Pipe Clamp Bench Vise

I wanted to add a vise to my workshop, after watching a bunch of how-tos on YouTube (specifically Jay Bates' videos), I gave it a try today.

Here's the materials you'll need for this Instructable:

2 1/2" Pipe Clamp sets
1 1/2" cast iron pipe (I bought a 36" pipe, but you could do anything longer than 24")
Wood for the jaws of the vise (Ideally this would be some kind of hardwood, but as I don't have scraps of hardwood lying around, it would skyrocket the cost of this project. So instead I used a couple 3x2 pieces from a pallet I took apart.)

I recently built a workbench for my miter saw and left space for this vise. I measured the opening and it came to just slightly over 26".

I trimmed the ends of both jaws, and then trimmed one board to 26".

I lined up where I wanted to drill and used a square to draw lines across both boards. I then measured down from the top to align vertically.

Some how at this point I messed up one of the marks as I would later discover after I drilled the holes and they didn't line up. Oops. But hey, woodworking is about making mistakes and then figuring out how to fix them, right? ...right?

Drill holes through the metal of the pipe clamp so you can mount them on the jaws. I used washer-head screws.

Pay attention to how you affix the clamp to the wood jaws. You have to make sure that the clamp parts clear the bench.

I used a mix of pocket holes and 2 1/2" drywall screws. I made sure the jaw was flush with the front of the bench.

You can see here how I had to enlarge the holes after drilling them slightly off. It would have been easier if I had a drill press, but c'est la vie.

One the back jaw was mounted, you just slide the pipes in.

Once the pipes are mounted and aligned, your vise is ready to go!