Should I buy a small vice?

[Outlawmws]

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/folding-workbench
http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-clamping-workbench-with-movable-pegs-47844.html

A wheel is going to take up too much space. I think a foldable workbench is perfect for my cramped space and light-duty needs. What are those cranks for? Do they move the 2 planks of wood. Why do you need a space between them?

Yeah, those all look ok. Take a look at a few "in person" if you can, get a feel of the weight and how solid it feels before buying.


It makes it like a basic woodworking vise. You'd still want a little 4" machinist style vise though, for the stuff you want to do.

No, DO NOT get a flimsy trashy TV tray-like sad excuse for "portable folding work bench"...

Look, I know from your prior posts and threads you are super cheap, totally happy with HF/Chicom quality and all that. This is one place you DO NOT WANT TO CHEAP OUT!

I can understand the limits cramped space makes. Fine,

Buy a BLACK and DECKER BRANDED WorkMate; 2XX series or above. These have 5X the stability and 10X the build quality of the imported under-engineered **** you linked to...

That is your base.

Secondly, there isn't one single HF vise worth spending your hard earned dollars on. Not the big ones, not the little ones, none of them. If you can get one for $5 used, maybe, but even then...

A good work surface and a decent vise, even if it's a small one, are worth their weight. Period.

"I've been getting by" is a constant theme of yours, and even your user name says that... Fine. But there is a huge difference between "good enough" and so cheap that it causes nothing but frustrations, which is why so many have told you "get a work bench and a real vise"

Find the better Workmate, new or used; I see them on CL all the time, and often at a good deal, so cost should not be an impediment.

A decent small to medium vise CAN be found, and the Craftman "professional" is well thought of overall even if it is an import. better still, go to CL again as a small to medium used older American, English or even Polish vise is a lot more vise, probably cheaper, but even if it's the same cost as the Craftsman Pro, most likely a better vise in general.


Once you have both pieces, mount the vise to a 2X6, 8, or 10, and glue/screw a cleat to the bottom. That gets gripped in the work mate's jaws.

Now you are in business, and you can use the WM for a lot of other things, inside or outside. Make or buy a 2X2 or 2X3 section of counter or table top material and you have a solid work bench when you need it, and can easily store that also.

After that, you can get a bench grinder or other bench mounted tool, mount that on a piece of ply, and set that up as needed on the WM. Simple to setup simple to store and EVERYTHING can be racked or hung on wall hooks.

 

[GoodEnough]

Outlaw, your point is well taken. I agree that certain things are not worth cheaping out on, but, for my needs, those things are few and far between. I agree that anything supporting weight needs to be built tough. I have very sturdy vintage steel shelves, for example.

I will look for a B&D Workmate. It provides a flat surface to work on, and also functions as a vise. So, I will use the Workmate vise to hold a metal vise like in the photo below?

What is going on with this door?
Is one plank turned 90 degrees and pressed down onto the door to stabilize it?

 

[Danglerb]

I have no vise, had one growing up, so I know what I am missing and friends have them, but C clamps and saw horses go a long ways to doing without. My main work surface other than the cement floor are a couple of banquet folding tables and the tops of my toolcart.

Next step is likely something like the workmate or the Keter thing at Walmart, because they are enough to do some of the woodwork I have ahead. Wanting it does not seem to make space to work in materialize.

 

[CNGsaves]

Now add to first-time ever list for OP . . . . discovering what B&D Workmate is / does !! Yet the WorkMate has been around since 1972 !!! It's been going so long, it's inventor (Ron Hickman) had died at age 78 back in 2011 !!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...e-inventor-DIY-possible-millions-dead-78.html

Coupled with first-time ever concept of "Vice" . . . OP might not yet be a teenager ??

/Futility of obscure questions of OP

P.S. Ancillary "benefit" of this craziness - - - - Wiki link below cites that Ron Hickman was also the original designer and inventor of Lotus Elan, Lotus Elan +2, and Lotus Europa !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Hickman

 

[rob1200]

Same here. I can't imagine spelling vise "vice" either!

Don't be so quick to criticize. The correct spelling is "vice" in English (you know, the language used by English people who live in England, and the origin of your American English).

 

[bowlofturtle]

I never had a vice or work bench. When I did have access to one it was great but I rarely used it.

I normally use a second person or damage my floors. But I don't have space. I wanted to try to do a folding bench with a used door but now I rather look for one those workmates.

I've learned to get by without on but I know they can be helpful.

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[thesilverone]

i think the OP is 5

what do i need a bench grinder for?

 

[jeffmoss26]

What do I need a hammer for?

 

[CNGsaves]

ROF . . LMAO !!!

How do I hold nail to hit with hammer ???

 

[jeffmoss26]

Put the wood in your lap, hold the nail with one hand...

 

[Outlawmws]

Come on guys, not everyone grew up in or around tools and shops. Give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's trolling us (but I could be wrong...).

GE, the orange parts are called bench dogs, and help hold things too large for a typical vise. The concept was borrowed off of wood working benches, and has been in use for centuries. One advantage is, as shown, the ability to capture irregular parts as well as simpler rectangular parts.


The smaller WorkMates do not have the hinged jaw you see on the one holding the door. the larger (4xx and above? my (Older) 400 does that..) the big ones can move the other jaw further back and then the dynamic jaw can unlock hinge up and lock in, then be used for clamping straight down as shown. if you do a lot of wood work, a handy feature. if not, probably a wasted feature.

The really large ones have I believe a third piece to give a much larger bench area. I think that is the 5XX series. That might be something you would benefit from.

A trip to a Big Box store and looking at display models will tell you far more than a dozen posts on here however.

Mounting your mechanic's vise:


You need something to bolt it to, and it better be beefy. 2X6 or 8, Something big/thick enough to bolt it to. Use wood workers T nuts on the bottom and counter bore them so they are below flush. you can adjust the amount of counter bore to make the bolt engage well, but not protrude from the bottom of the mounting surface.

Add a cleat to the bottom so from the end it looks like a "T" with a wide top and a short leg. glue and screw that cleat, this lands between the WM jaws and gets clamped tight. Now the vise is solid for use, but can be removed in seconds for storage.

 

[Outlawmws]

Truthfully guys, my (older) brother would be asking most of these same questions... (But ask him about almost anything of the history of baseball and he probably knows it...)

 

[CNGsaves]

Outlaw, you're a good man . . . . better than me !!

Maybe an early Christmas present is due the OP so I'll give hiim a break.

Sure hope he's got an street-smart neighbor, friend or family for the real tough questions.

 

[kgorman]

OP,

Are you friendly with your neighbors? Ask one for help they will get you setup in a jiffy. Probably help you with the work in question too.

 

[jjjrmx5]

I will look for a B&D Workmate. It provides a flat surface to work on, and also functions as a vise. So, I will use the Workmate vise to hold a metal vise like in the photo below?

I don't see that ending well.

Metal vice and plastic workmate hold-down clamps do not play well together.

Now gotta go find my popcorn.



#DarwinAwards


I <3 the Outlaw. And his patience.
But he knows that already.

 

[sberry]

They had Lester Holt on the today show, handed him the thing and he said,,, I have never used an electric drill before. I agree, got to start somewhere and there is a hi learning curve, the OP is entitled to that.

 

[1982fxr]

Truthfully guys, my (older) brother would be asking most of these same questions... (But ask him about almost anything of the history of baseball and he probably knows it...)

right on

 

[uart]

Yeah, those all look ok. Take a look at a few "in person" if you can, get a feel of the weight and how solid it feels before buying.

No, DO NOT get a flimsy trashy TV tray-like sad excuse for "portable folding work bench".

In fairness I told him that they look ok, perhaps I should have emphasised the word *look*. That's why I said to take a look at them in person to assess whether or not they're solid enough.

So, I will use the Workmate vise to hold a metal vise like in the photo below?

No, I wouldn't try to hold it with clamps like that. You want to mount it on a nice solid piece of timber that you can clamp firmly onto the workmate.

 

[454ragtop]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you know what a vise is, and what it does, and you can't think of a reason why you need one, you probably don't. Better off buying tools you actually need, and will use, and maybe someday the light will come on, and you'll say, "Damn, I could really use a vise for this project". THAT'S when you should consider getting one.
Jim

 

[davesnothere]

goddammit.

now i need a vise for the kitchen.

 

[GoodEnough]

I'm surprised no one mentioned a clamp vise as an option.
I do have steel shelves that I could clamp a small vice to.
I just plan to use it to hold bolts and nuts for chaser cleaning.

Here are some $10-$20 options
Swivel looks very handy

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stalwart-Portable-Clamp-Base-Bench-Vice-75-TZ3025/204695777

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINI-TABLE-...992973128?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item20d3d60948

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VISES-BENCH...7?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item2c5c916677

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Inch-Univ...481025210?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item53ee57ecba

 

[uart]

I'm surprised no one mentioned a clamp vise as an option.
Here are some $10-$20 options
Swivel looks very handy

Compared to even the little 4" HF that I linked to previously, those things are just toys. I've got the 3rd one you linked there, and it is quite useful as a "hobby vise", I mostly use mine to hold things at odd angles when when gluing or soldering something awkward. For anything that requires any type of holding force you can forget those.

Yes perhaps they might hold something just well enough to run a chaser over it, but you'll fairly soon run into things that it won't hold well enough. Also, with a little vise like the one I linked to previously, at least you can do some light anvil work like straightening something out etc.

 

[Outlawmws]

Clamp vises are extremely light duty and often won't clamp tight enough to stay steady for any but the lightest of work. I'm talking about working with plastics, balsa wood, or very small objects like watches jewelry, and the like, using jewelers files and ultra fine jewelers saws or Dremel tools which for the most part are intended for balsa wood and plastics. It was never intended as more that a model makers type of vise.

For even light shop work like chasing you are talking about, it will likely twist on the clamp unless you also use the secondary mounting holes most come with to screw it down to the mounting surface, which defeats the purpose of a small easily moved third hand like those...

Agian we are talking about setting yourself up for frustration while working. The proper job for the tool minimizes frustration.

Trying to make something do what it wasn't designed nor intended for will just make the job frustrating, leading to anger, leading to thrown tools, leading to broken glass, leading to more work and more $$ spent, not to mention explanations to the sig other, leading to fights with the sig other, leading to divorce, leading to bankruptcy, all to save a nickle on a poorly chosen and purchased tool

Don't choose the wrong tool for the job.

 

[ajchien]

Just Use a c clamp- ..or portable drill press vise

My suggestion would be to get a proper vise and a proper workbench, but it doesn't seem that you're going to do that.

Therefore, I like retrobuilder's idea. I would rather use a drill press vise bolted down onto your steel shelves rather than a clamp on type vise.

The problem i see with the clamp on vise is that there's only one point of fixation to the table. They just hold in place, any twisting motion will tend to loosen and move them around. You need something that's bolted down in 2+ points.