Here is a free woodworking project according to which you can make an ergonomic and sturdy sawhorse with a mounted vise.
The vise is commonly mounted on the workshop desk and used to securely clamp the workpiece. Mounted in this way, it requires you to handle the workpiece in a standing position, which can lead to premature fatigue in the elderly and those with spinal problems. For this reason, a plan is presented here for building a bench that has a special platform on which a vise can be mounted. This bench is practical - when the workpiece is clamped, you can work at it in a sitting position. The bench can be useful for cutting with a manual saw and workpiece processing with files, i.e., it can serve all purposes just like a vise fixed to the desk. Using this bench is similar to using a shaving horse.
When completed sawhorse measures Length 1206.5mm (47.5'') x Wide 483 (19'') x Height 635mm (25'')
The production of parts and the assembly of this bench do not require any special explanation since this is an assembly consisting of parts of simple geometry. All bench dimensions and drawings can be found in the drawings contained in the plan. To make the parts, you will need tools that can be found in every workshop, the only problem being that a drill bit in a larger overall length will be needed in order to drill a hole through the seat.
The bench made according to our plan is very sturdy, so it can be used for various purposes. You can stand on it, cut boards with a hand saw, it can serve as a sawhorse, etc. If you want to have a vise mounted on this bench permanently, it is best to fix it to the bench with screws. There are no mounting holes for vise installation drawn in the plan because there are different vise models and the distance between the mounting holes may vary from model to model. If you want to use the vise on the bench just occasionally, then you can use strong clamps to fix it.
On the other hand, if you are going to use this bench more often together with the vise, we recommend that you fix several hangers to the bench, close to the vise, where you can keep the hung tools that you most often use when working with the vise. You can freely adjust the bench and parts dimensions to your needs. The bench can be made from various types of wood, and we recommend standard lumber because it is cheap. All the joints between the bench parts are made with bolts and nuts, so if you aren’t going to use the bench for a longer time period, you can disassemble it and put it away some place where it won’t stand in your way and occupy valuable space.