The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Vise Stand

I might as well try to make something useful as I practice my welding. It's not done yet, but close.

VISE STAND LINK

I would be scared to death to put anything heavy in a heavy vise on top of such a small wheel. Afraid it would fall over (top heavy) and break something important like my foot. JMO🛠

I can stack heavy weights on that wheel. That would help. I don't want to make it really heavy ALL THE TIME or it will be very difficult to move ALL OF THE TIME.
Plus, if the vise proves to be too heavy, I'll simply bolt my grinder on top instead.

That would make and excellent grinder stand. I have one similar in dimensions as yours and it is very handy to work on and is easy enough to slide it out of the way .
Nice welds too, BTW.
I am guessing that you used a fair amount of filler rod on the top piece.
If you would have cut all of the pieces for the top completely through instead of partially and folding them (very cool way to do it BTW), you could have held the pieces together with corner magnets and welded the entire top without any filler wire whatsoever. It is referred to as fusion welding. The guy who I buy my consumables from taught me that trick.
Carl

I love how you used that old vise to build its new platform for it!

Try this- - - -go to a truck repair shop and ask them to sell (or give) you a discarded brake drum. Most 18-wheeler drums are cast iron, 16" in diameter and they weigh around 100 lbs. apiece. I'm in the process of building a forge from two of them, connected by a piece of 4" diameter black steel pipe. The bottom drum serves as a base, and the top will be lined with fire brick and refractory cement with a piece of 3/4" pipe through the middle with an air diffuser made from a pipe cap with several holes drilled in it. The air for the forge will come from a recycled electric leaf blower connected to the bottom of the 3/4" pipe.

A similar setup would work as your vise base, and it can be moved around the shop by tilting and rolling it. You'll need to weld a steel disc onto the upright and bolt it to the drum, as welding steel to cast iron is a real challenge.
Jerry

I made the top piece by cutting part way through the metal, folding, and then welding without filler rod.

Nice stand, I like the detail at the bottom to bolt it to the wheel.

As others have said a big brake drum makes a nice base for similar stands.

I make a vise stand from a 48 2 ton rear drum and a semi truck axle shaft. The axle shaft lined up with two holes and just bolted into the drum with 1/2" bolts. On top I trimmed it to length and welded a plate to bolt the ~4" vice on.
It's quite useful and as Jerry said easily moved by tipping it and rolling.
However it's not a perfect vice stand, it could be a lot heavier. Just using a hacksaw on something and it wiggles and wobbles. Has it's uses and portable is good, but not to be substituted for a vice bolted to a real solid stable or massively heavy stand.

Grigg

A couple of 80-lb. bags of quick-mix concrete in the brake drum can add some stability, also.
Jerry

I would worry about the current configuration being a little top heavy.

Yes, I share your concern. I plan to add weight to the base. I also plan to make the "table top" so it will slide about 6" so that if I have anything BIG inside the jaws I can easily center the vise over the post.
If it proves to be too "tippy" then I'll just use it for my bench grinder. I can't lose.

I think I just figured out a really good, totally safe use for widowmaker wheels!- - - - - - -bench grinder and/or vise bases!
Jerry

Jerry
You forgot another use.
Anvil stand base!

Don

Sign holder. Plow discs do equally as well.

Here's how I use widow maker wheels
https://goo.gl/photos/mSb3UHT89ppk6g7A9

A lathe and a stove? Machine and cook?

That's cool Grigg, I like that on many levels.

I'm waiting for Lugzy to post, "I just got back from the emergency room." "I guess I shoulda put the bench grinder on it."
Be forewarned, and I am serious. When I utter something like that aloud, it has an extreme likelihood of coming true. (I don't know if it works the same if I merely post it.)
Carl

I just posted more about the VISE STAND on my BLOG. I'm looking for ideas about how to connect this #50 weight to the wheel.

LINK HERE

Jay

Just drill a few holes in the weight and bolt it to the underside of the wheel., assuming it will fit inside the barrel area and still allow the bead area to sit flat on the floor.
Jerry

Don, I've got a big hickory stump to mount the anvil onto. It's about 18" in diameter and 24" tall.
Jerry

Save those for me please. I use them to make campfire discadas (big fry pan).
Brad

Jay;

I took a look at your vise/tool stand. I have found that it will be less "tippy" if you turn the wheel upside down. The back spacing of the wheel lowers the pivot point of the post. Your 50 pound weight will really do the trick.

SimS

Wheel Up or down makes no difference.
Height of post above floor is all that affects leverage and stability. We'll also size of base on the floor, which is same either side of a wheel.

I suppose slightly lower center of gravity with dish down, but it's not a heavy wheel to make a lot of difference.

The back side of the wheel is very rusty, so I put the nicer side up. The wheel offset is almost zero.

Cutting a square hole in the middle and sliding the 50# weight over the post was PLAN A but was too much effort. Your suggestion was PLAN B and the one I used. See photos in the link.

VISE Fabrication plus VIDEO

Notice in the video how I lose MY BALANCE but the VISE STAND is rock solid. I was NOT DRINKING, and NO . . . . . I will NOT show you my TIG welds. Not very proud of them. Gotta keep practicing.

Jay

I have several large vices on heavy tables. My largest one is a Wilton mounted on a table made out of 1" sheet steel about 4'x8'. We brought the whole thing into the shop many years ago with a forkllift. A vice has to be securely anchored to be of any use. Occasionally I need a vice at my house. I bought a Wilton receiver hitch vice. It is made in China, but its ok for around the house. http://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/s/atv-all-terrain-vise/

As for 16½x7 brake drums. They will will weld. We have all sorts of things made out of them. With scrap iron so cheap, we give them away. They weigh a little over 100lbs and have about a 17" footprint. That is stable enough for something like a grinder, but I'm not so sure about mounting a vice on one and expecting to do anything with the vice.

This vise is only one of three that I own. The main reason I want it on a portable stand is so I can quickly clamp something OUTSIDE my shop for grinding. It is only intended for light duty work. I have shop vises mounted to heavy tables inside my shop already.

Pretty much done with this project. Chopped it 3" shorter for comfort. I added a round disc of plywood to keep stuff I drop from falling inside the wheel.
Soon I'll make a grinder stand.

Vise Stand LINK

Jay

What diameter and thickness of plywood? I have done this with stands for various purposes, and I have had no problems

Oops, My plywood was the base, to increase stability.

Nice Jay....how are you and that Tig getting along?

The plywood is probably 1/4" or 3/8". I had a piece just the right size. The diameter of the disc was just over 16.5". It was easy to use a jigsaw to cut a square center hole, slide it over the post and trace the wheel from below. Otherwise I would have just used a large piece of cardboard. I'm cheap.

I've not had much time to practice. I need to try some more. I'll try some when I build my grinder stand.