larrynjr Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 After my EBay excitement yesterday I went to a new friend's (Brad /eburgblue) shop and he show me how to weld and together we fabbed up this mount for my post vise. I had already assembled the parts but the little MIG welder I bought isn't up to welding at this level and my technique was lacking too. Thanks for the help and instruction Brad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 good looking mobile vice stand, and i say mobile lightly i know how heavy drums can be. heres my second vice that i have on a similar stand, but i am short for space so mine is a little table too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habu68 Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 The vise table is a good idea. The vise is always the place you use "the other tools" like punches files, twisting wrenches. the small table is as handy as a shirt pocket. I need to ad one to mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Larry add a box to the stand so that vice tools can be kept with it. I have a piece that I clamp in the jaw sticking up, this gives a pivot point that I can then use to roll it around easier. Then there are bending forks, and a piece of plate with anle iron welded on the underside to form a table you can clamp small pieces for fit up and welding, Heading bolts, the list of stuff you'll use your vise for will grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Larry If An Ugly Weld Holds; It Ain't That Ugly!;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steponmebbbboom Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 the best thing about using a brakedrum for a base like that is that if the assembly is balanced right you can tilt it and roll it along the floor like a welding bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 I will add a tool tray to it soon. It does roll on the edge of the drum quite easily, almost too easily. It's not as heavy a base as I thought it would be. It moves when I tighten stuff in the vice. It's still a better set up than I had before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgeman Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 nice setup Larry , Forgeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I will add a tool tray to it soon. It does roll on the edge of the drum quite easily, almost too easily. It's not as heavy a base as I thought it would be. It moves when I tighten stuff in the vice. It's still a better set up than I had before! That's been my experience with brake drum and wheel stands, they're just not stable enough for heavy reefing. Then there's the whole thing about kicking them when I want to get close to the tool. While I don't like getting close to my grinders, sanders and the like because they're so nifty to be close to, my preference for using them is to brace my elbows against my hips for good steady control. Having to dodge a brake drum or worse a truck wheel just doesn't do it for me. Not only does my work suffer, I fatigue faster. My preference is a disk of steel about 3' around for a stand base. It doesn't get in your way at all, is easy to move and when you really want to lay into, say a vise, it isn't going anywhere because you're usually standing on it. Regardless of my preferences I know a lot of guys who like drums and wheels for stands and they work for them. Also, regardless of my likes or dislikes you put a fine vise stand together, especially for a first go. It's a LOT better than my first one believe you me. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steponmebbbboom Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 just a suggestion, hollow drums like that can always be ballasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 What Frosty said---if you can stand on it while working it won't move much! Another nifty way to do them is to cast receivers into your floor and have a visemount you can just drop in the hole when needed---quite stable too! My old portable vise mount was a 55 gal drum with one end open and a piece of 2x12 cut to fit the inside curve and lagged through the side of the barrel and my postvise mounted to the wood. Fill it with water and you have 400+ pounds of weight and with a bung mounted low on the side it's easy to drain and move. Very nice for public demos where the water can be used as a slack tub/fire supression---I know that forges don't spew fire all over the place but *site* *owners* do not and so having a fire extinguisher and the extra water to hand makes them happy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 What Frosty said---if you can stand on it while working it won't move much! Another nifty way to do them is to cast receivers into your floor and have a visemount you can just drop in the hole when needed---quite stable too! My old portable vise mount was a 55 gal drum with one end open and a piece of 2x12 cut to fit the inside curve and lagged through the side of the barrel and my postvise mounted to the wood. Fill it with water and you have 400+ pounds of weight and with a bung mounted low on the side it's easy to drain and move. Very nice for public demos where the water can be used as a slack tub/fire supression---I know that forges don't spew fire all over the place but *site* *owners* do not and so having a fire extinguisher and the extra water to hand makes them happy... Receivers . . . Like these? 2" sq. on 4' centers, welded into the rebar to make a common shop ground and connected to a sub-floor exhaust system. The 55gl drum is an excellent mobile vise, post drill, etc. stand and water reservoir. I liked to keep the lid on the drum though, for some extra table space. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eburgblue Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Larry the pics are good. Keep practicing the welding. Looked good. I have 4 receivers in the shop floor. I can switch out tools easily like an anvil harder hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duct tape Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Larry, What size is the I beam and thickness of plate? General question - even after measuring twice, cutting once etc... I have had a hard time getting the leg post to fit exactly. What's better, cutting the main support just a shade short and shimming the baseplate of the vise, or placing a shim under the leg foot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 The mounting bracket on the postvise should be able to grip the vise over a several inch range why not just slide it till the leg is fitting correctly and the mounting plate is fitting correctly and then tightening on the vise? Now the real old style ones that use a tennoned mounting bracket can't be adjusted up and down. For those I would shim the mounting plate. The foot should be as un bouncy and well anchored as possible, a little bounce in the mounting plate would just mimic that in a wooden bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Johnny Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Nice Job! Good use of old junk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) Larry, What size is the I beam and thickness of plate? duct tape, sorry for not getting back to you sooner, I lost track of this thread and didn't realize you had asked me a question. The I beam is about 6" at the I x 4" on each end. The plate is about 1/3 of an inch or so. Edited October 23, 2008 by larrynjr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 I don't recall if I ever posted what happened with that post vise stand, I think I did but I'll repeat it here and give the current sitrep on it. soon after Brad and I welded it up, I was using it, banging on something in the vise and it snapped right at the welds. What I've learned since is that brake drums like that are cast iron and don't take to welding to steel well. Brad (eburgblue) did an awesome job teaching me to weld and the welds he made were the best I've had the pleasure to see but that confounded cast iron beat us. So I've sloooooooowly been working on finding a new way to mount it and am close to being done (pictures pending!) I flipped the drum upside down and put a steel plate under it. Drilled countersunk holes though the plate and have 4 3/8" bolts coming up through to the plate on the vise stand. I need to cut a wood filler piece to take up some of the threads on the bolts. Then once assembled I'll fill the upside down drum with sand to add weight and give me a place for tools. If I finish tonight, I'll post the pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Ok, so here is the (for now) final product. It's still not as stable as it could be but it should work fine. If not I'll break down and buy a piece of round sheet like Frosty talked about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannes Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 hi, i think it better this way... more stable, and a place to put tools nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Nice setup larry, you could just take four things of flats and weld it to the sides of that rectangle. It'd make it more stable and save you $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkle spike Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 (edited) The one thing to be considered with a vice mount is being able to swing a twisting wrench perpendicular to the jaws. I mounted mine with one side of the jaws close to the edge of the bench for that purpose. Rims are fine, but you may need to weight it down for some heavy reefing like Frosty suggested. Edited October 23, 2008 by unkle spike can't spell so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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