Installed My New Kanca Leg Vise

[DHVidrine]

I installed my new 5” Kanca leg vise today.  This 5” Kanca vise was purchased from Centaur Forge.  It was expensive but I feel is a good value. 

My work bench has a wooden top 30” above the concrete floor.  I built this bench several years ago with two runs of 1 5/8” x 13/16” Unistrut channel recessed in the top.  The vise mounting plate is secured to a 1 ½” thick plywood spacer block with three ½” carriage bolts, washers, and nuts.  The spacer block is secured to the work bench by bolting to the Unistrut with four 3/8” bolts.  The end of the leg butts to rectangle piece of 1/8” steel plate glued to the floor with RTV silicone. 

This is a very secure and solid mounting system.  The Unistrut channel allows the vise to be easily removed and remounted to any other location along the length of the workbench.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Looks good, should serve you well and for generations to come.

[JHCC]

How do you like the Kanca vise?

[Latticino]

Using the unistrut is a fantastic idea.  If I ever do a wooden workbench I'm definitely stealing that one.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I have a lot of P3000T Unistrut that I picked up from the steel bin at our trash compactor years ago. That was before they decided to stop the practice. At the time I didn't know what I would use it for as it is galvanized. Now I have a use for some as I'm planing to build a wooden work bench in the shop addition. Thanks.

[DHVidrine]

Correction, there are three runs of Unistrut down the length of the work bench.  One run is along the near edge and the other two are spaced 5 1/2" with 1x6 pine in between.  I will post a picture of tomorrow without the mats.   I have only had this vice for a few days.  So far I am pleased with it.

[DHVidrine]

Attached are some pictures of my Unistrut bench top.  The bench top is two layers of 3/4" CDX plywood.  I used roofing felt under the pine boards to make them even with the Unistrut.  At the right end of the work bench is an 8" cast iron wood worker's vise.  By bolting stops to the Unistrut and using the raised vise jaw dog on the wood worker's vise I can clamp something as long as bench.  I hope somebody can make use of this system.  It has worked well for me.

 

[Buzzkill]

I'm fairly certain it's illegal to have a flat horizontal surface that large with no appreciable amount of clutter on it.

I've never used unistrut on anything, so I have no frame of reference here, but I'm curious if you have trouble with debris falling in and making it difficult to slide items along the channels.

[DHVidrine]

I did clean up a bit before the pictures were taken.  Rubber exterior door mats keep most trash out of the channel.  The mats can be seen in the first two pictures.  My shop vacuum sucks out any trash or grit that may fall in.

[Chris Williams]

Looks nice. What do you use under the leg when you move it?  I know that the RTV-adhered plate won't be moving along with the vise.

I thought it may be convenient to use more of the 1/8” steel plate with something on the floor side as an anti-skid. 

[Frosty]

I love your bench, I'm going to start watching for Unistrut in my price range. I love being able to move bench tools as desired. The only thing that needs addressing is your leg vise being pinned where it is. My thought is to mortise a unistrut into the legs and mounting a Angle iron acorn plate to it. I'd have to loosen and tighten 6 T bolts rather than 4 but it'd be a mobile leg vise with properly pinned leg. Yes, I'd make the angle iron acorn plate long enough to use two bolts for solidity.

Hmmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[DHVidrine]

I have not needed to move this leg vice yet.  If I do I will glue another piece of plate to the floor.  So far the end of the vise leg has not shifted on the floor plate.

[Anachronist58]

Nice setup.  I am a strut channel NUT.

Robert Taylor

[Spool]

An concerns so far about the teeth on the vice, or have you taken them off?

 

I am eyeing either the the 5'' or 6'' as we speak

[Goods]

Spool, if you’re worried about the teeth, you could make liners for the jaws. That way you have smooth jaws most of the time, but when you want the extra grip it’s still right there under the liners.

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

That’s a pretty sweet idea, most of my benches are plate steel and nothing moves very easily without drilling more holes.  
       I agree with goods if your worried about the jaws you can get some thin aluminum or copper plate and cut you out some jaw covers with long tabs that you can bend around to hold them in place. I think I’ve even seen them for sale online too if you don’t want to fool with making them yourself.