Thread: Would you use coach bolts to fit a woodwork vice under a workbench?

Coachbolts are more than satisfactory. 1 tip is to drill the hole to size of the shank, screw the bolt in, then remove and get someone else to hold the blessed vice for you, whilst you screw them back in. It cuts a thread, without the 16Kg resistance.

If you have an impact driver with sockets, that's the quick way, otherwise socket and ratchet drive. Doing them up with a ring or open spanner is frustrating.

I prefer coach bolts because you don't end up with metal on the top of the bench. Countersinking bolt heads would obviate that problem, of course, but looks a bit scrappy, imo. I reckon a coach bolt screwed into hardwood must have holding power approaching that of a bolt & nut. I've certainly not had a coach-bolted vise let go on me, so far...

Cheers,

I countersunk coach bolts with a forstner bit and come up well so I dont have metal settimg on top of bench. Think I used roughly 100mm bolts as the first bench it was installed in was had thick sleepers as a top

I think people here are confusing coach bolts and coach screws

Coach screws

http://www.blackwoods.com.au/search/...ised/302027447

Coach Bolts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriage_bolt


A bolt is something that has a thread and takes a nut

Originally Posted by Big Shed

I think people here are confusing coach bolts and coach screws

Coach screws

Coach Bolts

A bolt is something that has a thread and takes a nut

You're quite right. Just to get it straight, I'm proposing to use coach screws, but was wondering whether coach bolts would be more secure.

If we are into semantics, them is carriage bolts, Fred, not coach bolts. When does a screw become a bolt (a bolt is a bolt whether it has a nut on it or not)?

In North america coach screws become 'lag bolts', so if you're not confused, I am....

delbs, I think I'm even more confused - so you mean you used carriage bolts instead of coach screws/lag bolts?

Cheers,

Haha woops. I guess hli have been using the wrong term. I fitted my vice with carriage bolts. Sorry for the extra confusion. I have a tendancy of doing that

Fred, apologies, I've only known them as Coach bolts for the last 20 years. Little 50mm ones thru to 150mm.

Both my Dawn 9" and Record 7" woodworking vices are bolted to the 100mm thick Tallow wood bench with 75mm Coach Bolts. My only regret is that I did not have an Impact driver to screw them into the timber. From memory, it was an open end spanner . . . and no one to hold the blessed vice as well

My vices were installed with coach screws. Make sure you put in a pilot hole with plenty of room and use wax on the screw thread as you screw it in. My first effort had a slightly small pilot hole and I managed to snap the head off one of the screws. They are about 1/2 inch. Luckily there was still enough screw sticking out above the surface and I was able to get it out with vice grips. Drilled the pilot a size larger and used plenty of wax on all the screws after that.

I ended up using coach screws. Seems to have worked a treat, but haven't properly tested it yet. The pilot hole was ~5.8mm on an M8 screw.

Also invested in a socket adaptor for my cordless drill - $5 we'll spent compared to using a socket wrench.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Stephen.

Originally Posted by Stephen H

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Also invested in a socket adaptor for my cordless drill - $5 we'll spent compared to using a socket wrench.

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One of those really would have come in handy over the weekend while i installed cafe blinds on a pergola 3m off the ground that used Coach screws! LOL oh well next time i will have one ready