- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thank you Ryan!
Dragfluid
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Interesting.
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
Now do the You tuber posting his videos for clicks.
Dragfluid
ALLIANCE MEMBER
After looking a little more, what I don't care about is all those bolt heads on the bench surface. I guess if the bench top was thicker, you could use counter sunk heads. Or, if you were REALLY sure that you wanted it mounted in a location permanently, you could weld it to the underside.
But also, I don't see any bolt heads on the other bench. ??
But also, I don't see any bolt heads on the other bench. ??
Richsgarage
Well-known member
I have since replaced all those bolts with countersunk bolts. And yes it's fairly easy to weld brackets underneath. Which I did on my other bench that you mentioned.
Dragfluid
ALLIANCE MEMBER
OK, that's great. What is the thickness of the bench with the bolts?
Richsgarage
Well-known member
5/16"
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
Richsgarage
Well-known member
I just want to say... I couldn't care less about YouTube clicks. Just want people to enjoy what I've built. I have for years and I'm super proud of what I have built. Thank you all!
Richsgarage
Well-known member
I posted this back in 2018 as a Idea and just to see what kind of interest there might be in a product like this. A lot of you showed a lot of interest. I am now retired... and I'm now focusing on this dream of mine.
Came here because I remembered how much you were all so supportive of this great product. Back here now to offer it to you guys at a really good discount. No BS. Just straight up appreciative. That's it. Thanks again Ryan and thank you all,
Rich
Came here because I remembered how much you were all so supportive of this great product. Back here now to offer it to you guys at a really good discount. No BS. Just straight up appreciative. That's it. Thanks again Ryan and thank you all,
Rich
Banjorear
Well-known member
I love the idea. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for offering the discount. I'm assuming the steel is bare. Do you recommend a coating or paint to prevent rusting?
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thank you!
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Richsgarage
Well-known member
- Yes, they come just bare. I don't have the facilities to handle getting them all painted. Looked into lots of other possibilities and it just wasn't cost effective. Plus.. What color does everyone want? Would have added a bunch of extra expense. You guys are all capable and figured you'd probably just redo them anyway.
- You can wipe them down with lacquer thinner and paint them to match your workspace. I like Krylon with primer. Holds up really well and easy to apply.
- You can grab some Flood Penetrol to protect them. Seriously, it works really well! Hot rod guys use this stuff to keep the bare metal parts on their show cars looking great. You just wipe it on with a rag.
- You could even use a rattle can of clear coat.
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Richsgarage
Well-known member
??????
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thank all of you for the support. I really appreciate it!
hmbemis
Well-known member
Been fighting with how to manage a grinder and vise in my very small shop -- so far it has been a compromise involving multiple holes in the bench, bolts, wing nuts, and time -- these two items fit the need very well, and always happy to support a small US business. Looking forward to installing them.
pcmeiners
Well-known member
Looks like a worthwhile tool, a great space saver. The only issue is mounting a large vise on one of these, I would kill it it quickly, and yes I ran the video.
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thank you!! They were shipped out today with UPS. When you get them. Maybe you can tell everyone that thinks they could bust one.... That it's not likely or more like... impossible. Thanks again. Rich
Do you lie awake nights figuring out how to behave like this?
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
I thought he was stopping the person from advertising that item. So I suggested blocking that stupid tool box channels spammer.
I'll take you at your word, but it didn't really look like that.
JerseyBoatBuilder
Well-known member
The other members that messaged me understood it.
Good.
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it. Really.. I do...Just want to add....I've been beating on and using them in my shop for over 20 years. I also want to add... They will take whatever you can throw at them. Honestly.... Just want to get a real discussion started about this. What is it that you need a vise to do that you don't think these will stand up to? I understand that you can't put a 150 to 300 lb vise on them. Most people that have a vise... They don't use them like you and I do.. But I'm here to say.... They will hold up to any type of abuse that most people need them to. Tried and tested. I've spent a lot of time to make sure they do. Thanks and I hope to get some real feedback from this. Rich. Thanks again.
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Richsgarage
Well-known member
So... I did a little research... You would have to hit The Tool Swing with around 87,000 psi. For a failure. The 2 platforms are held up and together with two 5/8" 1018 cold rolled threaded steel rods with each one having 43,500 psi of "shear strength". The hardest sledge hammer hit is going to be around 15,000 psi (from what Google said). There will be a little variance from these numbers because of the distance between the two platforms. But.... That's part of the design. To keep that distance as close as possible. It's less than 3/8 of and inch. The swing arms are 3/8 x 1" mild steel with 1018 1/2" axles. So I challenge all of you engineers here to let me know what the psi would have to be for a failure. I'm super curious. Let me know if there are any other things that may have to be factored in. Thanks again. Rich
I'm far from and engineer so I can't figure any of that out but Im willing to bet the majority of people would be fine with an "it can hold this much weight" statement. Start stacking weight on it till it fails and advertise that.
I've been wanting to make something like this for years but just have never taken the time. It would probably take me the better part of a day assuming I had the material sitting around to make something 1/3 as nice. For $230 it makes zero sense for me to even attempt to build one....I would probably loose $800 in revenue trying to make one
Once we get back in the shop I'm going to have to take some measurements to make sure it will work with my bench.
I've been wanting to make something like this for years but just have never taken the time. It would probably take me the better part of a day assuming I had the material sitting around to make something 1/3 as nice. For $230 it makes zero sense for me to even attempt to build one....I would probably loose $800 in revenue trying to make one
Once we get back in the shop I'm going to have to take some measurements to make sure it will work with my bench.
I can see the utility of these in some cases. BUT an obvious statement. When you have something swing down like this the area under the bench that could have been used for storage is now occupied. It also appears that the example bench has hex bolts on the surface for the mountings which part mitigates the reason for the swing in the first space of having a clear bench top work surface. As discussed, they could be countersunk or welded to reduce that impact.
An alternative approach I take is to have various mounting holes on a bench surface where I can mount my tool of choice to the bench top. This is cheap/easy to do, and is relatively quick to mount/change, though granted likely not so quick as the swings. But then I can store the tools anywhere I want. One can also make mounting base interfaces to adjust tool height and reduce the number of bench top holes for mounting bolts. One can put countersunk plugs in the holes when not in use too.
I am not sure which approach is better. Probably case and context dictates like anything. I am a DIY guy so I am usually not in a super big rush to swap tools like on a production line.
An alternative approach I take is to have various mounting holes on a bench surface where I can mount my tool of choice to the bench top. This is cheap/easy to do, and is relatively quick to mount/change, though granted likely not so quick as the swings. But then I can store the tools anywhere I want. One can also make mounting base interfaces to adjust tool height and reduce the number of bench top holes for mounting bolts. One can put countersunk plugs in the holes when not in use too.
I am not sure which approach is better. Probably case and context dictates like anything. I am a DIY guy so I am usually not in a super big rush to swap tools like on a production line.
Cris B
Well-known member
Great to see ingenuity and a good bit of engineering. Kudos to @Richsgarage
Richsgarage
Well-known member
One thing about The Tool Swing is.. You are adding more bench space. They never take up space on TOP of your workbench. Which could be argued as the most important space in many shops. Very good points but in the end.... room for more tools for you.
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1Bad55Chevy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2025
- Messages
- 583
How does this thing mount to the bench? Like what are the requirements of the bench to use this?
I use a Little Giant welded steel workbench that has a sheetmetal top.. would this be able to mount to it without serious modifications to the table? I know the swing mount is "universal" fit but it would be nice to see a recommend starting point.
Not trying to slam your product because I think its bad ***. Just wondering
I use a Little Giant welded steel workbench that has a sheetmetal top.. would this be able to mount to it without serious modifications to the table? I know the swing mount is "universal" fit but it would be nice to see a recommend starting point.
Not trying to slam your product because I think its bad ***. Just wondering
Richsgarage
Well-known member
I would think a couple pieces of angle iron or some uni-strut welded to the front and rear under braces would be more than enough. Bolt it to those and you should be good to go.
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Back in 2008... when I first launched this... I did a test, with the smaller single crank version (I offered at that time), with some leverage and a lot of weight added...it took over 4600Lbs... without any damage. I lost all of that footage over time (so I didn't want to mention it without any proof). But.. I am going to... soon....do another test, So I can show everyone that this new and improved version is so much more stout. So... stay tuned. I'll have that test done soon. It will be a video..... so.... I hope... no one thinks... I'm trying to promote my videos. I just want you all to know how strong they are, and to be confident that they will hold up to what ever you have, to throw at them. I appreciate all of the purchases you all have made! Makes it all... incredibly worthwhile. Glad I am a part of this great forum! Thanks again Ryan, for giving me the spotlight on this product. Sincerely, RichI'm far from and engineer so I can't figure any of that out but Im willing to bet the majority of people would be fine with an "it can hold this much weight" statement. Start stacking weight on it till it fails and advertise that.
I've been wanting to make something like this for years but just have never taken the time. It would probably take me the better part of a day assuming I had the material sitting around to make something 1/3 as nice. For $230 it makes zero sense for me to even attempt to build one....I would probably loose $800 in revenue trying to make one
Once we get back in the shop I'm going to have to take some measurements to make sure it will work with my bench.
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Richsgarage
Well-known member
Thank you! I appreciate that!
I like the swing. It looks like a great solution. Had I known about it earlier I might have incorporated it into my bench build. But I agree that space under the bench is the tradeoff. An alternative to your suggestion for mounting alternate tools is an idea I stole from somewhere. Granted it is not as beefy as the swing or the bench top but it will work for some tools. The idea is to install a receiver hitch under the bench then mount various tools to hitches for quick tool changes.
So far, I have only mounted a vise this way. The bench below is also a table for my miter saw so I couldn't mount the vise on the bench. When I am cutting long stock, I just pull the vise hitch out of the receiver. Yes, I don't beat on the vise like in the swing video but it works well for me.
Richsgarage
Well-known member
I agree that your solution is a really good one and I really like the way you went about it and set it all up! I ALSO really appreciate the fact that you see the advantage of possibly using The Tool Swing. I appreciate that! The thing that I want to point out here (because you brought up a really good discussion point) ....IS.... and I notice this... in my shop... Is.... I get a little older every day and simplicity and ease of use is starting to weigh in. The tool that is easiest to use.... That's where I gravitate. I absolutely love having my vise out of my way and when I need it.. it's just a 2 second swing away from using it. I'm only saying this... because... that's what I've found in my shop. The easier it is to use a tool... the more I gravitate to that tool. Now with The Tool Swing I am able to use most all of the tools I have.... because... set up time.... is basically zero. How often was my bench grinder used before The Tool Swing??? Sitting on the shelf waiting for it to be clamped back onto my workbench... not as often as it should have been. I would gravitate to one of my angle grinders to do what my bench grinder should have been taking care of. Just because it wasn't AS accessible... Not anymore. It's just a quick 2 sec swing away from it being used now. I know all of you have dealt with this kind of thing and I just wanted to take this opportunity to bring it up. As far as the space under your workbench... I would ask? What's more important? Your work space or space under the bench? I think It would be a good discussion. We all have different situations. Thanks again, RichI like the swing. It looks like a great solution. Had I known about it earlier I might have incorporated it into my bench build. But I agree that space under the bench is the tradeoff. An alternative to your suggestion for mounting alternate tools is an idea I stole from somewhere. Granted it is not as beefy as the swing or the bench top but it will work for some tools. The idea is to install a receiver hitch under the bench then mount various tools to hitches for quick tool changes.
So far, I have only mounted a vise this way. The bench below is also a table for my miter saw so I couldn't mount the vise on the bench. When I am cutting long stock, I just pull the vise hitch out of the receiver. Yes, I don't beat on the vise like in the swing video but it works well for me.
Good points. We are both lifting the weight of the vise and hitch or swing with our solutions. But with mine I have to control the weight, hold upright, and aim the hitch into the receiver. The swing has the clear advantage there. Nicely done.
BullsArmor
Member
Yeah, countersunk bolts make a big difference. Welding works if it’s permanent, but I’d probably keep it flexible with countersunk hardware.
Richsgarage
Well-known member
Especially when you are constantly revamping your shop. Like me
Richsgarage
Well-known member
very.