Fitting a woodworking vice to workbench

[Wilson joinery]

Afternoon everyone

Do any of you happen to have a recommendation for how to correctly fit a vice to a workbench (it’s a record 52 1/2 if that makes any difference). There’s so many videos on YouTube but I’d prefer to work from a woodworking book if anyone knows of one I can try and get my hands on. I guess there’s probably more than one way to do it, but my last attempt wasn’t overly successful so I’d like to follow some proper guidance this time.

Many thanks
Pete

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I bolted mine down with bolts that just went through the holes in the vice. Big washers on the under side to stop pull through

 

[Jacob]

Main thing is to turn your bench on its back so you can install the vice on to a handy horizontal surface. Much easier.

 

[JSW]

Main thing is to turn your bench on its back so you can install the vice on to a handy horizontal surface. Much easier.

Or failing that, lock the vice to a couple of 3x2's at the correct height and stand it up in-situ.

 

[robgul]

Mine is just bolted through the bench with 4 recessed bolts (the two additional holes in the bench are from a previous vice), washers in the recessed holes to stop pull-through and washers under the nuts on the underside of the vice - the inner jaw is recessed into the bench edge, with a sacrificial pair of plywood jaws - the inner jaw about 3mm proud of the bench edge. The top edges are obviously flush with the bench top.



My other vice (!) is a Record engineer's vice on my bicycle repair bench - it has a pair of clever magnetic plastic "soft jaw inserts" for gripping threads etc. - quick to fit and remove

 

[Wilson joinery]

Thanks for the help guys, I remember fitting my last vice was a nightmare as I was trying to hold it underneath the bench while trying to get the bolts through the holes I’d drilled lying on my back and nearly giving myself a hernia

 

[paulm]

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/fitting-a-bench-vice.18336/

 

[niall Y]

If you recess the bolts deep enough you can use timber plugs to cover the bolt heads, This will give a flush surface in the area around the vice.

 

[toolsntat]

Most importantly, make sure the vice works at multiple distances without jumping out of the thread under great pressure.
Not all vices are as good as they used to be.
Cheers, Andy

 

[ChaiLatte]

...I was trying to hold it underneath the bench while trying to get the bolts through the holes...

You will not be arrested by the vice squad if you use some different bolts* (specifically allthread studding) to haul the vice up into position before putting in two of the proper bolts.

* or even rope