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Best way to mount bench vise for my particular bench?

Woodworking Asked by ohmmy on February 19, 2021

My bench has a 2×4 edge and if I line up the vise where the inner claw is flush so I can mount things vertically, then a little of the vise overhangs a little. Would this not be proper?

If I push it back to remove the overhang then the mounting holes sit between the 2×4 and top wood which wouldn’t make for a sturdy mount.

Any suggestions?enter image description hereenter image description here

Update Pics of the install. I’m pleased with the outcome. Added 2” thick piece of wood for the back bolt to go through as well rather than just the OSB board. Over all it seems rigid enough to take on any future projects I may need it for.

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One Answer

Where you have your vice placed for the photos is pretty much exactly where I'd mount it, in addition to the front-back placement being ideal it appears to be nearly directly over a leg which gives plenty of support for any heavier work you may do on it.

And yes, it is perfectly fine to mount a vice with a little (and sometimes a bit more than that!) of the base projecting beyond the edge of the workbench:

Metalworking vices, edge mounting

If you look around any metalworking or machinists' forum you will have no difficulty finding pictures of vices that are mounted well back from the edge of the bench and sometimes this is deliberate, but too often it is because the user didn't realise that if you don't have the vice mounted far enough forward, so that the back jaw is at least flush with the bench edge, you can never clamp workpieces like this:

Flush rear jaw on vice allows clamping of longer pieces

Your positioning is pretty much set, but for future readers it's generally a good idea to give yourself a little extra room if possible so that the rear jaw projects a smidge beyond the bench edge, the reason being at some point you might fit new vice jaws that are a little thinner than the current ones and you don't lose the above advantage if you do so.

Couple of additional points
When it comes time to bolt your vice to your bench don't forget your washers, they're especially important up top but you may want to use them underneath also.

I would suggest you pack out the rear mounting lug to level the vice out. It isn't absolutely necessary to do this, but it's good general practice to have a vice level both left to right and front to back. You can somewhat surprisingly use card for this — make the packing a little over-thick and it'll compress down when you tighten that nut and afterwards remain remarkably stable.

Answered by Graphus on February 19, 2021

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