Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
mla2ofus

A strong vise base

mla2ofus
19 years ago

When I built my garage/shop, I set a 16" length of 2 1/2" sqare tube with rebar welded to it in the floor and poured the cocrete around it. I have a length of 2" sqare tube I drop in it and a short piece of 2 1/2" square tube welded to the vise base to drop over the 2". It's plenty strong. While repairing some front end damage on my grandson's car, I had to pull on it with my 1 ton cable hoist and had the tires sliding on the floor. When the vise isn't needed I pull the tubing out of the floor and plug the hole with a piece of foam rubber.

Comments (9)

  • gonefishin
    19 years ago

    That sounds like an innovative solution for a vise base you can get out of the way when you want to.
    I have a small vise that I have moved around from place to place because they come in so handy for so many jobs from welding to heating and bending to holding things for sharpening, loosening nets, bolts, pipe threads etc etc. If I put it on a wooden workbench, I screw it down with some lag screws, or bolt it on metal. Right now it is on one of my roll around work benches so I can take it to where I need to work on something. My big vise has been stationery but I am thinking about moving it to a handier location.
    Bill P.

  • kbeitz
    19 years ago

    I got three in my shop... One on a set of legs about 2 feet high for welding things and 2 on two different work benches... My one vise is so heavy that I unscrewed it into two parts and got help lifting each part onto my bench... The handle was 4 feet long... I shorten it to two feet... I did not like swing a 1-1/4 X 48" handle around... A few times it came real close to takeing my nose off... It was made in Eire Pa in 1920 ...

  • gonefishin
    19 years ago

    Man, if Crocodile Dundee happened by, he would probably say "Now, that's a vise!"
    84 years old and still in use, they made em to last in them days. No planned obsolesence. Too bad it can't talk, I bet it would have some interesting tales to tell. To think of all the things it has held and the people who have used it. That is some of the things that I like about old tools.
    Does it show much signs of wear and tear? Or just character marks and battle scars ? What was the intended use that it was made so big ? Factory ? Railroad equipment?

    A little bit off this subject, but looking down into Royal Gorge at the remnants of the old wooden pipeline that was bound by metal hoops which ran roughly parallel to the rail road beside the Arkansas river, makes one think of the engineering and degree of difficulty by workers, mules etc. that went into accomplishments and marvels of days gone by that tamed some of the rugged parts of this great nation, and built the things needed along the way.
    Bill P.

  • kbeitz
    19 years ago

    I found this Big vise in a barn in Georgia under hay...
    You can see how big it is by looking at the big drill-press behind it...
    I use it to hold my metal bender most of the time...
    Its made in Erie Pa.
    {{!gwi}}
    This next picture is one of my collection vise's ... I have two like this... Kinda neet...
    Its called a Stewart handy worker made by the Chicago flexable shaft co.
    {{!gwi}}

  • gonefishin
    19 years ago

    Nice pics Kevin. Thanks. Yeah, I remember when you posted a picture of the second one and people were trying to guess what it was made for, or at least that is the way I remember it.
    Bill P.

  • Crashbob
    19 years ago

    Got trucks in your area? I used a truck rim with a plate welded on it and another for the base at the end of a square tube. have it about navel high and can tilt and roll it around , Need more heft?, step on it or add weight made my first one about chest high so I could see what I was doing without stooping but makes for tired arms with a grinder and the base is a truck drum heavy but not as stable also the truck rim ones are easy to move handtruck wise

  • GoodOleBoy
    19 years ago

    The orginal poster has a great idea. I was thinking of a way to mount a vice best i could come up with is concrete anchors in the ground with wing nuts for quick release but still the bolts would stick out.

    thanks for the idea!

  • horseman1
    19 years ago

    That is a good idea. Another similar application would be to make a mount that would go into a 2" receiver for field repairs. You might move a small truck with that big vise of Kevin's, but it should work pretty well for the more standard sizes :).

    Kurt

  • ROSCOESTAN
    19 years ago

    Horseman has the right idea, anyone who needs to sharpen a chainsaw while out cutting wood would really like this one.

    However I have taken it one step further by mounting my 3 vices and 2 benders on hitch recivers, then mounting several female ends under my 4x8 bench. 2 of these are mounted on a 45* angle on the two corners at one end of the table. the others can be placed where ever you want. This keeps the top of the table clear. You can also mount some type of holder or roller further down the table (also using 2x2 reciver.) When you are not using these tools they can be stored neatly by putting some other female ends where ever is convient.

    You might want to put brakes on the table.

    Roscoe

Sponsored
Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes
Average rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars254 Reviews
Northern Virginia Design Build Firm | 18x Best of Houzz