Thread: Building A Work Table/Bench without a Worktable/Bench to build it on...

Here is how I did mine. The metalwork itself is centered so the guide bars are the same distance from the chop ends and the screw is a bit off center. Dont know if there is a wright way however. Way I see it wracking is a thing that if you know about it you take steps to avoid it. I kind of did wonder for a bit why its built off center but then just got on with the build. More than 10 years and works just as good as the day it went on.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

Here is how I did mine. The metalwork itself is centered so the guide bars are the same distance from the chop ends and the screw is a bit off center. Dont know if there is a wright way however. Way I see it wracking is a thing that if you know about it you take steps to avoid it. I kind of did wonder for a bit why its built off center but then just got on with the build. More than 10 years and works just as good as the day it went on.
Regards
John

Hi John, really grateful for you piping in, that vise is exactly like mine. The whole issue of the screw being off centre has puzzled me until I read that its designed like that to allow for vertical clamping and also stops racking to a degree. I'm half way through cutting holes in my new table so I'm glad I opted to have the front plate centred on the chop rather than the screw. To me at least it makes sense to have the metal plate centred as I assume thats where all the force will be coming from in equal measure, its just a shame no one has ever mentioned it for this type of vice.

Now the off center screw makes sense. I do sometimes put a vertical work piece between the screw and the guide arms and of course the closer to the screw the less it will wrack. Anyhow as a no nonsense vice they are good and just do what a vice should do. Far happier with it than the QR job I had before. It became a surprise release vice. Very annoying.
Regards
John

Installing the vise is taking alot longer than expected. Rob, you were right I should have built the table around the vise as I just seemed to create more work for myself!.

Note to oneself: Buy the damn hardware before building anything!.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

Installing the clamp is taking alot longer than expected. Rob, you were right I should have built the table around the vise as I just seemed to create more work for myself!.

Note to oneself: Buy the damn hardware before building anything!.

Yes Sam . I did the same with the work table I've been showing you here when I was 18 and in a mad rush to build a workbench so I could start making a $ from home. I got to the vise fitting part and gave up . And that's how it came to be my work table about ten years later.
You look like you have the space to do it and its just a matter of taking the top off isn't it ?

Ive been looking at the posts about fitting the vise at centre or off centre and couldn't decide if it made any difference one way or the other. The vise will rack no matter what you do. There are some good methods for controlling that.

I made two benches for the workshop for staff to work at. We fitted the Carbatec vises. The screw is centre. I've had them in the workshop a long time and it wasn't until I looked today that I realized the screw was center. Ive never looked at them that way since the day they were built.

When they were fitted I made steel parts from pipe to turn the screws. That was a mistake.To heavy. I must have been thinking "No apprentice is breaking these" I cut the pipe off this vise below and replaced it with a wooden one. The steel pipe is still on the tail vise. Ill cut that off one day as well. I hardly use the vises on these benches as I use my bench with the wood threads which I prefer to work at. They are good strong vises. The only downside to these steel ones is the time it takes winding them in and out compared to a wood thread. Its only a hassle that I notice because I can compare it with my wood threaded vise a few meters away though.
IMG_1506a.jpg IMG_1507aa.jpg IMG_1508a.jpg

Are you thinking of twin dog holes or just the one ? If any ?

Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

You look like you have the space to do it and its just a matter of taking the top off isn't it ?

Hi Rob, I took the top off then discovered I wont have enough room to fit my drill so had to take the support shelf out aswell, the one with the beams on. then I had to take a chunk out of the top side stile to allow the vise mounting plate to slide in. Its probably better I post some photo's tomorrow to show you how I've butchered it.

Originally Posted by auscab

Ive been looking at the posts about fitting the vise at centre or off centre and couldn't decide if it made any difference one way or the other. The vise will rack no matter what you do. There are some good methods for controlling that.

It has me baffled but I went with having the handle off centre, which in turn means the front metal plate is centre...

Originally Posted by auscab

I made two benches for the workshop for staff to work at. We fitted the Carbatec vises. The screw is centre. I've had them in the workshop a long time and it wasn't until I looked today that I realized the screw was center. Ive never looked at them that way since the day they were built.

From the looks of it you have the quick release vises, which means you should be able to pull them out by moving the handle half turn counter clockwise?.

Originally Posted by auscab

Are you thinking of twin dog holes or just the one ? If any ?

Yep, twin dogs.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

From the looks of it you have the quick release vises, which means you should be able to pull them out by moving the handle half turn counter clockwise?.

No quick release on these ones Sam .
Do they come with quick release now?

Originally Posted by auscab

No quick release on these ones Sam .
Do they come with quick release now?

Yeah they do. How good it is remains to be seen though. No doubt I'll be putting it through its paces

Alot of thinking and planning had to be done before I started to butcher my new table. To install the vise I had to remove not only the top but the beam support shelf, I wouldn't have been able to cut the rail correctly if it had stayed on, so off it came.

The whole table had to be flipped vertical to allow me to use my circular saw in a horizontal position to cut the rail, I really wasn't comfortable using the saw in a vertical position!. One thing I was pleased to see was flipping the table was made much easier with the castors I have on the table, all I had to do was rotate the height adjustment to the max and flip her over, no scrapes, crushed corners or slipping with these beauties!.

The rail with a large section cut out and mortises cut.

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Next I glued the new 60x50mm rail into place, tenons are 45mm long with a very snug fit:

2IMG_E9209.jpg

All holes had to be drilled from above as the drill with a 12mm bit wouldn't fit under the rail. This meant I had to mount the vise plate using bolts, which is fine by me as bolts have a better holding
strength anyway.

Before all this I had to make a vise plate template as I couldn't just flip the plate over and mark the holes, obviously because its not a flat surface:

IMG_9214.jpg

Now as you can see in the last photo below I have 3 holes which need to be attached to the 12mm plywood support shelf. My dilemma now is do I use screws or maybe thicken the plywood from 12mm to 19-20mm so I can use bolts?.

3IMG_E9211.jpg 4IMG_9212.jpg

It doesn't seem good to be increasing shelf thickness from 12mm to 20mm Sam . Just because it affects the rest of the space along under the top and top support beams would need to be made thinner wouldn't they? That shelf has been rebated in 12mm to the other rails hasn't it? Or are you thinking of deepening the other rebates if you go to 20mm?
I cant see how that could be done without taking them out or chiseling them deeper in situ.

It could be better laminating another solid block to the back of your just added rail that the screws could be put up into ? And couldn't that go lower to also have a rebate to support the 12mm ply shelf ?

Its a little hard trying to figure it out from this end .

Originally Posted by auscab

It doesn't seem good to be increasing shelf thickness from 12mm to 20mm Sam . Just because it affects the rest of the space along under the top and top support beams would need to be made thinner wouldn't they? That shelf has been rebated in 12mm to the other rails hasn't it? Or are you thinking of deepening the other rebates if you go to 20mm?
I cant see how that could be done without taking them out or chiseling them deeper in situ.

It could be better laminating another solid block to the back of your just added rail that the screws could be put up into ? And couldn't that go lower to also have a rebate to support the 12mm ply shelf ?

Its a little hard trying to figure it out from this end .

I'll take some photo's of the shelf to show you. Give me a sec.

This is the shelf with the beams attached, as you can see I've cut away a section so the vise plate can slide through:

IMG_9216.jpg

Originally Posted by auscab

It doesn't seem good to be increasing shelf thickness from 12mm to 20mm Sam . Just because it affects the rest of the space along under the top and top support beams would need to be made thinner wouldn't they?

No the top wouldn't be effected as it would only be a 7mm piece of plywood glued to the underside of the shelf making it 19-20mm.

Like this, except the 7mm ply would be the width of the vise plate so it sits on top of the ply:

IMG_9217.jpg