Vice mounting options

[600rob]

i picked up an old record 52p woodworking vice that im planning to clean up and mount on a bench top.

the question i have is what is the best way to mount it to the underside of the bench?

as can be seen there are two radiused webs that will prevent me from mounting the vice flat to the bench.

_20161110_111019

• 600rob
• 10 Nov 2016

im thinking of making some spacers that clear the two webs and provides a flat mounting face.

other that that is there a conventional method of mounting these vices to the underside of a bench
ta

 

[Burnerman]

The traditional way is to mount the vice in a mortise cut into the front of a woodworking bench, the width of which accommodates the webs, and then use coach screws to fix to the bench underside.
I guess you could grind the webs away to give a simple fixing but this would weaken the casting to some degree.
John

 

[Gerrydelasel]

Saw a couple of slots in the corner of the bench for the webs to fit into?

 

[600rob]

Yea I'll go for cutting slots into the bench.
I did consider grinding down the webs but decided against it...no point in butchering a good vice

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The correct way to install a joiner's vice like that is to fix a wooden packer block to the underside of the bench top and use coach screws to attach the rear part of the body to it. The packer is grooved to accommodate the butresses (cut them off and the vice will fail prematuerely). The top edges of the jaws should ideally be below the level of the surface of the bench and covered with timber to the same level (as should the insides of the jaws) to ensure that when using a hand plane the blade can not be nicked by coming in contact with the cast iron jaw. In a traditional joiner's bench, which has at least a 6in or so deep vertical front apron, the vice is split into two (cotter pin and washer at the outer end of the thread) and the rear portion of the vice is installed behind the apron qand beneath the bench top on a packer with three or four holes drilled through the apron to permit the entry of the two guide bars, the thread and (optionally) the quick release actuator bar (on vices which have that feature). The front jaw of the vice is then given a wooden pad and (optionally) a top piece. There are almost always screw holes (two) drilled in the front vice jaw to fix the timber pad, but rarely in the rear jaw because for most full-size vices it is assumed by the manufacturer that the rear jaw will behind the apron (as stated above)

I can't tell you how many times I've read instructions on how to do this (especially on American Forums and in American publications) which are just so wrong! There is a more detailed tutorial on a British web site which tells you how to do things right here, whilst this American site shows the right way to do it, so some of them do listen!

 

[600rob]

The correct way to install a joiner's vice like that is to fix a wooden packer block to the underside of the bench top and use coach screws to attach the rear part of the body to it. The packer is grooved to accommodate the butresses (cut them off and the vice will fail prematuerely). The top edges of the jaws should ideally be below the level of the surface of the bench and covered with timber to the same level (as should the insides of the jaws) to ensure that when using a hand plane the blade can not be nicked by coming in contact with the cast iron jaw. In a traditional joiner's bench, which has at least a 6in or so deep vertical front apron, the vice is split into two (cotter pin and washer at the outer end of the thread) and the rear portion of the vice is installed behind the apron qand beneath the bench top on a packer with three or four holes drilled through the apron to permit the entry of the two guide bars, the thread and (optionally) the quick release actuator bar (on vices which have that feature). The front jaw of the vice is then given a wooden pad and (optionally) a top piece. There are almost always screw holes (two) drilled in the front vice jaw to fix the timber pad, but rarely in the rear jaw because for most full-size vices it is assumed by the manufacturer that the rear jaw will behind the apron (as stated above)

View attachment 108430

I can't tell you how many times I've read instructions on how to do this (especially on American Forums and in American publications) which are just so wrong! There is a more detailed tutorial on a British web site which tells you how to do things right here, whilst this American site shows the right way to do it, so some of them do listen!

Nice one buddy. Thanks for the tips and diagram which makes it clear.