Ed in Tampa wrote:Would love to see clamp details in photos that we can enlarge. Also bottom of top I see you labeled various components but they are unreadable to me.
Project looks like a huge winner! Nice job! Thanks for sharing!
Ed, you better go get your eyes checked. You might need different glasses.
The labels, from top to bottom read:
Threaded rod thru center of bench top connects both release levers so they operate together.
1/2" x 6" carriage bolts to attach bench top to cart top.
Vise opening is 16". Jaw width is 18".
Yes, ARC, very nice job
Dusty not sure what happened but when I posted there was a single collage of pictures, which I could not enlarge. I think there was two other posts when I did mine. Not sure how all this got posted between what I saw and what there now. Yes I can read the labels on the single bottom side post above.
Just to avoid future confusion, Chrome, Firefox and Opera don't support TIFF images (without some fiddling). Safari, IE and MS Edge do. Phones may need another app.
Here are couple of pictures showing pipe clamp mounting & release mechanism. I drilled both (reaction & screw) cast iron ends of the pipe clamp so I could fasten them with screws to the bench & vise jaw respectively. Since pipe clamps are not totally precise & neither is my woodworking, I found it necessary to leave both ends slightly loose for smooth action. If they were screwed down tight then the pipe binds because the holes in each end are not completely on the same centerline. Tolerances in the wood surfaces and iron casting draft in the clamp ends are the main reasons. I also sawed off part of the cast iron to give better access to the threaded rod end & nut that holds the steel strap on both sides.
The release mechanism is a threaded rod with bell cranks on each end (steel strap with a bolt that contacts the steel "jaws" in the clamp when rotated). Pictures show the bench top upside down.
I used this style of pipe clamp for 2 reasons: It allowed an easy way to disengage the clamping action, and I can easily remove the other (screw) end in case I want to change vise jaws.
Attachments
CLAMP END MOUNTING.jpg (13.33 KiB) Viewed 7196 times
Couple of pictures showing some attachments to occasionally mount a miter saw to the cart. Pictures show saw centered & at far left and far right. Distance between the supports when completely extended is just over 6 feet. When saw is positioned at far right or left, support distance is about 5 1/2 ft from the blade when everything is fully extended. Supports & saw base are held by 1/2" bolts dropped into dog holes in the bench or outboard extensions.
