Let's Add a Yost 10" Front Vise to Workbench ($50 Amazon Find) | Ep. #28

You cannot do woodworking with two hands. You need three. One to hold the wood, one to hold the chisel, and one to hold the mallet. Since I am not an octopus, I need a Vise.

I had been using clamps to hold everything, which is slow and frustrating. I finally bought a Yost 9" Front Vise. It is a cast-iron beast.

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The Challenge: Retrofitting

Installing a vise on a new bench is easy. Installing it on an existing bench (laying on your back, upside down, with sawdust falling in your eyes) is a workout.

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The Build Process

Step 1: The Surgery (Mortising)

The rear jaw of the vise needs to be flush with the front of the workbench.

• I traced the cast iron mounting plate onto the workbench apron.
• Removing Material: I used a combination of a Forstner bit (to hog out bulk material) and a sharp chisel.
• Goal: The metal plate should sit perfectly inside the wood pocket. If it sticks out, your workpiece will hit the metal. If it's too deep, the jaws won't close right.

Step 2: The Mounting

• Hardware: The vise didn't come with mounting bolts (annoying). I bought massive 3/8" lag bolts.
• The Lift: The vise weighs 20lbs. Holding it up with one hand while trying to thread a lag bolt with the other was... comedic. Tip: Use a car jack or a stack of books to hold the vise in place while you bolt it.

Step 3: Custom Wooden Jaws (The "Chops")

You can't clamp wood with bare metal jaws—it will dent your project.

• Material: I used Hard Maple. It’s tough but grippy.
• Shape: I made the front chop wider than the vise (roughly 14 inches) to give me more clamping surface.
• Attachment: I countersunk screws through the wooden jaws into the metal casting.

Step 4: Leather Lined?

I took it a step further and glued suede leather to the inside of the wooden jaws.

• Why?: Leather provides incredible grip with less pressure. It holds a board rock steady for hand planing.

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Conclusion

This upgrade changed how I work.

• Hand Planing: I can now plane the edge of a board without it moving.
• Sawing: I can drop a board in, clamp it in 1 second, and cut.

A workbench is just a table until you add a vise. Then it becomes a tool. This was the best $60 I've spent on the shop.