natkova Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 What are proportions for vise. I didn't saw thread about that, I saw some pictures on net. Thing is after I had little accident with leg vise , and worked with grinder, i noticed now machinist vise or bench vise proportions don't match leg vise. Leg vise is now taller 10 inch 25 cm than machinist vise used to be I will probably have to saw a stump and Mount vise to it, maybe 2 feet , because vise now look too heigh compared to previous one. Probably I need other bench or stump some kind platform for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 The proper height is what works for you. Here in the USA postvises were sold with differing heights depending on if you would be using it primarily for filing or were going to hammering metal in it and so needed a lower one. I have one heavy vise that I have a wooden platform next to it so we can lay the platform down and step up onto it to do heavy hammering on that vise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted May 30, 2022 Author Share Posted May 30, 2022 Well how much close to forge it need to be? I a m still in dilemma should i make one foot wide workbench /shelf for vise (it look easier to weld some tubes and make it) than use stump chisel holes for threat do bolt it to wall from other side. Stump is sturdier one technique but its not neat and convenient for tool storing. I think i will use it for filing grinding and light hammering not like i will pound it with sledge. But nothing more that can be handled with one hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 If you will be making knives a step or two away is good. If you are making gates, a couple of meters might be better so you can maneuver longer pieces between the forge and postvise. If you will be mainly working cold metal in it, then it can be even further away. Perhaps you could make a vise stand from a 55 gallon drum and fill it with water and try it in several locations until you find what works best for you! Here is a picture of such a stand I used for travelling---currently not full of water and with the vise not mounted to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 Nat: If you're going to use a vise for filing, grinding, light bending and hammer work then you want the top of the jaws about your elbow height. Stand relaxed with your arms hanging downwards, a couple inches higher than your elbows is a good working height. Bolting a bench vise on top of a bench is usually too high for regular file work but is good for bending, and light hammering. Using a disk grinder really needs a lower vise, elbow - where the grinding disk is when held horizontally. These all change depending on what you do the most and it depends on the individual. I did a quick web search for "Proper bench vise height" and got a hit on a short thread on the "Practical Machinist/forum" site. Seems elbow height is the consensus there. Worth doing a search and looking for more opinions. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted May 31, 2022 Author Share Posted May 31, 2022 Well I will see I saw YouTube channel off black bear forge, and he mount Smith vise slightly shorter then bench vise. Thomas intereting idea, will you spill out water while working on vise ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 No Nat, using a drum for a vise mount doesn't splash water, it's too wide and weighs too much. I left most of the top on the drum to lay tools on when I did it as a portable mount. I should've used a drum with a removable lid so nothing could fall in. The one time I did it, Anchorage was under a high level fire watch , fire storms across the inlet were easily visible from the hill side where the Ren fair was being held and having about 45 gallons of water handy went a long way towards making the fire marshal about our set up happy. REALLY HAPPY. Once the drum was filled we wet the ground down with the hose regularly. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted May 31, 2022 Author Share Posted May 31, 2022 To bad I don't have barrel but I like idea despite it take some space for it in my ten by ten foot shop including bellows and frame now it's lik 6 by ten foot squere . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Wouldn't work very well for you at all. One of these days you'll have a shop large enough to keep a 55gl. drum in and still walk around. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted May 31, 2022 Author Share Posted May 31, 2022 I made sketch maybe someone can help it in future its not pretty but i think all measures are in. I think i will make it like this And board is thick 2 inch instead 1 cm . And then botl it to wall should be sturdy. And one thing, why i eliminated stump option, there is forge near to it soo stump can catch fire, so its not that safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 If you do a lot of pounding on your vise, having the bench mounted to the wall will transfer vibration. I have a steel shop building with 4 wooden telephone poles to hold up the steel trusses and I have my heavy pounding postvise attached to one of the poles and when I hammer metal on it you can hear the wall shake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 1, 2022 Author Share Posted June 1, 2022 Well i did some work today with stump after all. And it is fastened to wall with using threaded rod and nuts. It is nailed just to sit on it i had some hardwork with only handtools /saw chisel addze and brace drill since it was hard to drill that long hole with usual drill, i didnt had enaugh dril bit. I used electric drill just for masonry to drill concrete brick. For hour and half iam satisfied. NEed now to fasten vise with woodscrews and to drill trough this circle plate. I don't like breaking concrete and drowning stump in soil so I just did it like this. Fact is if you saw straight line on curved wood you will end up with slightly bevel not flat surface lol But i coulsnt cut it accurate either way. And what you do if you still 8 mm hole in wall in diameter but you need ten, well you of course use punching hole set for forging to enlarge hole Measurements. Well whou would say that 4 inches mean that much, I cut leg 4 inches since više was tall for this and now it kinda fit. Brace drill surprised me how it is efficient tool Yeqa it is hard to drill hole big like this but it work better than crank drill I assume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 1, 2022 Author Share Posted June 1, 2022 I was searching for anvil and i saw this vise funny way mounted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 I wonder what he did with it mounted like that. At least he didn't have to worry about his hand getting pinched by a falling handle! Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 2, 2022 Author Share Posted June 2, 2022 One mistake i made is that vise is too near to wall i feel stupid now. You cant saw comfortably, you can only bang with hammer and file a little Distance is maybe 10 .12 inches from wall. Well for it to be comfortable widnes is about 40 cm min around foot and 4 inches but, i don't have enough space. I will have to some Shenanigans with bellows . they just take too much room like 1/3 of woodworking blacksmithing ordinary workplace. I will see can i bring them up to attic. But that is big project to be done, and dangerous because you cant see flames if bellows suck air from forge. I tried with electric blower but i like bellows more they are not noisy and they are meditative. I am disappointed a bit with everything so i need some time to rethink everything and to clean up shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Putting a check valve on the tue pipe will help keep bellows from inhaling from the fire. My double lung bellows had no issues as the lung that fed the fire was always blowing out and being fed by the lung that had no direct connection to the fire. I have used twinned single action bellows like was used in early smithing times and learned how to alternate to not suck charcoal into the bellows from the fire. I found leaving a gap in the tue pipe about the diameter of the pipe between the twin bellows' pipes and the tue pipe helped. (And has been found in archeological digs of forges!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 Check valves are easy to make Nat. Really easy Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 The only advice I can give is about your initial setup of forge, anvil, and post vice for a permanent setup. Maybe you can't do this for space reasons, but here goes. Think an equilateral triangle, 3 equal angles. Your forge, anvil, and post vice are at each apex. Each is 1-1\2 steps apart and you are in the middle. Why 1-1/2 steps? Well we each have a different length for our steps and the half step is for your turn from forge to anvil-vice, and the full step easily brings you to your work. Mount your anvil and vice on a stump buried in the ground. If space is critical, put your forge in a corner and have a pass thru door for long bars to go thru. Make sure you have enough room around your anvil and post vice to work any lengths you anticipate on using. I've worked in small shops most of my life and never had a space problem setting up this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 WEll i dismounted bellows from frame , thre are threaded rods that hold it in wooden frame. So i did dismounted. I am not strong enaugh or i dont know any human who can lift 40 killos above 3 feet up air. I was thinking building some kind plley using bike wheels and to lift it up the ladders. but iam not sure. If anytihng dont work i will mount them back on previous place. Now i have space to oil them a bit becasue one side were allways by side of wall. Anvil forge is already in corner, and vise is near it and bellows are too on same wall. BUt i have one shelve near second wall , and another workbench on opposite wall and some woodworking metalworking tools etc. As i buy tools space become smaller and smaller : Maybe iam messy worker but if i could move those bellows and somehow make flaps it will save me some space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 There is proverb in my language it goes like " Don't ask bread over scone" it mean if you are looking something more than you have and if you are not satisfied with it you might loose that you have already. I think i dont have enaugh mechanics to bring bellows under attic and iam afraid they may fall down and crush. Well at least i will move them to center of shop and then oil them and return to corner where they were . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" Be careful moving that stuff around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted June 5, 2022 Author Share Posted June 5, 2022 I moved it to other thread- I think it is enaugh work for today I need to get some good plan for bellows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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