At the 2010 woodworking show I picked up a quick release vise from peachtree and had yet to install it; I decided to remedy that this past weekend. Here are the steps I took to retro fit it to my current bench:
First, I added additional framing to my bench top to allow for the vise to be attached; two 2x4's were added connected the side rails of the bench.
Next, Using lag bolts I attached the vise to the new framing. Notice that the back jaw of the vise is inside the front rail of the bench and is sandwiched between the front rail and the new support structure; this effectively turns the entire length of the bench front into the rear vise face.
The completed install, the first item to note here is the addition of a piece of wood to the front vise jaw held in place with machine screws. This block brings the top of the front vise face level with the bench top allowing for dog holes and also provides protection to work pieces from the metal vise face.
I also drilled two rows of dog holes vertically and horizontally. These are 3/4" holes that will take a variety of bench dogs, for now I am using the plastic ones.
David, what were your thoughts in going with a quick release vise over say a wagon wheel type of vise?
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to start my bench build in a couple months and, at this point, plan on a Roubo style with leg and wagon vise. I may even pop for the Bench Crafted hardware. I'll keep you posted.
Nice bench vise. I need one of those, but I need a new bench first. Nice job on it.
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeletethanks, if your looking for a simple bench like mine you might check out the the following link on startwoodworking.com http://www.startwoodworking.com/plans/rock-solid-plywood-bench .. if you are looking for a more traditional bench I'll defer to others that know more than I. but woodtalkonline.com has several threads on the subject.
Vic,
My primary thought was budget, because this is a "cheap and dirty" work bench if you will and not having a vise at all I needed something. Long term I would like to do a full bench build possibly with a twin screw or at least a single wagon wheel. Please do keep me posted I'm looking forward to see what you come up with.