How do you mount your bench vise at garage?

[volunteers]

My work bench is so smooth and neat that I really don't want to drill four holes to mount the vise. Where do you guys put the vise on at your garage? Any cheap vise stand solutions? Thanks

 

[bad_idea]

Drill the holes! Bolt the bench to the floor. Pry like hell on something in the vise without worry of it tipping on you. Don't worry, if you use the bench the four holes for the vise will be the least of the cosmetic flaws in the bench.

 

[bobcatdan]

Comes down do you want holes in your bench or your floor. The simplest thing I can think of to mount a vise not to bench would be a grinder pedistal. These can be picked up pretty cheap from HF, northern or even sears. To be stable at all, it would have to be bolted to the floor. If you have fab skill you could build a pedistal to you requirments. Personally, find a vise new or used that will serve you for life and bolted to the bench. Once it is mounted you can't see the holes.

 

[thightower]

Mine is mounted to my big work bench. I've used ones on a pedastle, wasn't crazy about it. My bench isn't bolted down, but it also takes 3 men and a boy to move it.

 

[Matt018]

This is ridiculous, Use your freaking workbench, its not your kitchen counter. Like is this even serious? Its called a "bench" vise for a reason.

Now we dont just have tool polishers on the forum, we also have bench polishers.

 

[my58]

Depending on how much abuse you give your vice a method that has worked great for me with moderate abuse is to

take the bottom off the inexpensive HF grinder stand (throw it in your scrap metal pile)

cut a hole in the lid of a 5 gallon paint pail that matches the diameter of the stand post

pour post hole cement in the bucket 3/4 of the way

put water in the bucket to the top

put lid on the bucket

insert stand in bucket

let cement harden

bolt vice to top of grinder stand

This is a very sturdy very solid but also easily moved method of using your vice. You can use a cool bucket like the red Pep Boys or another brand you like to make it fit your style.

 

[Gary S]

Drill the holes and move on. Nothing works like a properly mounted vise. Is your garage a real garage or a toy room?

 

[archirelic]

If for some reason, the bench you're not wanting to mount your bench vise to "needs" to maintain its pristine look...then fab yourself up a bench used specifically for beater work and/or dirty/grimy work.

 

[volunteers]

I only have one work bench at garage and sometimes I have to use the entire bench for my work. If the vise is mounted on the corner, it is inconvenient for me. That's reason I am looking for another solution.

 

[Mr.N]

If unbolting it takes too long...

Look into using a receiver hitch tubing, very common on welding tables.
You'd mount it under the bench and then can remove the vise with one pin.

 

[Jack Olsen]

You can attach a receiver hitch underneath the bench, and then make a base with square tubing to go in it.

But honestly, you should just bolt it to the bench. Get some large wing nuts for down below if you want to make it removable.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

jack olsen,that whole set up is perdy,table,boxes,and all,i may have to copy,can you post pics of the rest of your shop

 

[bobcatdan]

I only have one work bench at garage and sometimes I have to use the entire bench for my work. If the vise is mounted on the corner, it is inconvenient for me. That's reason I am looking for another solution.

Get another bench and mount he vise on that one.

 

[rlmartinson]

I used the reciever mount on my bench. I like it a lot because it is so versitile. Just make sure its strong enough. Harbor Freight has bolt on hitch mounts and vise mounts. I plan to use the HF vise mount on my bench grinder and build a better/heavier mount for my vise and would like to build a better bench.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173150

 

[Vvmvbb]

You could bolt the vise to a plate and C-clamp the plate to the table I suppose.

 

[91bronc300]

I'm assuming you don't weld since you have only one bench and you say it is smooth and neat so my advise is to buy a welder, take up welding, make a welding table and make it heavy as $h!t, then bolt your vise to it. You will have a nice, kitchen-counter bench for your clean stuff and a manly, hit-it, beat-it, weld-it, heat-it bench for your hairy chested stuff. It makes for a more rounded out garage too.

Kind of a one size fits all answer but if you have room just make the second bench.

 

[BD1]

Like Jack shows receiver tubing is awesome. Next is free standing base and you can move it anywhere.

 

[bobcatdan]

I'm assuming you don't weld since you have only one bench and you say it is smooth and neat so my advise is to buy a welder, take up welding, make a welding table and make it heavy as $h!t, then bolt your vise to it. You will have a nice, kitchen-counter bench for your clean stuff and a manly, hit-it, beat-it, weld-it, heat-it bench for your hairy chested stuff. It makes for a more rounded out garage too.

Kind of a one size fits all answer but if you have room just make the second bench.

This.

 

[CAOS]

 

[st@rk]

My benches are made up of 50mm SHS but the right front corner (I'm right handed; if you're left think about which hand's going to be doing the work...) I welded a thick plate perhaps about 5mm thick to mount the vise to. I've then got a bench top surface on top of this, but it means that the vise has a real solid mounting thats part of the overall bench frame.

 

[Jack Olsen]

jack olsen,that whole set up is perdy,table,boxes,and all,i may have to copy,can you post pics of the rest of your shop

Thanks. I've actually gotten rid of most of my receiver mounts as I've found permanent spaces for my bench grinders and vises. But it's a good idea if you need to mount different tools in essentially the same space.

Pictures of my shop? I've kind of oversaturated this site with pictures of my garage. But there's a long thread at this link.

And you can take a bench-by-bench tour of the place at the website link in my signature.

You can see one of the double-hitch receivers in the wall on the left side of this picture:

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

if i had that garage i would wear a set of scrubs and surgical mask,gloves and gown when i work on stuff

 

[dirtydogintex]

if i had that garage i would wear a set of scrubs and surgical mask,gloves and gown when i work on stuff

and only do bench work.... clean bench work.

 

[Tig Master]

Drill the holes and move on. Nothing works like a properly mounted vise. Is your garage a real garage or a toy room?

x 10 you don't even worry about the holes do it.

Most certain this is not a workshop.What would you do there make cookies "lol"
Where will you keep the hand-cleaner sorry hand lotion?Can this post be for real??

T

 

[ajchien]

I've got vise mount holes all over my work top. Uh... 11 to be exact. That dosent include 3 holes I stuffed some wood filler into.

Although I'm kinda jealous of some folks that have an outdoor post they have a vise on. I would find that pretty useful.

 

[64Trvlr]

Here is a pic of my vise and stand I made. I'll try to get a better pick sometime this week.

 

[F-Bobby]

That garage is so nice I would never want to work on anything in it. I'd just sit around in it and look at how nice it is.

 

[Southern]

My work bench is so smooth and neat that I really don't want to drill four holes to mount the vise.

 

[Tarnished]

volunteers :
Here is a pedestal I had made up for a cheap China Blue vise. I now have a nice Wilton 1760 that will get mounted here. Works pretty good. Rubber pad underneath keeps it from moving around unless really cranking on something. Takes up some floor space, but not as much as a whole other workbench.

 

[2manytoyz]

I have one workbench with a hardtop that I'm not willing to drill holes into. I save that bench for smaller/cleaner projects.

The other bench doesn't matter. It's a plywood top, skinned with 1/4" hardboard. When it gets chewed up, I'll peel it off and install another. The hardboard is held down with brad nails.

 

[Journaler]

This is my vise stand (formerly metal saw horse). I don't use it for bending/prying. More to hold stuff while I put things together, or whack it apart with a BFH.

Made from 4" x 3/8" rectangle+square tubing. It's designed to only have 3 points touching the ground at a time, so it's self stabilizing.

I still need to find hockey pucks as feet so I don't gouge the concrete when I really go at it with the hammer. Who would've thought it'd be so hard to find a store that sells hockey pucks in Georgia?

 

[jjjrmx5]

You can attach a receiver hitch underneath the bench, and then make a base with square tubing to go in it.

But honestly, you should just bolt it to the bench. Get some large wing nuts for down below if you want to make it removable.

I hate the Jack Olsen. LOLOLOLOL

Just when I run out of engineeering ideas the boy usurps my keen sense of DIY can-do attitude. Dammit.

That is an AWESOME idea.

Thank you and muchos gracias. .

Volunteers, if you don't want it on your bench then find or build a 2nd work surface or holder.

But either way just choose. It's just a tool and a workbench.

 

[Ft.ValloniaStreaker]

I'm just gonna bet you put a coaster under your beer before you place it on your "work bench" and that my friend makes it a table......I know it's gonna hurt but you need to throw a old oil filter or something in the middle of it, smack it a couple times with a hammer and move on........

 

[Jack Olsen]

I thought it was antifreeze on the coaster. Keep the cats away from that stuff.

That garage is so nice I would never want to work on anything in it. I'd just sit around in it and look at how nice it is.

Thanks. It's all in its Sunday best for the pictures. But more often, it's messy.

I hate the Jack Olsen. LOLOLOLOL

Just when I run out of engineeering ideas the boy usurps my keen sense of DIY can-do attitude. Dammit.

That is an AWESOME idea.

Thank you and muchos gracias. .

Thanks. But I stole the idea myself. The only change I made was using a double hitch, which I figured would have a little better torsional strength (or at least would be less likely to tear its bolts out of the wood).

 

[Steevo]

I built my workbench specifically to support and absorb the weight and impact of using a large vise on top of it.

I have lived with vises on stands, or attached to rolling carts, for many years. The difference between those and a large, heavy vise solidly mounted on a sturdy workbench is night and day.

 

[dna9656]

Free standing vises are dangerous, the potential to tip is inversly related to the value of the item in the vise perpedicular to the chances of the vise causing injury to you or your 5 year old grand son or grand daughter. Then you have to face the mother of the child or your financial advisor (spouse) concerning the cost to fix it all.
I have a free staning grinder stand from Sears that came with the grinder, it wobbled (fixed) and will be secured to my bench(es) and/or the wall if I use it at all. I'm torn between bench top real estate or using floor space. A grinder is an essential tool in the shop so dedication space for it is a forgone conclusion, just what space it's to be is the real question. I will probably buy or build a stand for it as a clear field of fire (clear bench top space) is preferable to fixed objects on the bench top, they always seem to be in the way.

 

[volunteers]

I guess this one will work:
http://www.harborfreight.com/bench-grinder-stand-42986.html

 

[Carla]

This is ridiculous, Use your freaking workbench, its not your kitchen counter. Like is this even serious? Its called a "bench" vise for a reason.

Now we dont just have tool polishers on the forum, we also have bench polishers.

It 'just figures', somehow......after seeing the photos of the 'automotive shops' with chess-board pattern linoleum flooring, one really shouldn't be surprised.

cheers

Carla

 

[Journaler]

I guess this one will work:
http://www.harborfreight.com/bench-grinder-stand-42986.html

That's not wide/heavy enough for a vise.

 

[dirtydogintex]

.... or even a grinder unless one is real careful.

More useful in a bar than a shop unless some serious ballast and red heads are added.