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Showerthought: Mounting a vise straight is a test of patience
I got this heavy vise from a garage sale a while back. Finally tried to put it on my bench today. The bench is just an old door on saw horses, so it's not level. I marked the spots and drilled the holes. When I bolted it down, the whole thing leaned forward. I tried stacking pennies under one side, but then it shook. Now I have a vise that sits crooked no matter what I do. It holds stuff fine, but I can't stop staring at the gap under one corner.
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betty_ramirez55mo ago
Wait, you used pennies? That's wild! I can't believe they didn't work, but @ross.logan is right about focusing on the small stuff. You need some real metal shims from the hardware store, not coins!
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hart.reese6mo ago
Disagree with that take. Mounting a vise straight isn't about patience, it's about accepting that nothing is perfect. I've put up a few vises on wobbly benches, and they all have a little lean. Your vise holds stuff fine, so the gap is just a reminder you did it yourself. Think of it as character, not a flaw. If it really bothers you, shim it with something stronger than pennies, but then you're just chasing level on an unlevel bench.
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ross.logan6mo ago
Spot on. Reminds me of how people will fix a tiny chip in their phone screen while ignoring the cracked foundation in their house. We all get stuck on the small, visible stuff... makes the bench feel a lot like life, honestly.
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