abstamaria
Well-known member
What is the ideal position for mounting a vise on a bench? Many thanks in advance,
Andy
Andy
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What is the correct position for a vice?
- Thread starter abstamaria
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Buckgnarly
Well-known member
On top?......
I put mine as close to the edge as possible, but making sure the handle does clear the top when fully closed.
I put mine as close to the edge as possible, but making sure the handle does clear the top when fully closed.
rwreuter
Well-known member
not sure what you are asking????
mine is mounted on the corner.
mine is mounted on the corner.
Rear, fixed jaw lined up with the edge of bench. Err on the side of this jaw overhanging the edge. If it is too far back you can't clamp long pieces that want to hang down vertically toward the floor or they will hit the bench.
D.J.
Well-known member
I would think it depends on what your dominate hand is, right or left? One at work is on the left hand corner of the work bench and another is on the right hand corner of the welding bench. When I build my workbench for my garage I believe I will install a receiver type device on both ends of the bench. Partly because I'm left handed and not all things in this righthanded world work for us southpaws. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion, and not based on any facts just my preference.
What are you going to do with said vice? electronics, wood work, blacksmithing, general holding or something special? Vice types and bench position determine a lot as well as a hundred other things. Height also is a consideration for comfortable use. Are you 5' tall or 6'+?
lg
no neat sig line
lg
no neat sig line
e-tek
Well-known member
THIS!!!!
.....is the EXACT answer. I'm surprised how many people have their vice so far back that they can't put something longer than 6 inches in it - because it'll hit the bench! So they they have to put it length-wise, or upside down....
Zeke
Well-known member
Well, I generally approach this with what kind of vice I'm going to commit.
Jawn
Well-known member
If it's a swivel vise, I like it on the corner. Ideally placed where the fixed jaw will clear either the front edge or the side edge, depending on which way it's swiveled.
(Nice answer, Zeke...)
(Nice answer, Zeke...)
Dale01
Member
If your bench has legs it mounting it over one may make the mounting more ridged.
OP
abstamaria
Well-known member
I have a small, 4" machinist's vise in my assembly and service area for holding things for assembly (like Aeroquip braided hoses), soldering, cutting and filing small parts. I have a larger one in a shed for heavier work on longer, bigger things.
Thank you for the precise, quick, logical answers.
Andy
Thank you for the precise, quick, logical answers.
Andy
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bmwohio
Well-known member
Here's a shot of mine attached to my bench
http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae245/bmwohio/Garage Pics/IMG_2691.jpg
http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae245/bmwohio/Garage Pics/IMG_2691.jpg
Ric in Richmond
Well-known member
Exactly!!
blazsawgras
Well-known member
i have 6 inch colunbian vice for general purpose use. i positioned mine on corner near front and over over one leg of bench. also i like a vice that will swivel.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
On the front and side edge so you can do this on both the front and side.
I usually like to mount mine over the leg so I can bang or pull down on it with no give. The top of my bench is 2x4s, but my vise is mounted on a 2x10 that is also anchored to the wall so that I can pull on it without it flexing as well.
I've heard the left vs right hand thing on what end of the bench to mount to. I'm left handed and never saw a real disadvantage at either end.
Chris
I usually like to mount mine over the leg so I can bang or pull down on it with no give. The top of my bench is 2x4s, but my vise is mounted on a 2x10 that is also anchored to the wall so that I can pull on it without it flexing as well.
I've heard the left vs right hand thing on what end of the bench to mount to. I'm left handed and never saw a real disadvantage at either end.
Chris
buzz4041
Well-known member
For stability issues I bolted a steel plate across my workbench under the vise area also. Put it on a corner of the bench with correct overhang as described by others.
slip knot
Well-known member
on top of a big piece of pipe. This one is outside so I can cut grind burn, whatever I need to without dirtying the shop. Also have a smaller Wilton on a bench inside for "light" work
Cant get pic to load????
Cant get pic to load????
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If it is a swivel vise and the fixed jaw will clear either the front or the side of the bench it should be fine. My best vise will clear the side but not the front of my workbench. This has never presented a problem for me. Same goes for my pedestal vise, it will only clear the front of the mounting plate. It is sometimes beneficial to be able to rest the end of a workpiece on the supporting structure (bench top), especially if heavy impact is in store for the workpiece. This way the bench shares a bit of the load and the vise is not stressed to the extreme that it would be if it were supporting the entire load.
IMHO this is the correct way to do it. You want to be able to use it aligned with the front or side edges, and by aligning the stationery jaw the way S-Dog does it you have your workpiece braced against the bench top.
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Also -- take a close look at the base before you drill your holes. I'd put in a few vises over my lifespan and had never given it a thought. Then I had to drill holes in an inch-thick bench top for a very big vise. I lined up everything very carefully, thinking (wrongly) that the base would be symmetrical. In fact, the holes are usually along a D shape, so that the jaws can overhang the base more on the side that lines up with the edge of the bench.
I mounted the new vise and never gave a thought to the fact that the base had to overhang in order to have the inside jaw line up properly with the edge of the work surface. It was only when I was mounting the next vise that I realized that there's a cutaway portion that avoids any overhang being necessary. Of course, I'm not re-drilling holes in the inch-thick bench to correct my mistake. But a part of me wishes I could.
I mounted the new vise and never gave a thought to the fact that the base had to overhang in order to have the inside jaw line up properly with the edge of the work surface. It was only when I was mounting the next vise that I realized that there's a cutaway portion that avoids any overhang being necessary. Of course, I'm not re-drilling holes in the inch-thick bench to correct my mistake. But a part of me wishes I could.
Steevo
Well-known member
I'm glad to hear that my vise isn't the only one incapable of overhanging two sides of a corner. I have a swivel-base Columbian 3-1/2" that can't be bolted down on a corner in a way that will allow the fixed jaw to overhang both edges. I can get one, but not both.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
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Oh yeah! Good point, Jack, BTDT. You have to be careful setting up to make sure the bolt holes are in the right place AND clear the bench frame as well.
OP
abstamaria
Well-known member
Sorry, I have been misspelling "vise." Poor English (a 2nd language for me) or Freudian slip. This thread has been instructive for me. Many thanks, all.
Andy
Andy
Steevo
Well-known member
Jawn
Well-known member
You know, I hadn't paid attention to it (my vise is currently mounted to a double layer of MDF that I can clamp onto a bench) but my 3 1/2" Columbian is the same way.
I would have discovered that after finishing my new workbench (planned to bolt the vise directly to it). Now I may hold off 'til I find a bigger one and just keep using this one with its homemade clamp-on base in the meantime.
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GreyOwl
Well-known member
One more addition to Shadowdog's pictures is, if possible on your bench, you might round off the corner so you can swivel the vise without removing the object in the vise.
Mine is on a post mount so it doesn't matter.
Charles
Mine is on a post mount so it doesn't matter.
Charles
:Falcon67
Well-known member
My big 6" has a rounded front and three ears - one in back, one on each side. That pushes it away from the edge but allows it to get close to the front edge. I placed it as close to the corner as I could, marked the holes and the front curve of the base, then trimmed the front of the bench to match the base.
Northstar
Well-known member
I guess I never really thought about it other than clamping a chunk of wood in it that hung below the top on both sides. My biggest issue was always with 2x4 type benches where the bolt holes lined up with the cross beam wood.
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
Great Idea!!!
One more thing, A vise can be front heavy, so you may want to clamp it or be ready to move when positioning it for where the holes should be.
My dad and I had a big vise topple off of the bench years ago when we were measuring to mount it. Luckily it didn't hit our feet.
Chris
chumley360
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 9, 2010
- Messages
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I say mount it where you can get the most use out of it. On a forward corner is a preferred place for a ton of people. Most of mine at work are this way(I've got about 6 there). But my two at home are kinda odd. The primary is mounted front center of my fixed workbench. My other one is on a mount that I can swap into a receiver hitch on my rolling workbench. I don't have a pic of the second one.
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archfish
Well-known member
OP
abstamaria
Well-known member
The Ultimate Vise
To digress a bit, here is my dream vise. Ettore Bugatti was an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist; if I won the lottery, the first thing I would buy will be one of his 1930s Type 35Bs. When he could not stand the erratic electricity supplied by the local utility, he built his own power plant with polished wood plank floors. When he couldn’t find a vise whose jaws were parallel enough for him, he built his own.
At closing, he would check each of the vises in the factory; woe be to the workman whose file had scratched one!
Pur Sang, a small company in Argentina that builds credible replicas of the Type 35, builds replicas of these vises. Even these replicas are too expensive for me. If I did get one, I would paint it French Racing Blue. And mount it properly on a bench with a rounded-off corner.
To digress a bit, here is my dream vise. Ettore Bugatti was an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist; if I won the lottery, the first thing I would buy will be one of his 1930s Type 35Bs. When he could not stand the erratic electricity supplied by the local utility, he built his own power plant with polished wood plank floors. When he couldn’t find a vise whose jaws were parallel enough for him, he built his own.
At closing, he would check each of the vises in the factory; woe be to the workman whose file had scratched one!
Pur Sang, a small company in Argentina that builds credible replicas of the Type 35, builds replicas of these vises. Even these replicas are too expensive for me. If I did get one, I would paint it French Racing Blue. And mount it properly on a bench with a rounded-off corner.
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Provincial
Well-known member
Re: The Ultimate Vise
The Bugatti vise reminds me of another vise design. Does it have a tubular shank for the movable jaw?
I would think that Ettore would have used an elliptical shape for the shank, just to be more elegant!
The Bugatti vise reminds me of another vise design. Does it have a tubular shank for the movable jaw?
I would think that Ettore would have used an elliptical shape for the shank, just to be more elegant!
Coolabah
Well-known member
Re: The Ultimate Vise
Wow- can't google the vice ( company website doesn't seem to list the vise ?? What am I missing ?) Do you have a link to the vice or other info ...
OP... sorry about the hijack...
Wow- can't google the vice ( company website doesn't seem to list the vise ?? What am I missing ?) Do you have a link to the vice or other info ...
OP... sorry about the hijack...
OP
abstamaria
Well-known member
From the maker of replica Bugatti vises
Here is more advice on mounting a vise, including the correct height:
The Bugatti vice that Tula Engineering have recently made to order is a direct copy of the original Factory vice used by engineers throughout the company’s workshops.
It is a machined from Bugatti’s drawings and we have used all the specified materials where marked. The cast iron body with either an surface plate or plain back is finished in a tough long suffering satin mat block paint. This finish is resistant to many chemicals, petrol and oil and paint thinners and has great chip resistance. The hardened and ground vice jaws close to a perfect fit and when used lead to a perfect closing action. There is no other vice like it.
The vice comes with a ** long bench pin that screws into the base and a locking handle allowing the vice to be swivelled on the bench top for long drop work.
For best use the vice should be mounted with onto a 30mm thick bench top over a solid bench leg preferably of Bugatti design. The throw of the jaws is a max 180mm and 125mm wide. The top of the vice jaws should be the same height as the users elbow from the ground to provide the correct actuation when filing.
The vice has a total length of 500mm, width of 200mm and height of 245mm and its total weight is 48Kg. The lead time for each is 12 weeks from receipt of deposit at 50% total retail price. The Bugatti vice is the ultimate working tool and a must for any precision engineer.
The Price for the vice is £3500 plus VAT and £500 for ali bench leg.
Here is more advice on mounting a vise, including the correct height:
The Bugatti vice that Tula Engineering have recently made to order is a direct copy of the original Factory vice used by engineers throughout the company’s workshops.
It is a machined from Bugatti’s drawings and we have used all the specified materials where marked. The cast iron body with either an surface plate or plain back is finished in a tough long suffering satin mat block paint. This finish is resistant to many chemicals, petrol and oil and paint thinners and has great chip resistance. The hardened and ground vice jaws close to a perfect fit and when used lead to a perfect closing action. There is no other vice like it.
The vice comes with a ** long bench pin that screws into the base and a locking handle allowing the vice to be swivelled on the bench top for long drop work.
For best use the vice should be mounted with onto a 30mm thick bench top over a solid bench leg preferably of Bugatti design. The throw of the jaws is a max 180mm and 125mm wide. The top of the vice jaws should be the same height as the users elbow from the ground to provide the correct actuation when filing.
The vice has a total length of 500mm, width of 200mm and height of 245mm and its total weight is 48Kg. The lead time for each is 12 weeks from receipt of deposit at 50% total retail price. The Bugatti vice is the ultimate working tool and a must for any precision engineer.
The Price for the vice is £3500 plus VAT and £500 for ali bench leg.