bigb Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Getting ready to put something together for a post vise stand. I have a few of these 11"x11" pieces of timber and I also have access to plenty of 12x12x1/4" square tube, and 12x12x3/8". The timbers fit nicely into the 1/4". I also have some circles of plate from 18" up to about 36" to use as bases. I was going to weld a piece of the 12x12 square say maybe a foot tall to a 36" base plate then slide a chunk of the timber in and bolt it up. Then bolt the vise to the top of the timber and bore a hole in the base for the leg. But I got to thinking, maybe just go all the way up with the steel and make a plate top for bolting the vise to, and skip the wood. Is there any advantage to using heavy timber vs steel? When I think about it the force is mostly on the leg anyway which will be seated into steel. I've had this heavy timber for a while and been looking for some uses for it. The piece in the photo is split and weathered but I have much nicer ones coming off a job site soon, about 42" long and free. I also have a nice 11 foot box beam, 4"X6"X1/4" that I got for free a couple years ago that I could cut a length from and weld to the base if that would be strong enough, maybe add some gussets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Steel of course, my preference. Actually you can use what ever resources and tools you have. What is important is that the vice is firmly secured, the stand does not bounce and rock around when you work with the vise. good luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Before you think how to make the stand, you have to decide if you are going to have a mobile vice or a fixed one. It is of course way better to have the vice fixed for a number of obvious reasons, but sometime that is not possible so second best has to be mounted on a post and plate or tripod. I would consider wood for a fixed installation and would try to find an power pole, (no, don't go and cut one down) and cut 1/3 of the post down vertical and out forming a shelf to fit the leg and make it do it's work. Sink it in a 2 or 3' deep hole and pack gravel all around it up to 4" from the ground. Pour a couple of gallons of sump oil to deter termites and top it off with sand. (I am environmentally friendly and like recycling ) Or concrete in the ground steel SHS section. 4"x4"x1/4" or 5"x5"x1/4" ... plenty and some more. Mobile stand. i don't like them one bit, in fact anything that rattles and moves I refuse to work on. But ... seen plenty of rattling vice and anvils so a mobile stand can be made to work but it is way easier to make one all steel then it is to adapt some timber because you happen to have it. The most important part of a leg vice install is to actually design it so that the leg takes most of the weight of the hammer blows and is not just there for decoration tied in with a hose clamp or similar. Post some photos when you get going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 Marc, I just don't have a lot of room on my cramped city lot, and my smithy is built on the side of the garage with a paver floor. I considered mounting it on one of my very heavy steel tables. But even as heavy as the tables are I think my 235 lb body standing on the base plate while using the vise will help. I could also fill the steel tube with concrete.I totally understand what you are saying about portable vises moving and rattling but I can't really do permanent right now. Unless I get rid of one of the tables and affix it to the masonry wall somehow, but I do welding out there too and having 7 feet of work table is nice. They are made from 1/4" angle with storm drain tops which are covered with 1/2" plate. One is 32x36" and the other is 32x48". The 1/2" plates are removeable for torch cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Do not weld the post vise to the bottom of the stand. Make a ring (pipe) to receive the bottom of the post vise leg and weld the ring to the bottom plate. That way you do not mess up the leg of the vise. Let the post leg rest on both the ring and the bottom plate. Test out the final height of the top of the vise, during use, before you finalize things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigb Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 9 minutes ago, Glenn said: Do not weld the post vise to the bottom of the stand. Make a ring (pipe) to receive the bottom of the post vise leg and weld the ring to the bottom plate. That way you do not mess up the leg of the vise. Let the post leg rest on both the ring and the bottom plate. That is my intention but I was going to bore a hole in the plate for the small part of the leg to fit into. Would there be an advantage to the ring instead? More surface area I am guessing, if you cut it just the right height? (PS I wouldn't even think of welding on my vise!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 If the plate thickness was less than the length of the leg below the swell at the bottom of the leg, the vise would not seat exactly. With the ring you can adjust the "receiver" to the exact length you need for the vise. This would also allow you to raise the vise if you needed a taller vise leg, depending on your personal height and comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Yep ... having one or two ready made packing to lift the vice say 2" and 4" for different jobs can be handy. As much as your body weight at 2-0-11 is considerable , it is mobile and not the same as a block of concrete. It will have to do though. Filling the post with concrete may defeat the concept of mobile unless you have a forklift. I made a mobile stand for a parallel vice and made it steady with weight plates on the back leg I can remove or add more. You can also get creative by adding wheels that touch the ground after you tilt the base so much, and have long handles to do the lifting that can be removed or pushed back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 When I build my shop, I'm going to keep both of my vises mobile until I get everything set up and working the way I want it. Then, MAYBE I'll think about mounting at least one permanently to the floor. So far, if you mount the vise like I did so that you are standing on a piece of wood or plate of steel for a bottom, your own weight keeps it stable enough for most smithing activities. I suppose if I had a huge vise for heavy work I'd want that on a permanent and unmovable stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 If mobility is needed, I'd use the wood beam. You can make a nice steel base for it and forge a nice strap to go around the top. The wood-iron combo is sexy every day of the week. While not as heavy as the all steel construction, it's also easier to move around the shop when you need to. If you go with all steel, it'll certainly be heavier. I wouldn't fill the tube with concrete. I'd opt for sand so the whole contraption could be dumped out when/if I had to move. Both stands are "less than perfect" because they're not bolted to the floor. That means you'll get a bit of wobble and all that. It's a trade-off between stability and portability, circumstances being what they are. It seems like life is always demanding a trade off of one kind or another! No reason to worry too much about either design. Whichever way you choose, do the best work you know how to do so folks are impressed with your craftsmanship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripleycopa Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Has anyone heard of welding heavy plate to the top of a 55 gallon drum upon which to bolt the vise and then fill the drum with 400 lbs. of water for stability; and drain it if the vise needs to be moved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I’ve never heard of anyone doing such a thing, but it’s an interesting idea. My only concern would be that there are often hard and heavy objects moving around the shop. An accidental bump (if hard enough) could theoretically poke a hole in the drum, and the you’ve got water everywhere. Now, if you used sand instead of water.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 A 55 gal(US) drum was my portable vise stand for a decade+. I didn't weld a plate to the top I scribed the inside curve on a piece of 2x12 (Water bed side board) and cut it to fit and ran some lag bolts in from the side. This allowed using it as a slack tub too and easy filling with a hose---makes folks who worry about forges and fire happy to see than much water to hand. My drum had a bung down low on the side making it easy to drain when it was time to pack up. (Always the last thing so I wasn't tromping through the water while loading.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I like the 55gal. drum idea. But if part of the top were open some kind of full removable lid might be helpful to prevent anything falling in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 YES!!!! and or a basket so one can retrieve stuff dropped in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Keeping in mind the need to drain the drum if there's a risk of freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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