newbieforge Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Hello everyone, I've been lurking here once in a while since the spring, and I thought it's time to introduce myself. I'm from the Sudbury area in Ontario, and I'm new at blacksmithing. Over the last year or so I have been collecting the required tools and equipment. The collection process has been a unique journey, that has taken me to various towns in the region, where I may otherwise never have visited. This spring, I completed my work bench, which has liberated me to do more forging and metal work. I thought I'd start by showing some photos of the new bench. Here it is: The bench surface is a plate of 2" thick AR100 steel, roughly 21" by 26". The protrusion where the leg vise is attached is about 12" by 8". The whole piece weighs about 240lbs. I picked it out from the back lot at a local steel fabrication place. The vise has 5" wide jaws. I picked it up in Toronto, on the way home from a work assignment. The mobile portion of the vise has some letters stamped in it: TM JWcoDASTON?? STOVEBRIDGE (STONEBRIDGE?) WARRANTED Some of the letters are hard to read, but if that sounds familiar to anyone, then please let me know as I'd be curious to know more about the origins of this vise. It is in fine working condition, and the faces of the jaws still have good knurling. However, the jaws are out of parallel by just under 1/16", something I'll have to look at later if it becomes an issue. On the floor is 1.5" thick, 15" diameter steel disc, in the center of which I drilled a 1" hole to receive the leg of the vise. It weighs around 75lbs, and I put it there to avoid damaging the floor. The idea was to add some more mass under the vise, and to spread the hammering forces evenly over the floor. On second thought, it may be a little bit overbuilt. The frame construction is very simple, 18" by 18" square, welded from 3" by 3" square tube and 3" C-channel. It is bolted to the floor at the corners using 1/2" bolts. Prior to building this bench, I had tried some twists and other work with a regular bench vise, that was bolted to a wooden bench, that wasn't attached to the floor. Usually the whole bench tended to move around. Needless to say, bench movement is no longer an issue. The disc is bolted to the frame with a bracket made from 1" by 1" square steel. As for the paint scheme on the disk, there is no good reason for it other than rust protection, and my whimsical mood that day. ;-) That was about it for now. I'm very glad this community exists, and I'm looking forward to more forging and more learning. All the best! Markus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 nice work ! good to see you post it ! hope to see more ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Welcome aboard. Now that is a serious table. So far as the vice jaw alinement is concerned, a little heat on the jaw arm down near the pivot and something to space the tight side of the jaw while gingerly tightening the jaws should straighten it without much effort. While doing this you really should block the hinge arm above the heated area as well to keep from bending the jaw arm which could raise the top edge of the front jaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 it may be a little bit overbuilt. If that's not the understatement of the century, I don't know what is!!! I would love to see what kind of work your doing that might move a bench that heavy! Bolting it to the floor was just silly. Very jealous. I don't know what I'd do with a shop around here that just happened to have 2" plate drops laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quint Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Wow excellent setup. Would love to have that around the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel.85 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 That is an awesome work/vise table, very jealous of the nicely cut 2" plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 It depends upon what kind of work you intend to do, but leg vises are often mounted free standing without a bench. For example, I once had some large C scrolls to make on a form held in the vise. Each scroll took 9 feet of stock which caused me to walk in a circular manner to make the scrolls. A bench would have been an impediment. Also, some smiths prefer to mount the vise on a timber set in the ground, the reasons having to do with dampening the noise a bit and taking shock. Having said that, I don't think you've done anything wrong. The table looks small enough that you can get at the vise from various angles. The vise is beautiful and is reminiscent of the Peter Wright vises, except the ear or lug* at the base of each jaw is a little thicker and more upturned than on PW's that I've seen. I'm curious. Is there a slight bit of chamfering on the legs, or are they sharp cornered? *It is difficult to know what terminology to use for some of these parts. Tom Latané called these projections "lips." What about "tongue?" There is a Stonebridge, London, England, and a Stourbridge near Birmingham, in central England. I couldn't find a Stovebridge. Thank you for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Nice anvil with a nice vise attached to it. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
female_blacksmith Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Wow, nice work/vise stand. Mine looks very rickety in comparison...lol....also very jealous ! Welcome to IFI site too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbieforge Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Hi guys and gals, Thanks for the warm welcome! Pug}{man, Thanks! Finally having a dedicated metal working and forging bench is a real motivator for me to get out and forge more. knots, Thanks for the tips on aligning the jaws. How do you recommend applying heat only to the area that will be twisted? It sounds like a job for an oxyacetylene torch... a tool that has been on my wish list for some time. Vaughn, I had movement problems with another bench that wasn't really optimal for blacksmithing. I think that must have subconsciously motivated me to overbuild this one. On the other hand, the amount of effort to make a lighter bench would have been approximately equal; given the choice I probably would have built it heavy regardless. And I think you're right about the bolts being silly. :-) quint, Daniel, female_blacksmith, Thanks. If you want to make one yourselves, I would be happy to share some plans, although as you can see it's pretty simple. If you have a welding machine, cut-off saw, grinder, and a buddy to help you lift the surface onto the finished stand, you could probably have the paint dry by Monday morning, after a weekend and 12-24 beers. Phil, Haha, it is more of an anvil. I did want a work surface that can act like an anvil. In fact when I strike the surface with a hammer directly over one of the legs, it has a satisfying ring and rebound much like striking an anvil. I am thinking about etching square outlines over the legs, to mark the "sweet spots". I also deliberately left wide overhangs on the edges, so that I can add "pritchel" and "hardy" holes for future needs. Having seen some of the railway track anvils others use, I thought it would be a fun weekend project to make an attachment point for train track. I think it would handy to have right beside the vise, for detailed work like animal heads or small scrolls. Frank, Your points on 360 degree access to the vise are well taken. In fact I have a second, smaller vise, in poorer condition, and someday I will build a "mobile" stand for it, as others here have done. Also, thanks for the insights on the type of vise. In a separate response, I will post some close-up photos of the vise, including the writing on it. All the best, Markus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbieforge Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Frank, As I can't find a way to attach photos to this reply, without using a 3rd party site like Photobucket or Imgur, I'll start a new topic in the Vises forum. Regards, Markus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Under "more reply options" should be the stuff for attachments. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 That disk might get in the way of your filing and sawing stance. I tend to file with my feet spread apart and one foot forward close to the leg and one back this is the stance most people use when doing cold work in a vise. looks good for hammering and bending though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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