Welding/Chassis Table

[dadz34]

My dad & I built this back in 1999 to straighten out a new chassis I paid top dollar to a knucklehead who way over-promised his capabilities. While it's big, it sure has come in handy over the years. I installed the top plate about 6-7 years ago to build a chassis for my son's 1951 Chevy Truck. I need to build a vice stand now as I've never been able to bring myself to bolt it to my table. I like the flat working area too much.

 

[coupman35]

That nice work .I see some cool Ride also .

 

[Bearskinner]

Why don’t you mount the vise on a 2” square mount like tow hitch material ( two would be better for stability)with a mounting plate, mounted under the top, so when it’s removed , the top is still unaltered.

 

[dadz34]

Why don’t you mount the vise on a 2” square mount like tow hitch material ( two would be better for stability)with a mounting plate, mounted under the top, so when it’s removed , the top is still unaltered.

I've considered that for a while...but figured I would have to machine the receiver/post so as to limit the play. If it had any play in it at all, it would drive me crazy. I think set screws could lock it down...

 

[Bearskinner]

Or instead of a couple hitch pins, use a couple bolts with washers and tighten them up. Two hitches would pull against each other to keep it from wiggling

 

[dstig1]

Go take a look at my welding table thread here and you will see how I did the hitch receivers to keep things solid.

 

[Bearskinner]

You can also mount a couple plates, with two or 3 holes set in a triangle shape, so when you bolt it on, it can not move up down or side to side

 

[Gary Fowler]

OR, drill and tap your table to bolt the vise on. Then if you need the entire flat surface, just unbolt it and remove the vise. Personally, I would weld a bracket on to the end of the table to mount the vise then you would still have the whole table free to use. You could build a swing down table but for it to be stable, it would require some machined joints which it looks like your shop would be more than capable of doing. Add a strong spring to assist in raising the vise up to lock in place.