# First workbench, looking for advice on mounting vise



## jonnyba (Jan 13, 2012)

I just picked up this 9" vise for the bench I'm building, and have a couple questions about how to mount it. 

The benchtop will be built out of 2-3 layers of 3/4" mdf with 3/4" birch ply on top, with 3/4" hardwood trim. My plan is to mount the vise where the top overhangs (by about 12") the base of the bench on the left side. The base is pretty much done and I'm about to start on the top, but I want to make sure I do it in a way that makes mounting the vise easy.

*Benchtop thickness:* The initial plan was 3 layers of MDF for a total of 3" thick top - however, the vise will only work for tops up to 2 1/4" thick. I think my options are to only use 2 layers of MDF (for a 2 1/4" top), or to use 3 layers through most of the table but cut out enough of the bottom layer to fit the vise. That seems easy enough since I haven't started assembling the top yet. 

Thoughts? Just using a thinner top is a bit easier but I like the idea of more heft in the table.

*Attaching the vise:* The plans I'm roughly working off say to use lag screws to attach to the bench, but they build a 1 1/2" MDF only top and mounted to a 3/4" strip of hardwood between the vise and MDF. I'm concerned about all that weight / stress being held by screws in MDF. Is this a valid concern? One thought I've had is to use carriage bolts through the MDF.


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## MNsawyergp (Jan 31, 2012)

Hex head bolts with flat and lock washers will allow you to have the bolt heads on top and the nuts underneath. Then the length won't be critical. Go for the thicker top. A regular flat washer should be okay against the MDF. If you want more strength use a fender washer, then the lock washer on all of the bolts.


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

Just route out a recess on the bottom to get it to sit where you need it to sit. Good thing you bought the vise before finishing the top You can build it upside down to get the vise to fit perfectly, and then install it. That's a lot easier than trying to blind route/chisel space on the bottom of an already installed top. Not that I would ever make such a mistake, again.
If you're screwing lags into MDF it won't last forever. But you plan on making a real top soon. Right? So just look at this as a ticking time bomb impelling you towards that goal.


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## jonnyba (Jan 13, 2012)

awesome, thanks for the help guys. You guys are just in time, I almost put this thing together last night with a 2 1/4" thick top, but my bolts were too short.

So far I have two of the pieces of mdf attached to each other, with 5/16" holes for the bolts and 1 1/2" or 1 1/4" recesses for the bolt heads. My plan tonight is to glue on the third (bottom) piece tonight, after taking joe's advice and cutting out the outline of the vise in the bottom piece. So the top will "look" like this: 

birch ply
mdf (bolt heads are recessed here)
mdf (vise bottom attached here)
mdf (vise outline cut out)


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

jonnyba said:


> birch ply
> mdf (bolt heads are recessed here)
> mdf (vise bottom attached here)
> mdf (vise outline cut out)


 
Another approach might but to use T-nuts in one of the middle layers and use bolts of the proper length w/ lock washers going up from the vice. This allows the vice to be removable withought wrecking the table. If you have recessed bolt heads between layers of laminated sheeting and you have to replace/remove/service your vice...well..your ed. :thumbsup:.


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## railaw (Nov 15, 2011)

I am building a small bench for my kid and have similar questions as the op on vise installation. I have a $20 vise of the same style and am trying to figure out the best way to mount it. The bench design I used is essentially a 2x4 frame with a 1/2" ply top. Again it's for my son so I'm not worried about heft at this point. The vise is about 6 1/2 long and from the mount on the back plate to the top of the plate is about 2 1/2 I think. I was thinking of lettin the ply overhang the frame about six inches and attaching a 2 x4 flat plus 3/4 Of pine or maple to make the height of the back plat about flush with the surface of the table. I am wrried that the ply won't give adequate support to the set up. What Do you think? Sorry I don't have pics or a drawing yet.


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## woodbutcher360 (Jul 1, 2012)

railaw said:


> I am building a small bench for my kid and have similar questions as the op on vise installation. I have a $20 vise of the same style and am trying to figure out the best way to mount it. The bench design I used is essentially a 2x4 frame with a 1/2" ply top. Again it's for my son so I'm not worried about heft at this point. The vise is about 6 1/2 long and from the mount on the back plate to the top of the plate is about 2 1/2 I think. I was thinking of lettin the ply overhang the frame about six inches and attaching a 2 x4 flat plus 3/4 Of pine or maple to make the height of the back plat about flush with the surface of the table. I am wrried that the ply won't give adequate support to the set up. What Do you think? Sorry I don't have pics or a drawing yet.


I don't think 1/2 plywood will be sufficient for vise work. Too much flex. How old is your son and will he be using hand planes and saws while clamping wood in his vise?


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## railaw (Nov 15, 2011)

Son is 3. He has a little 115 block plane that he loves to use and occasionally gets a few shavings from. not worried about him overpowering anything. I was going to add a 2 x 4 and 3/4 pine or Maple to support the vise and make he top align with the surface ofthe bench but all of this would be attached only to the ply. Other option was putting the vise into a 2 x4 on the frame. This would make allowing for overhang for easy small clamping a bit harder.


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