Vise Stand
§ by chrisfitch on May 27th, 2009
Like a lot of woodworkers my workbench is used for many duties. Though purists (myself included) may shudder, auto work and home repair jobs take place on my bench with depressing regularity. To help with these chores, I often temporarily mount a machinist’s vise to my bench. But recently the grease, grime, and metal filings that find their way all over my woodworking bench have been too much for me. Not to mention the annoying vibrations and movement that come with a temporarily mounted vise. Enough!
I decided it was time to come up with a permanent home for my machinist’s vise that would isolate the mess and be rock solid. Now, I don’t have a 3500 sq. ft. super shop, so, the solution had to be compact. And, of course, have some storage space for files and hammer and a hook onto the side for my hacksaw.
What I came up with is a very simple wall mounted stand made of several layers of laminated plywood (mass matters). The joinery is simple: butt joints and screws. The main thing to note is that all of the shock and vibration that the vise encounters is transmitted to the wall and straight down to the floor.
My new vise stand may not prevent the unwanted auto and home repair work from coming into my shop, but at least it will help quarantine it.
