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How to mount a bench vice on a wooden worktop edge

Updated: 2026-10-21

You have a 5 inch engineer's vice on the bench and you are about to drill the top. A woodworking-vice diagram will send you the wrong way. These four listings are on-top clamps. The fixed jaw should sit slightly past the front edge, every base hole needs a bolt, and the box may not contain those bolts. Which listing mentioned fixings is on the [5 inch vice comparison](/hub/workshop/5-inch-vice). This page is the order of work, and where you should stop. The steps follow C2 Safety, PUWER for employers, and the listings read on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a 5 inch engineer's vice on the bench and you are about to drill the top. A woodworking-vice diagram will send you the wrong way. These four listings are on-top clamps.

Our top picks

HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice

Best overall

HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice
7.3/10about £31.86
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DAYUAN DAYUAN 5 inch bench vice

Alternative

DAYUAN DAYUAN 5 inch bench vice
5.0/10about £25.99
View offer
Trident Trident 5 inch bench vice

Best value

Trident Trident 5 inch bench vice
2.2/10about £26.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Confirm it is an on-top bench vice
  2. 2.Where the jaw sits
  3. 3.Bolts, washers, and what the box contains
  4. 4.When to stop

Confirm it is an on-top bench vice

An engineer's bench vice bolts down through the top. The body sits on the surface and the jaws face you. Faithfull's mounting PDF is the sheet people find first, and it is the wrong diagram. That PDF is for a woodworking vice: spacer blocks, a mortise for the rear jaw, wooden liners, and coach screws if the top is at least 50 mm. Copying that mortise onto these listings cuts a pocket the casting does not need. These four are swivel bench vices with an anvil on the body, not under-apron timber jaws. All four claim a 360-degree swivel. The lock has to stay reachable. HYCHIKA describes two lock-down bolts, and a UK review still says the rotation can move. Check the lock after fitting. None of those lines is a bolt size.

Where the jaw sits

C2 Safety's rule: the stationary jaw sits slightly past the bench edge, and the base stays fully on the top, so a long bar can hang. Flush is the minimum. Do not set the jaw behind the edge. The work then hits the front rail. Do not hang a hole in the air. Put a leg under that corner if the top can bounce. Thin MDF fails when the bolt crushes the board. A second board or a steel plate is the fix. The listings do not print a thickness. If the handle hits a wall at half a turn, move the vice before you drill.
HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice

Testsieger

HYCHIKA HYCHIKA 5 inch bench vice
7.3/10about £31.86
View offer

Bolts, washers, and what the box contains

Bolt every hole. Through-bolts with large washers under the top are stronger than screws into the face. Coach screws are the wood-vice fallback on a top of at least 50 mm, and a weaker default here if you can reach the underside. None of the four prints a bolt diameter. Do not treat an M8 or M10 as their specification. Trident names securing bolts. DAYUAN does not, and a UK review says they were missing. HYCHIKA lists one bench vice. TOPWAY has no included line. Wear eye protection, mark through the base, then take the vice off to drill. A rocking base is a crack waiting for the first heavy pull.

When to stop

Stop if you see a crack. C2 Safety says do not weld a cracked vice and do not keep it in use. A hairline while you offer the base up is the same stop. Stop if the bench is unsafe to drill: a hired top, a hollow door, or a folding table. An unbolted vice is a missile. DAYUAN's clamp-on wording does not override that. If the vice is work equipment, PUWER 1998 regulation 6 requires an inspection after fitting and before first use. A home shed is not automatically inside that duty. A pipe on the handle and an anvil used as a forging block are the other stop rules.

Common questions

Should the fixed jaw stick past the bench?
Yes, slightly. C2 Safety wants the stationary jaw just beyond the edge so long work can hang, while the base stays on the top. Setting the jaw behind the edge makes the bench look clear and then blocks the job.
Through-bolts or screws into the top?
Through-bolts with washers under the board are the stronger default. Screws into a thin top can pull. Faithfull's coach-screw note is for a woodworking vice in a top at least 50 mm thick, not a specification for these four swivel bases.
Are the bolts in the box for these vices?
Trident lists the vice and securing bolts. DAYUAN does not, and a UK review says they were missing. HYCHIKA's included line is one bench vice. TOPWAY has no included-components line. Hole diameters are not printed, so do not treat a guessed M8 or M10 as a specification.
Do I mortise the jaw into the bench edge?
No. That is the woodworking-vice method on Faithfull's PDF, with a mortise, liners and coach screws in a top of at least 50 mm. These four listings sit on the top. A mortise under an engineer's base leaves the casting unsupported.
What if the bench is thin MDF?
Add a second board or a plate under the corner so the bolts have something to pull against. A nodding MDF top lets the hole egg out. If you cannot stiffen it, do not drill it, and do not treat a light vice as a clamp-on exception.
How do I know the mount is an employer's inspection job?
When the vice is work equipment and safety depends on the installation. PUWER regulation 6 then wants a check after fitting and before first use. A home shed user is not automatically in that regime, and a crack is still a stop.
What if I see a crack while fitting it?
Do not use it and do not weld it. C2 Safety forbids a cracked vice in service. Eye protection still applies while you take the casting back off the bench. A short seller warranty does not replace the retailer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Related pages

5 inch vice buying guide

5 inch vice for a small workshop

Best 5 inch vice

5 inch vice

Cast iron or forged steel vice: read the weight first

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated October 2026.

  1. HSE: Inspection of work equipment (retrieved October 2026)
  2. PUWER 1998 regulation 6 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015 section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
  4. HSE: Using the right type of PPE (retrieved October 2026)
  5. C2 Safety: Vices (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Technology Student: Engineers vice (retrieved October 2026)
  7. UK Workbenches: Eclipse vice sizes (retrieved October 2026)
  8. RS: Irwin 125 mm quick-adjust vice (retrieved October 2026)