# Bench vise in the middle?



## Bwa (Aug 17, 2010)

Hi guys, I'm outfitting a new shop and building a new workbench. My old shop was very small and I just had a small little vise at one end of the bench. I've bought a "proper" 13" vise and I'm wondering about mounting it in the middle of the new workbench. The new workbench is going to be either 7 ft or 8 ft long (I'm still cutting the legs  and it is going on a 9 ft long wall.

I know about the left/right if you're right/left-handed but I find I can plane with either hand, but being able to walk around the piece is very useful… any thoughts? Am I crazy? What am I not thinking of?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Do you intend to do any cross cutting with a hand saw? while your work is held in the vise?
If not, never mind.

Of course you can use a saw bench and actually get a better cut than you can on the big work bench.
But, I would not like to NOT have the option of clamping something in my vise and sawing it off on one side or the other.

Now a Moxon double screw vise in the middle to cut dovetails, thats fine.


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## Bwa (Aug 17, 2010)

Ah yes, I hadn't even considered sawing in this vise. I plan to still keep the old vise and maybe add another large vise later in the area where sawing seems to happen. I expect this workbench will be chiseling, planing, sanding, assembly.

I am still getting things laid out and sorting out how the workflow will go.

But now I am wondering if any of my other stations will have enough mass naturally to support serious hand saw work. Perhaps…


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

We all work different, but I would constantly run into a vice in the center. I would have black and blue hips all the time.


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## Bwa (Aug 17, 2010)

Yeah, I think that's a good point… I suppose it will go on the left for now. It's not like I can't move it later.

Thanks guys.


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