Suggestions for Quick Temporary Attachment of Wilton Mechanics Vise

[John Poole]

I have very limited space in my shop, so I strive to keep thing modular and moveable so stuff that is not in use can be tucked away and not consume real estate.

I have a Wilton Mechanics Vise -- very similar to this model.


It is an important tool, especially when I am fabricating metal parts.

I had it bolted onto my temporary workbench which consisted of 3/4" plywood with an Ikea laminated Maple countertop sitting on top. I've scaled down my workbench to be just the size of the countertop (currently sitting atop a folding bench until I build the base), and I'd like to have my workbench be able to accommodate my mechanic's vise, temporarily, or be free and clear for large projects.

I already have the four holes drilled that I used previously when I had the vise occupy a somewhat permanent position.

My question is: what do you recommend as a fastener that will allow securing the vise, yet making it easily installable/removable? Unscrewing bolt screws takes too long. I'm wondering what fasteners there are for quick release that could use the existing holes. A solution that has the vise already affixed to a surface and then the surface is affixed to the bench is possible, e.g. using clamps on a base sitting on the bench.

Your thoughts?

Thanks.

[shane lyall]

Shop notes had a piece in oneof there mags that showed a dovetail plate. It slid into a bench top and they had several made with machines bolted to each. When you wanted a clean work surface you just slid a blank one in. I'll dig my copy out and post a pic for you as soon as I get a chance. In the mean time, You might be able to find it if you Google shop notes small shop and see if it's online anywhere. It is a slick idea. I think they showed it with a dovetail jig, grinder, and a blank.

Edit: just found it. It's in volume 20 issue 116. Sorry, I told you wrong. It's on T track and not sliding dovetails. You said you didn't want to unscrew bolts so this may not be what your looking for after all.

[John Poole]

Excellent suggestion. I happen to have ShopNotes and will check out the article. You've given me an idea about using dovetail slots, possibly in a recessed area so that a blank plate filler has a square profile to the top of the bench.

Thank you.

[shane lyall]

That's what they did as well. There were a few blanks the size of the recess in the bench top. They could mount an endless supply of benchtop machines and switch them out in only seconds. I think the sliding dovetail would be stronger.

[Callan Campbell]

One more thought John, get bolts that fit fairly sung in the holes in your vise base, and your predrilled holes in the workbench, and drill a hole in each of them for a large enough sized hitch pin to act as a retainer under the benchtop. Hitch pins are quick to remove and install, and as long as you didn't have too much "slop" in the assembly, sawing or working something in the vise might not be that bad. You'd have to drill the holes in the bolts for a tight fit against the bottom of the workbench to prevent upward movement of the vise when you're using it, but that's not hard to do if you measure carefully. Just a thought.
You can also bend the "ear" of the hitch pin downward so it's angled away from the workbench top, and easier to pull out or install with a pair of pliers.

[Thomas Bank]

I've seen a number of "automotive work" workbenches that incorporate a 2" receiver hitch and then various equipment - vises, grinders, etc - on platforms with a 2" square tube mounted to them that can be slid into the receiver. This is a fairly sturdy option, if not quite of the same aesthetic as the typical woodworking bench.

[Ole Anderson]

Flush bolt it to a piece of 3/4" ply, and use 2 c-clamps to mount it to your bench, or fit one side of the ply (or 2 by) with a hinge to store it off the end of the bench, and use 1 c-clamp when you swing it back up on top to use.

[John Poole]

I really like this -- it's not invasive on the bench since it lies flat on top and it's a snap to build. Sublime. The danger of often dealing with complexity can cause one to miss simplicity. And I can stress test it without a lot of investment. Thank you.

[Roy Griggs]

Another option, which I use, is to bolt the mechanic's vice to a T-shaped piece and then put the leg down of the T into a side vice. Works for me!

[Mark Duksta]

Here's what I did.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I'm limited in space and find that a jawhorse really helps.

If I needed to use say a dovetail jig or the vise, I would mount those items into a block of wood or box, and then the jawhorse just clamps onto it plenty strong.

I tend to do this because any sort of flat surface in my small shop quickly gets covered in smaller tools and hardware so my work bench has always been a "storage bench".

[Jim Becker]

I have my "mechanic's vice" mounted on a piece of plywood that has another piece on the end perpendicular to the face that can be captured by my bench vice.

[Ryan Mooney]

Left at the last house so no pics but same idea as the dovetail, but sturdier and imho simpler to add more tools (once you get the metal fab done) because everything is square cuts and stacked pieces. Not as pretty as a sliding dovetail would be though

3 pieces of 2 wide, 1x4" thick steel plate: two about 16" long and one 18" long (adjust to size of machines and bench obviously).
Welded together (ask a friend day) into a U with the long piece on the back and the two shorter pieces on the sides (shot with some appliance enamel from a spray can to make it pretty after grinding flat)
Laid out a 3/4" piece of plywood the size of the bench and cut a hole in it so the steel piece hung over the side by ~3/4" (opening towards the front of the bench)
drill and countersink the metal piece, and screw it to the plywood
cut a piece of 1/4" hdf to the outside of the metal piece so the table is "flat" (this is the new "top" of the wokbench... yeah not super pretty)

All the machines were on insert pieces, that were made out of a 3/4" piece of plywood that slid under the metal overhang and a smaller piece of 1/4" hdf on top to bring them flush (wood glued together and then sandbagged flat until dry).

Made a bunch of extra inserts when I first built it, and had a few blanks around for when I wanted a flush top bench.

A side shelf had all the tools in it sitting on their "bases", so you could just slide one out and slide another in (two vices, grinder, bench mortiser, and a couple of other random stations).

Worked pretty well.. (only downside was the metal on the benchtop could ding tools) The bench was to heavy/crappy to bother moving though so I abandoned the setup when I moved.

[Thom Sturgill]

If you mount the tool to a sheet of ply wood and tee track to the bottom of the ply (or top of the table) then use Rocklers cam clamps to lock the two pieces together. The cam clamps screw on one end of a bolt or rail the head of which rides in the tee track. The bolts or rail may be a bit finicky to get started, but the cam clamps can provide plenty of gripping force and are easy to use.
If you have easy access to the underside of the top I would mount the track on the removable top(s) and make a rail that has bolts sticking down and mount the cam clamps on the bottom. The rail is loose and tightens with the cam clamps. That way the rails stay in place and you use a plain top (your maple laminate) when you want a clean top, or a plate with whatever tool you want to use and the rails and clamps stay in place.