Vise for an apartment dweller? Solution found - and it works!!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Vise for an apartment dweller? Solution found - and it works!!

Posted: 6/30/2005 12:38:51 PM EDT

Been building ARs for a while now and have a pretty good set of tools for everything I have come across thus far. One thing I cant figure out is how to get a good vise mounted in an apartment. Up till now I have been using a friends garage but thats becoming more and more inconvenient.

My apartment doesn't have the room for a full blown shop bench but yet I need to find a method of securing a 3"+ vise for barrel work. Ideally it would be easy enough to move/store when needed (if thats even possible). I have tried the 'C' clamp vises and they don't work worth a damn for this sort of work

I know its asking a lot but there has got to be something that would work for the occasionally barrel job.

Right now I am thinking about a junkyard 15" steel wheel with a vise mounted in the middle of it - seems like that might have a big enough base to off set the force of the barrel wrench....maybe?

Thoughts, suggestions, ideas and comments are all appreciated!

Posted: 6/30/2005 1:06:15 PM EDT

[#1]

I use a Black and Decker WorkMate. Not a perfect answer, but with someone else helping hold it down, it works. Then if folds up and gets put away.

Posted: 6/30/2005 1:33:41 PM EDT

[#2]

I mounted my reloading stuff and a ok size vise to the side of my computer desk.Works great cuz I have all the info I need for reloading on my computer,and it's there real handy.I don't guess this would work well for people who's comp might be on the kitchen table or something like that.

Posted: 6/30/2005 2:16:50 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
I mounted my reloading stuff and a ok size vise to the side of my computer desk.Works great cuz I have all the info I need for reloading on my computer,and it's there real handy.I don't guess this would work well for people who's comp might be on the kitchen table or something like that.

Ouch, I could only imagine my error rate if it were next to my screens and computers

I use a cheap drill vise from Lowes bolted to my 4x8' 3/4" ply improvised bench. Works well and I can get enough torque with a 6' lever arm (the bench) with all my 'fun' hobby stuff on it.

eta - I use the two pin upper block, and I tweaked the jaws on my BD Workmate that I tried first... (It broke)

Posted: 6/30/2005 2:41:19 PM EDT

[#4]

Just get one of those square tool stands and change the fiberboard to a piece of 3/4" plywood. Get the square type with the shelf just below the top and just above the bottom. They are plenty rigid enough and run about $20.00.

I mounted a 5" vise and reloading tools on one and have torqued barrels with at least 200ft lbs with no problems. I now have garage, but still use it because it is more convenient and portable.

Posted: 6/30/2005 2:59:01 PM EDT

[#5]

I mounted my vise to a bench grinder stand, and it works great and is fully transportable. I got the idea from an armorer's course I attended.

Posted: 6/30/2005 7:01:29 PM EDT

[#6]

I have a small room I use as my shop...Build a bench with a vise on it. then I bought a Chinese lathe. I had to take my vise off the bench to make a home for the lathe. Now I use a 4" mill vise on the floor the I can slide under my bench. I'm thinking of making a 2" hitch mount that fits on the back of my Cherokee to hold a vise. There are others here that have hitch sest up. But until then I have to squat on the floot to work on anything I need held in a vise.

Posted: 6/30/2005 7:39:57 PM EDT

[#7]

Works on the dining room table, the living room floor, the sidewalk out front and the tailgate of my truck (obvioulsy). When I'm using it in the house it's usually sitting on a B&D Workmate.

Posted: 6/30/2005 7:42:56 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I have a small room I use as my shop...Build a bench with a vise on it. then I bought a Chinese lathe. I had to take my vise off the bench to make a home for the lathe. Now I use a 4" mill vise on the floor the I can slide under my bench. I'm thinking of making a 2" hitch mount that fits on the back of my Cherokee to hold a vise. There are others here that have hitch sest up. But until then I have to squat on the floot to work on anything I need held in a vise.

Long-Rifle-Tactical has one for his truck that was made for him by one of the other VA arfcommers and it works very well.

Posted: 6/30/2005 8:00:24 PM EDT

[#9]

I use a much grinder stand for my reloading press. works fine.

Stand #1
Bolt a big flat chunk of wood on top to mount your vise on. Perch a hundred pound lifting weight on the bottom rungs to hold it steady.

Posted: 7/1/2005 3:42:19 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I have a small room I use as my shop...Build a bench with a vise on it. then I bought a Chinese lathe. I had to take my vise off the bench to make a home for the lathe. Now I use a 4" mill vise on the floor the I can slide under my bench. I'm thinking of making a 2" hitch mount that fits on the back of my Cherokee to hold a vise. There are others here that have hitch sest up. But until then I have to squat on the floot to work on anything I need held in a vise.
Long-Rifle-Tactical has one for his truck that was made for him by one of the other VA arfcommers and it works very well.

saw this and think it is very creative. mounts to the trailer hitch of the truck, what stronger platform than that

Posted: 7/1/2005 6:15:26 AM EDT

[#11]

Wow! thanks for all the great ideas guys

If you were wanting a 2" receiver hitch mount for a vise then check this out.
It might be a bit low depending on your bumper height - but if it is too low then you know how to fix it: install a lift kit in the truck

I was thinking about using something like that but I think the neighbors would freak

I'll probably go with one of those universal tool stands or bench grinder stands.

Posted: 7/1/2005 10:58:43 AM EDT

[#12]

When I don't want to work in the garage, I use a vise bolted to a 12"x12"x1" piece of wood (ASH?) that I clamp to a corner of the kitchen table. I've done barrel changes useing it with no problems.

Yeehaa

A Militia Of One

Posted: 7/1/2005 12:54:11 PM EDT

[#13]

I'm an apartment dweller, too and I bought mine at Home Depot for about $20. It clamps to any table-type surface and is removable. It has worked fine for me with barrel changes and FH removal/installations.

Posted: 7/1/2005 2:41:50 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
I'm an apartment dweller, too and I bought mine at Home Depot for about $20. It clamps to any table-type surface and is removable. It has worked fine for me with barrel changes and FH removal/installations.

I had one of those two but when I really needed to crank on something it wasn't stable enough.

Posted: 7/1/2005 9:21:52 PM EDT

[#15]

I don't live in an apartment, but my home is space-challenged. Don't have anywhere to store tools, set up a vise, or reload. So, I mounted my vise to my Craftsman roller cabinet (bottom toolbox). It's full of tools, so the weight more than offsets the torque put on the vise. I've rebarreled 8-10 uppers on it, with no problems. Plus, since it rolls, I can work in the kitchen, den or bedroom.

I'm working on a way to mount my Dillon press to the other side of it, but I want it to be detachable without too much work.

Posted: 7/2/2005 12:35:12 AM EDT

[#16]

The simplest way to mount a vise w/o destroying your kitchen table is to simply buy a 6' or longer
piece of 2" lumber wide enough to mount your vise and bolt it to one end.

When using the vise to torque your barrel, simply rotate the vise it to where if you are tightening down you are trying to force the free end of the board down.

Stand on the free end when using and it will be rock solid.

Works just fine for doing the occasional barrel instalation job and all you need is a board if you already have a vise.

Posted: 7/2/2005 9:22:40 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
The simplest way to mount a vise w/o destroying your kitchen table is to simply buy a 6' or longer
piece of 2" lumber wide enough to mount your vise and bolt it to one end.

When using the vise to torque your barrel, simply rotate the vise it to where if you are tightening down you are trying to force the free end of the board down.

Stand on the free end when using and it will be rock solid.

Works just fine for doing the occasional barrel instalation job and all you need is a board if you already have a vise.

That's the same as what I've got, but a 2" square of 3/4" plywood is easier to move around while still allowing plenty of room to stand on it when you really need to wrench on something.

Posted: 7/3/2005 2:13:36 AM EDT

[#18]

If it is just a barrel vise you want, weld the barrel vise bottom to a length of iron. This makes it a barrel wrench. Make the far end such that it can slip under a closet door. Barrel in it one way to loosen, in it the other way to tighten.
For a regular bench vise, I think a length of well casing welded to a wheel rim would make a fairly stable platform. Especially if you fill the rim with cement!

Posted: 7/27/2005 6:19:38 PM EDT

[#19]

Thanks for all the good suggestions and ideas! Here is what I ended up doing for a budget minded solution that fit my needs perfectly:

First, I bought a Bench Grinder stand
Then, I bought a 4" Bench Vise

Together it looks like this:

The vise will *almost* match up to the pre drilled holes in the stand...but not quite. I got around having to drill new holes by going to HomeDepot and buying some 8x1.25 - 45MM bolts/nuts/lock washers and the smaller diameter made things fit together nicely. Probably not the strongest possible solution but it worked just fine for installing my new barrel

I wrapped it up with a 10% off coupon I found on the 'net after Googling around a bit and got the whole thing delivered to my door for under $55.

How does it work you ask? well I think it does great for changing out barrels and such, also it only weighs about ~45lbs and isnt too hard to move/stash away in a closet when I dont need it.

Thanks again!

Posted: 9/15/2005 1:00:39 PM EDT

[#20]

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Vise for an apartment dweller? Solution found - and it works!!

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