I have a Diefenback workbench I bought a couple of years back. It really is a nice bench. No regrets. I have no current racking issues or any other issues with it for that matter, but I want to modify the base and this is what my question is about.
Right now the base is 52' long and the top is 75.5" long (not including the extra overhang of the tail vise). The base has stretchers high and low (see pic).
I am replacing the shoulder vise with a large Emmert pattern vise, and for the tilt adjustment and beam of the vise to clear, I would need to shorten the length of the base from 52" to 43.5" so I have some overhang at the left end for the Emmert mounting and adjustment hardware. Is this getting a little dicey from the standpoint of length of the base vs. length of the top? Do you think I might have racking issues, or does this sound like it would be ok based off of benches you folks have had?
I could always mount the vise within the legs - not to the left of them, leaving the base the length it is now. If I did that, I would need to remove the top stretcher on the front of the bench as it would interfere with the vise. I would also need to mount the vise an inch or two closer to the middle of the bench than if I shortened the base. The problem with this scenario is that getting to the tilt adjustment handle for the Emmert would be really awkward, and the Emmert's tilt functionality would limit what I could put under that side of the bench - I was hoping to make a cabinet with drawers to fill up the space between the stretchers.
Any input greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Peter