New Vise Table

[marcusb]

hello all,

 

Im in the process of setting up a blacksmithing area in my garage. I have looking for ways to mount a couple vise's i have. While at local scrap yard recently I found a nice steel table. Top is 1" thick and frame is 2" tube. Weighs in at 680 pounds. I wanted something solid that i dont have to bolt down so I went with something heavy. I decided to mount one post vise and one bench vise opposite of each other. I left the space on the ends open to provide work space (catch junk) Here are a few pics, if you can see anything I could change to improve it let me know. Thanks

 

 

 

 

[Pug}{maN]

Nice stuff! Looks like its mounted good to me..

[Bigcity]

Love the table i am lookin for a nice heavy duty metal table like that. Looks like it took a little bit move it tho lol

[Alan Evans]

It all depends on your individual work patterns I think. I find it suits me and my work to leave my steel plate bench clear and have mounted my vice on an tripod base which I can bolt to the floor if required.

 

Nothing you have done is undoable so you can always unmount one or both vices if you need a clear surface...or get another bench!

 

I can't see from the photographs but is the floor level wood block attached to the bench or just resting on the floor? Is the weight of the vice taken directly off the floor or off the bench top?

[David Einhorn]

Sounds like a great table.

 

I would be interested in how that arrangement works out over time. Is the wood sturdy enough so that the vise does not come loose over time?

 

I usually weld bolts, threads up, to various benches and bolt the vises directly to the metal table tops.  To support the leg of the vises I cut a short length of steel pipe for the bottom of the leg to sit into, and weld that pipe stub to a length of angle iron that has the other end welded to the bottom of a leg on the bench.  When I do that it works fine, but it is the one vise that I have attached to a bench with a wooden top that is not stable.  That vise is on a long list of things that need to be fixed... some day.

[Metaljohn]

That looks like a great job you've done there. Lovely solid bench.

[Armand Tatro]

At  5 ft. 7 in. tall I would have to elemate the wood blocks as that vice is mounted too high to be comfortable for me to use unless that table is extremly short.  If you need the spacers I would replace the wood with steel as steel would be a solider mount.  Armand

[rlbaker]

I don't know if you are going to do any welding on the table or what the top dimensions are, but have you considered drilling some holes in it for hold downs? At 1"  thick you have got plenty of thickness for the hold downs to Bind up tight. One of my welding tables is 1/2" thick and on a need to use basis I started drilling holes here and there and now I've got them scattered all over and I find them very handy for welding stuff up. Your hold downs don't even have to be real close to where you need to clamp down, you just bridge to it with with what ever  odd pieces of bar stock you have laying around. I just use hot rolled 1/2 rnd that I neck down a little for 1/2 holes. for the hold downs and all it takes is a whack or two to readjust them when they stop binding up in the relatively thin top. Works great.

[marcusb]

Thanks for all the replies and input guys. The wood used to mount the vise is oak 4"x4". The floor block rest's on the floor and is bolted to the runner on the table legs, also a 4x4. the table is short, the block is drilled nearly thru to the concrete. The blocks above are oak 4x4 and are thru bolted to the table. The vise bracket is held on with lag bolts 3.5" into the oak. The table is bolted to 2 "runners" of the same oak that I tapered on the ends so the table can be drug around as needed. I like the idea of holddowns. There are many exsisting holes in the table but I wouldnt mind a few more.