a concrete ring to go around the pole to slide down the base for added stability if needed.
Hmmm not sure, got it second hand. Haven't seen anything similar in the current market.
Local goodwill always seems to have one or two.I REALLY hesitated posting this because it isn't welded and doesn't weigh more than 300 lbs. But, here it goes. Be gentle.
The "Blockmeister" is a 3/4hp Craftsman block grinder with a 2x36 PA Multitool belt grinder attachment. This tool gets a lot of use in my garage. I had this on a homemade stand with a bunch of ballast to make up for the weight of the grinder with the belt grinder. However, it was heavy and took up a little too much room in my small work space. I had an old office chair
(a real office chair, not something from Walmart) which I was getting ready to throw out and it gave me an idea. I was nervous about putting the machine on a chair base, so I decided to lose the cast iron tool holder/cooling tray. That is a lot of weight that was not being utilized. Then I picked up a piece of schedule 40 aluminum pipe and got to work.
By the way, here is the before. Heavy and solid:
View media item 50773
And the after. Lighter weight and more mobile.
View media item 55938
It the horizontal position:
View media item 55939
In the vertical position, I have to tip it about 30 degrees before it wants to fall over. In the horizontal position, it still needs about 20 degrees. In other words, it does not feel top heavy or "tippy". As far as moving around, I was very surprised. I figured that it would "wander" when running, but it doesn't. If I need to apply pressure, I just step on one of the legs. I was always planning on swapping out a couple of wheels for locking wheels and will most likely do so in the future.
So, for a fairly light machine like a block grinder, a chair base seems like a viable option.
Cool idea to use a chair base and to have it tilt 90 degrees like that. I mean a chair usually holds 200-300 pounds without a problem.
If you saw the secretary that used to use it, you would want to give this chair a medal for valiant service. Then, after that, kids used it for video games. It should have a much easier life now.![]()




Monte: your stuff is always so clean and stout. did you make it or buy it and where and what brand if you bought it? thanks for posting.

i painted it. The primer is sprayed on, for the top coat i used a paint roller.Monte: nicely done and thanks for the pictures. I never would have thought you made it from those pieces because it look so smooth. did you paint it yourself and do you powder coat or have a big oven. looks even better close up. thanks for sharing.![]()
The base is a truck brake drum I brought home and knocked all the rust off with a needle scaler and wire brush. Looks like I should've painted it... I cut rough circle out of a 1/2" plate and burned some holes in it to match the bolt pattern on the drum. It's pretty rough but for my first time cutting anything useful with the torch I was happy.
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Love this type of stand, even though it is very common on this site. I have been meaning to build one, but I cannot seem to find a truck brake drum in my area. I have even gone to searching Ebay, as I have no problem paying a reasonable fee for one. Someday maybe...
Love this type of stand, even though it is very common on this site. I have been meaning to build one, but I cannot seem to find a truck brake drum in my area. I have even gone to searching Ebay, as I have no problem paying a reasonable fee for one. Someday maybe...
Love this type of stand, even though it is very common on this site. I have been meaning to build one, but I cannot seem to find a truck brake drum in my area. I have even gone to searching Ebay, as I have no problem paying a reasonable fee for one. Someday maybe...
Carves: thanks for the grinder stand picture and all the rest. please post it over the grinder and vise stand thread when you have time because it's a classic for sure.![]()
Do yourself a favor; skip the drum a get a drop of ~1" thick plate. Call around to a few fab shops.
WP_20160206_003 by Al Capone, on Flickr
WP_20160206_004 by Al Capone, on FlickrWhy skip the drum. What's wrong with the drum style? Or is it just because he's having a hard time finding one ?
Here is the one I am building.
WP_20160206_003 by Al Capone, on Flickr
WP_20160206_004 by Al Capone, on Flickr
Brake drum and Trailer landing gear. The gear will be used to lower the wheels so it will be mobile.So far total investment (cash) 12 bucks
It will be cool when it is done. I was going to use a full size landing gear handle but I think I will machine down the shaft to accept a 3/4 inch socket and use a speed handle to lower it instead.Took me a minute to figure out what you're doing there. That's awesome
WP_20160207_003 by Al Capone, on FlickrIt will be cool when it is done. I was going to use a full size landing gear handle but I think I will machine down the shaft to accept a 3/4 inch socket and use a speed handle to lower it instead.
WP_20160207_003 by Al Capone, on Flickr
Why skip the drum. What's wrong with the drum style? Or is it just because he's having a hard time finding one ?
FB: looks like you tripled your investment with $20 worth of bolts.
No kidding, 3 would have been more than enough.