Bench vise improvement?

[Eddyde]

Maybe my ape-instinct remains dormant, but I can't imagine a task right now requiring really hard beating of a piece mounted on a bench vise. In my view, bench vises are devices meant only to hold pieces for tasks such as cutting, grinding, filing, tapping, de-burring or even assembly. That's because, despite their robust look, the only thing holding the jaws together are the threads of the screw / nut. It's easy enough to damage such threads by overtightening to even consider tasks that are really meant for an hydraulic press or anvil.

P. S. Or maybe I'm just talking from ignorance because I've always had cheapo vises...

Bending, chiseling off rivet or bolt heads, punching out pins, loosening stuck parts, etc. Sure I get that a lightweight vise isn't meant for such operations but IMHO, any bench vise that has an anvil pad should be able to take a reasonable amount of impact.
I see those one-piece, cast iron, swivel bases as a weak link and would be leery of subjecting them to impact or even high leverage. Of course even a heavy duty vise has limitations, I wouldn't go full swing with a sledgehammer on any vise that I own, and when I do need to hammer something I try to direct the impact onto the fixed jaw.

 

[C-Bag]

Bending, chiseling off rivet or bolt heads, punching out pins, loosening stuck parts, etc. Sure I get that a lightweight vise isn't meant for such operations but IMHO, any bench vise that has an anvil pad should be able to take a reasonable amount of impact.
I see those one-piece, cast iron, swivel bases as a weak link and would be leery of subjecting them to impact or even high leverage. Of course even a heavy duty vise has limitations, I wouldn't go full swing with a sledgehammer on any vise that I own, and when I do need to hammer something I try to direct the impact onto the fixed jaw.

Looking back the shop vise was the crude replacement for not having the right tools or machines. Most were shops the vise and a small workbench was literally all I had besides my rollaway. Just had to make do. Because I have the arbor press, 22tn screw press, nice drill press with speed vise on a X-Y roatary table, tapping machine and assorted specialty vises my big vise rarely gets used. I never worked in a shop that was as well equipped as my Tetris Garage with its tons of secondhand cheap tools and equipment. I chalk that up to none of the bosses bent a wrench, only pushed a pencil.

 

[yota]

I beat the hell out of various things in a number of different vises over the years. I remember being surprised that I didn't break an old Columbian that I had at the time. I've hit so hard that the swivel base would keep moving no matter how hard I locked it. I even hammered the swivel lock tight repeatedly. didn't have heat or other methods at the time so I did what I needed to-do to get the job done. surprisingly, I didn't damage any of them. if I had broken one of them, I would have considered it an inferior vise and moved on. haven't needed to do that in many years though.

BTW, after decades of having swivel base vises, I realized that I never used that feature. I typically mount my vises on the end corner of a bench and that seems to work for me.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Maybe my ape-instinct remains dormant, but I can't imagine a task right now requiring really hard beating of a piece mounted on a bench vise. In my view, bench vises are devices meant only to hold pieces for tasks such as cutting, grinding, filing, tapping, de-burring or even assembly. That's because, despite their robust look, the only thing holding the jaws together are the threads of the screw / nut. It's easy enough to damage such threads by overtightening to even consider tasks that are really meant for an hydraulic press or anvil.

P. S. Or maybe I'm just talking from ignorance because I've always had cheapo vises...

I use it like a third hand that can hold hot stuff and doesn't complain when I accidentally miss the punch.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Bending, chiseling off rivet or bolt heads, punching out pins, loosening stuck parts, etc. Sure I get that a lightweight vise isn't meant for such operations but IMHO, any bench vise that has an anvil pad should be able to take a reasonable amount of impact.
I see those one-piece, cast iron, swivel bases as a weak link and would be leery of subjecting them to impact or even high leverage. Of course even a heavy duty vise has limitations, I wouldn't go full swing with a sledgehammer on any vise that I own, and when I do need to hammer something I try to direct the impact onto the fixed jaw.

I use mine often to clamp and hold pieces I want to weld and I also use it to hold items I need to use a file on.

 

[yota]

someone else in this thread mentioned wood working vises. I have 2 of them that are 10" long. I use them a lot, and don't do much wood working. they are very handy as they are down low, open very far and have wood jaw liners that don't mark things up. the best thing is that they have half nuts to quick open.