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24th May 2014, 05:25 PM #1Member
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Would you use coach bolts to fit a woodwork vice under a workbench?
Hi everyone, my job this weekend is to fit a 16kg 9" woodwork vice under my workbench and I'm in two minds of the best way to fasten it. I'm leaning toward 75mm coach bolts screwed into the underside of the bench but I'm also playing around with the idea of using nut & bolts passing right through the bench.
Obviously the coach bolts won't penetrate the surface, whereas if I go for nut&bolt the head of the bolt will need to be countersunk into the top of the workbench.
The total width from lower side of the vice to the top of the bench is 90mm, made up as follows:
- The bench top is 45mm thick hardwood.
- A ~25mm hardwood spacer between the vice and the bench.
- The vice has four mounting holes about 20mm deep and 12mm wide.
I'm thinking four 75mm long coach bolts will give me 30mm screw penetration into the benchtop, which should hold the vice well enough. On the other hand, running four 90mm nuts&bolts through the benchtop will guarantee the vice never moves, but I'll have four countersunk bolt heads spoiling my workbench.
Any thoughts?
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24th May 2014, 05:57 PM #2
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.Pat
Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain
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24th May 2014, 06:48 PM #3
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,IW
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24th May 2014, 06:54 PM #4
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
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24th May 2014, 06:57 PM #5
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
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24th May 2014, 07:12 PM #6Member
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24th May 2014, 07:20 PM #7
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,IW
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24th May 2014, 07:45 PM #8
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
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24th May 2014, 08:48 PM #9
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 wellPat
Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain
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25th May 2014, 09:23 PM #10
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.
Those were the droids I was looking for.
https://autoblastgates.com.au
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26th May 2014, 01:08 AM #11Member
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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.
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26th May 2014, 01:27 PM #12
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