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Benches and vises

M

mac1911

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Ok for years i have been getting by with a fold away bench.
Think fold out ironing board. Made from 2x10" and hinged to my basement knee wall or on top of my small rollcart.
Im now getting older and tired of makeshifting work spaces and such.
Also its clear im not getting a bigger house or garage any time soon. So i need to update my current space and vise.
I do a bit of stock work and rifle work. My space is small.
Basically i have a 2' deep 4' long space in front of the oil tank for bench. Im looking to optimize space for storage. I have a 5'wide x 10' long work space to deal with

So what has worked for you.
From prefab benches, purchased plans , kits , vises, quick change out systems for bench mount tools. Other storage ideas.

I will start with one tip use only clear storage totes and label them well.... I spent way to much time this past year sorting through that terrible tote storage system!
 
I seem to be somewhat lucky in scoring used vises off of Craigslist for short money. Got my latest Craftsman 6" fixed base from there a little while back. You have to be patient prices on good swivel vices went thru the roof few years back, but have settled down somewhat. IMG_20170608_183531_658.jpg You should have seen the mail lady delivering that in a if it fits it ships box.
 
Craigslist has a lot of used work benches and vises. It's hard to beat Harbor Freight on prices for new benches and vises.
Make exactly what you need out of 2x4s and plywood. This is what I'm going to do for my tool shed.
 
S&WMan said:
Craigslist has a lot of used work benches and vises. It's hard to beat Harbor Freight on prices for new benches and vises.
Make exactly what you need out of 2x4s and plywood. This is what I'm going to do for my tool shed.
Click to expand...
I don't really have the room to "make" a bench. My workshop is outside, meaning my back yard with saw horses. Im getting older lazy and will most likely buy a bench?

Been searching craigs list and not really finding much that's not a good drive away in a price range I want to pay
 
84ta406 said:
That 200 is a beast. I have one mounted to my bench at work. Thing is indestructible.

I use a old Bridgeport vice, two Wilton C-Clamps clamped down to a table.
Click to expand...
Who makes the 200. My back still hurts from lifting it. I will eventually clean it up nice and paint it.

The MFV 5 says "brained & built in Germany". Haha
 
I have a HF Old Forge 4" ($55 ish) that turns and rotates mounted on a 2'x4' work bench made from left over 2x stock.
It's not as stout as what I bought 30 years ago but does good for the money.
How hard u plan on using your bench will determine how heavy it needs to be. Heavier is usually better.
 
ya need to find a buddy who's handy with woodworking. my friend came over to take measurements, built the thing in his garage, disassembled it and then I took over, lol. I brought it home and put it together. that was 30 years ago and it's still in use. thanks, chuck!
 
Building your own bench is rewarding. A little bit of Lowe’s, some power tools, and get some plans online. Great project that doesn’t take up a ton of time.
 
mac1911 said:
Been looking for deals and steels on benches and vises. Im,leaning towards a vise more prone to woodworking/smithing.
Click to expand...

Then most of these responses are the wrong kind of vise.

Woodworkers need under-bench vises, not machinists’ vises. I found mine when a high school shut its shop program down: a pair of indestructible old Wiltons for free. You can find them relatively cheaply, used. The challenge is to build a bench top sturdy enough to mount them...

New ones run on the $150 range, but you want a used old warhorse.
 
akma said:
I have a HF Old Forge 4" ($55 ish) that turns and rotates mounted on a 2'x4' work bench made from left over 2x stock.
It's not as stout as what I bought 30 years ago but does good for the money.
How hard u plan on using your bench will determine how heavy it needs to be. Heavier is usually better.
Click to expand...
Stock and rifle work. Might install T track system for quick change out of bench top gear
 
Picton said:
Then most of these responses are the wrong kind of vise.

Woodworkers need under-bench vises, not machinists’ vises. I found mine when a high school shut its shop program down: a pair of indestructible old Wiltons for free. You can find them relatively cheaply, used. The challenge is to build a bench top sturdy enough to mount them...

New ones run on the $150 range, but you want a used old warhorse.
Click to expand...
With not a lot of experience with many different vise set ups I need to find what works. I can always find a use for a vise
I think I’m just going to buy a cheap woodworkers bench HF.
My friend has a few of them but he says the quality has gone down some since the ones he bought 8 years ago.
 
I used the bare steel version of the Eastwood brackets (they did not have a powder coated version when I bought mine). It made the construction of a workbench and a reloading table easy, with nice square corners and very solid and rigid construction. These are 3/16" steel and the square holes are designed to fit the square part of carriage bolts (not included).

Eastwood Shop Table Kit Unpainted Bare Steel

Eastwood Shop Table Bracket Kit

p31493.jpg
 
Personally I'm working up an idea on how to put together a work top I can clamp into my Rockwell Jawhorse. I'm thinking about using 2x4s to construct a small H-frame for stability and providing the surface to clamp the Jawhorse down on. On top of that goes some sort of wooden work top. Just need to figure out the best way to secure it to the support frame below.
 
mac1911 said:
With not a lot of experience with many different vise set ups I need to find what works. I can always find a use for a vise
I think I’m just going to buy a cheap woodworkers bench HF.
My friend has a few of them but he says the quality has gone down some since the ones he bought 8 years ago.
Click to expand...

The type in Demoman's post is the kind of vise I'm talking about. That Wilton he's got pictured would do a fine job.

You mount it underneath a corner of your bench, near a leg and in line with a series of dog-holes so that you can clamp flat stock on your bench for planing. You make a set of vise jaws out of hardwood to mount to the faces of the vise; these are semi-sacrificial, and you make sure they stand proud of the metal on the vise so you don't damage your plane irons.

Good stuff.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
I used the bare steel version of the Eastwood brackets (they did not have a powder coated version when I bought mine). It made the construction of a workbench and a reloading table easy, with nice square corners and very solid and rigid construction. These are 3/16" steel and the square holes are designed to fit the square part of carriage bolts (not included).

Eastwood Shop Table Kit Unpainted Bare Steel

Eastwood Shop Table Bracket Kit

p31493.jpg
Click to expand...
Not spending $136 on brakets. Im pretty confident in my wood joint skills. Im just to lazg to drag all my gear in and out of the shed to build a bench.
 
S&WMan said:
Simpson Strong Ties makes a work bench bracket kit for $40.00. It uses all 90 degree cuts .
Click to expand...
Same concept as what I posted, but it uses screws instead of lag bolts and the metal is much thinner.
Not spending $136 on brakets. Im pretty confident in my wood joint skills. Im just to lazg to drag all my gear in and out of the shed to build a bench.
Click to expand...
The product quality and design made up for my lack of skill at fine woodwork. No doubt a skilled carpenter could build an equally good bench without using metal brackets.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
Same concept as what I posted, but it uses screws instead of lag bolts and the metal is much thinner.

The product quality and design made up for my lack of skill at fine woodwork. No doubt a skilled carpenter could build an equally good bench without using metal brackets.
Click to expand...
im no carpenter.....but my dad was good at getting us to learn a lot of basic skills.
 
mac1911 said:
more my speed if im going to buy brackets
Click to expand...
The Simpson brackets are easier to build with, since you use self-tapping screws (get the Simpson ones with the nice heads made for the brackets) rather than drill a 3/8" hole through a 4x4 and running a carriage bolt through the wood (8 holes/bolts per leg).
 

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