Mounting vice to tool chest.

[branimal]

I'm gonna mount my vice to my harbor freight tool chest. How thick a piece of plywood would you use? 2 sheets of 1" plywood overkill? Glue them together?

The harbor freight TC actually has mount holes in the corners. I'd probably use some washers to destress the HFTC sheet metal.




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[jake00]

Made a 2" thick oak top for my hF 44". Bolted a 4" vice to it. Hasn't let me down yet

 

[vettex2]

I'd put steel plate on the inside and wood on top

 

[branimal]

Made a 2" thick oak top for my hF 44". Bolted a 4" vice to it. Hasn't let me down yet

Nice...

where'd you get that oak top? Or did you make it? I see IKEA has one for $100 but only 1 1/2" thick.


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[branimal]

I'd put steel plate on the inside and wood on top

Steel plates on just the corners or all around?


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[jake00]

Made it (own a production wood shop)

 

[vettex2]

Steel plates on just the corners or all around?


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around where the vice bolts up

 

[Cyberbear]

The tops sold at Grizzly are good, and a DIY unit can be made cheaper using ply and a tempered Masonite sacrificial top skin.

 

[branimal]

Made it (own a production wood shop)

I'll do that once I demo my kitchen. It's got a large slab of butcher block on it


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[Stuart in MN]

I have a small Snap-On roller cabinet. I put a single piece of 3/4" plywood on top, with a 1/4" layer of tempered hardboard on top of that as a wear layer, and bolted my vise through the plywood and the top of the roller cabinet. More is better, I suppose, but this has proved to be plenty strong for me.

 

[Kaizen]

I put a piece of 1/4 inch steel over the whole thing. Mounted vice and metal brake on it. Didn't even attach. Weight and exact fit keep it from moving. Sits inside lips on edges


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[RunsDeep]

Wondering the same thing for my Matco double. Could I mount it through the phenolic top? And through the metal?

 

[Schurkey]

Plywood? Really?

I put a Mac 5.5" vice on my Snappy box more than twenty years ago. The Snappy was advertised as being "vice ready", with a heavy box-section under the corner. The previous owner of the box had a (larger) vice there as well.

I used a pair of 3/8" thick squares of plate steel to mount my vice to the tool box. My vice used a different bolt pattern than the existing holes. The first plate is bolted to the box using the existing (from the previous owner) holes. The second plate bolts to the first, then the vice is bolted through the first plate into the second one (no extra holes in the tool box itself). All bolts were socket-head cap screws with heavy washers and in some places, self-locking (all-metal) nuts. A few drilled holes, some drilled and tapped holes, and the vice hasn't come loose in over two decades. (I recently bought a 6.5" Wilton that may be installed in place of the Mac...maybe.)

 

[INSP380]

I have a KRL 761 with a piece of 1/8 309 for the top. I mounted a Wilton 656HD in the corner by drilling thru the 309 and the box. Mounted with 1/2 bolts....she aint going anyplace. You don't need much...

Steve

 

[branimal]

Are these steel plates the size of the tool cabinets top? That can get pricey.


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[johninct]

A vise mounted to anything on wheels is only good for light work. My 8" Snap-On/ Wilton was useless until I took the wheels off of my bench.

 

[rsanter]

What size of vise and how hard are you planning to crank on it?

If it was me I would look at a 12"x12" steel plate 1/4" thick or 12"x12" plywood 1" think under the top where the vise is bolted.
If you put steel or wood on the top as well, then even better

Bob

 

[Kaizen]

Are these steel plates the size of the tool cabinets top? That can get pricey.


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got mine from the scrap pile at metal seller. honestly don't remember but don't think it expensive. yea a full sheet was up there. don't mind paying for steel because it will be doing its job way after i'm gone

 

[Stuart in MN]

Plywood? Really?

Yes, really. I've cranked hard on things in my vise many times over the years, and the plywood and the top of the box doesn't budge.

 

[INSP380]

Yes, the entire top surface of my KRL is 1/8 309 SST. Best work surface, easy clean up, and super tough. My weld surface is a piece of 1/2 Inconel on top of my Mac tool chest. Smaller box, but same results.

Steve

 

[Coopduc]

I used a 12"x12"X0.25" thick steel plate sandwiched on the top. It's very rigid. Note that there is a reinforcing rib on the underside that will have to be trimmed away so the bottom plate sits flat. It really doesn't need to be that big, but it works well. Now I'm looking for a 0.25 thick rubber sheet so it's flush with the steel.

 

[branimal]

I think I may have found the perfect top for my tool cabinet. An old wood top sitting in my storage unit for years. It's 1 3/8" thick. Not sure what kind of wood it is.

The planks each measure 8 1/4" wide and plenty long.

the my tool cabinets internal dimensions are 41 3/4 x 17 3/4. I can glue together 2.15 planks (17 3/4" / 8 1/4") or I could crosscut all three planks at 5 29/32" and glue together.

Anyone have an opinion or am I overthinking this?





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