I don't have any vices

Mike Harding · Guru

I don't have any vices

Tony LEE · Guru

Vyce Grips, in 3 sizes, and I do hsve a shortened "linear" clamp that goes to about 250mm and fits in my toolbox

Whenarewethere · Guru

Zyliss aluminium bench vise. I tend to set it up quickly to this table with some blocks of wood & some trigger clamps. This main part weighs about 2.5kg.

KJB · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
Well... I'm not telling you lot about the ones I may have and,
anyway, the police never proved anything about the goat :)

In any event, this is an engineering question:

I'm an engineer: I make things, I shape and bend things, I modify
things, I drill holes in things and this is all very difficult to do
without a vice!

When I started nomad-ing two years past I did think about bringing a
portable workbench with me but it's too big and heavy - got to draw
the line somewhere but, damn!, I do miss a vice.

So, my question is:
What do you guys do (or suggest) for clamping and holding "things" in
order to work on them?

I have a couple of clamps but they are limited. I have been toying
with the idea of welding (or bolting) an engineer's vice to the
caravan frame or rear bumper but that seems a bit radical.

I do have a table vice for small stuff - electronics and the like -
but it's not man enough for serious work.

Any ideas?

Small vice bolted to a short bit (600 mm..?) of RHS that will slip neatly into another small piece - socket (100 mm ..?) of RHS bolted or welded to the tow bar. Remove longer piece incl. vice when not in use and store where you have room . Can be inserted in 4 different 90 degree positions for convenience when being used and when removed not cluttering the draw bar. Other sockets can be mounted on rear bar of van or bull bar if that is more convenient for some jobs. Vice does not have to be big and heavy providing it is of good quality (often find good, small ,old vices at Garage Sales cheap)

Whenarewethere · Guru

A Toolmakers Parallel Clamp. They are very small but you could scale one up & bolt it down.

Possum3 · Guru

I used a piece of 50mm RHS with smal plate welded on top drilled with 4 X 9mm holes (square pattern) fitted a small engineer's vice, two holes allowed fitting straight two holes allowed crossways - it fitted in tow-bar adapter - left it on one night and it now has another owner - easy to do just need a 75mm engineers vice and RHS, but ensure you use a locking pin in adapter.

oldbloke · Guru

O

One of these would do t h e job. Rotated too. Bunnings $30.

Just make a bracket to bolt onto the bumper.

-- Edited by oldbloke on Saturday 13th of February 2021 03:06:07 PM

yobarr · Guru

Hi Mike....I bought a simple swivel-type vice from Bunnings,and made up a mounting plate which attaches to the vice with wingnut bolts.That plate is welded to a length of RHS which fits into another,bigger,RHS on each end of the van's bumper.There are another two such mounting points on the rear of my tray.Works well.Cheers

P.S Seems that Neil and I have the same example?

-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 13th of February 2021 07:10:05 PM

Tony Bev · Guru

I have a pair of multigrips, which I have used in the past as a primitive vice

If I was a full time traveller, in my motorhome

I would probably carry a small vice, with two short pieces of angle iron, drill a hole at each end of the angle iron, drill two holes on the flat part of my aluminium roo bar

The method behind the madness, would be to bolt the vice to the angle iron, and bolt the angle iron to the roo bar, when a vice is required

I do not have a rear bumper bar, or a tow bar, otherwise (as others have already done), I would make an attachment to fit, a small vice, to one or the other

Tony LEE · Guru

Next question could be is there anyone who doesn't carry an actual vyce been really, really stuck because of the lack.

In 15 years, not me.

And then we could come to a consensus as to its correct spelling

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 13th of February 2021 08:11:26 PM

Whenarewethere · Guru

A couple of blocks of wood under a wheel to hold object you want to bend or whatever! Even we have an aluminium hammer in the car to belt things.

A metal lathe would by handy!

Hewy54 · Senior Member

Tony LEE wrote:
Next question could be is there anyone who doesn't carry an actual vyce been really, really stuck because of the lack.

In 15 years, not me.

And then we could come to a consensus as to its correct spelling

-- Edited by Tony LEE on Saturday 13th of February 2021 08:11:26 PM

Vise and vice are almost interchangeable. Vyce is just wrong.

oldbloke · Guru

Not full time here. But struggle why you would need one.

Oops, they are heavy too.

-- Edited by oldbloke on Saturday 13th of February 2021 10:14:39 PM

yobarr · Guru

Hewy54 wrote:
Tony LEE wrote:
Next question could be is there anyone who doesn't carry an actual vyce been really, really stuck because of the lack.
In 15 years, not me.
And then we could come to a consensus as to its correct spelling
Vise and vice are almost interchangeable. Vyce is just wrong.

Hewy,you are,of course,right ......or is that rite? As for carrying a vice,I have myriad uses for mine when simply messing around building things,or repairing bits and pieces as I travel,using my angle grinder,drills and other bits of gear,particularly when cutting steel with the reciprocating saw. This may not suit everybody,but I often get asked by others if they can use it when they see it on the back of the van.As for weight,it weighs little,and lives under my bed,directly over my 3200kg axle group.Perhaps it can be compared with carrying a spare wheel......you may not need it for years,but when you do,its value is incalculable.Cheers

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

Hewy54 wrote:
Vise and vice are almost interchangeable. Vyce is just wrong.

Vise is USA spelling. Voice is everywhere else.

Whenarewethere · Guru

There is always a way to hold something. Drill a couple of holes in it to mount it on a temporary base, gaffer tape, cable tie, hose clamp (even in multiples end to end), a fork in a tree, gap in a fence.

I carry multigrips, vise grip, long nose pliers & parrot wire cutters. I could use all of those plus some cable ties to well & truely hold something in place.

If you need to bend a bit of metal stick it through the towing eye on the car.

yobarr · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
There is always a way to hold something. Drill a couple of holes in it to mount it on a temporary base, gaffer tape, cable tie, hose clamp (even in multiples end to end), a fork in a tree, gap in a fence.
I carry multigrips, vise grip, long nose pliers & parrot wire cutters. I could use all of those plus some cable ties to well & truely hold something in place.
If you need to bend a bit of metal stick it through the towing eye on the car.

Jonathan,you are most welcome to mess around with things like this,but I much prefer to park my car alongside the van,where I then have easy access to all my tools.If I mount the vice on the back of the car,the tools are right there too.You no doubt are aware that many areas of Australia have no trees and no fences....then what? Your weight limitations have taught you skills involving "making do",but I can't be bothered.....do it once,do it well. Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Sunday 14th of February 2021 03:18:34 PM

Whenarewethere · Guru

I build it properly once, with German tools, so I don't have to repair it!

Bicyclecamper · Guru

I bought one if those Craftrights, a few years ago, they don't like having a hammer near them,

Hewy54 · Senior Member

Buzz Lightbulb wrote:
Hewy54 wrote:
Vise and vice are almost interchangeable. Vyce is just wrong.

Vise is USA spelling. Voice is everywhere else.

Could have elaborated, but I am assuming we can all use Google.

"Voice" ?????? Do you check/edit before you post?

Mike Harding · Guru

Some great replies! Thank you so much everyone :)

I am so tempted by the $30 Bunnings vice (vise, voice, vyce :) ) and a towbar mount although I am also aware it'll be *just* another 6kg or so - ho hum....

I'll see how the next few months go but I now have some good ideas of how to proceed, thank you all - and, please, keep the ideas coming....

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

The issue I see with towbar type mount is that it would be an uncomfortable work height.

I doubt whether a right-angled fitting to raise the height would be rigid enough for anything but light work.

Whenarewethere · Guru

What about a woodworking vice, they are still solid but a lot lighter. Maybe an acceptable compromise.

yobarr · Guru

Sarco Harris wrote:
The issue I see with towbar type mount is that it would be an uncomfortable work height.
I doubt whether a right-angled fitting to raise the height would be rigid enough for anything but light work.

Hi Sarco......the mounting bracket on my car is one metre above ground level,so about right,while the bracket on the van is 850mm above ground,when the van is level.If I need more height there,it is easy to use the jockey wheel to lower the front,thus raising the rear.Both are very strong.But,as you suggest,working with something mounted on the towbar could be very uncomfortable.Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 15th of February 2021 10:33:22 AM

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

It fits beside my generator, 270 amp mig .

Nifty150 · Veteran Member

You may laugh, but I have a plastic vise. It has a base which attaches permanently to a suitable surface, and the working part fastens to it with a cam lever. I havent actually found a use for it yet but its light enough - 4 jaws too I think!

oldbloke · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
What about a woodworking vice, they are still solid but a lot lighter. Maybe an acceptable compromise.

A good idea. Would be much lighter.

I'll be super careful to check my spelling too. Along with the auto corrupt. Lol

oldbloke · Guru

Another option. 3" with clamp.

Whenarewethere · Guru

It's difficult to spell anything these days with all the bastardization of words for advertising & trade marks. You don't know if you're Arthur or Martha!

Whenarewethere · Guru

oldbloke wrote:
Another option. 3" with clamp.

& while at it if you buy a Land Rover Discovery to mount it on you can adjust the height to the perfect working level!