I've got a nice under the top vise on order, but it hasn't arrived yet and there's still some waiting to be done before it arrives, but in the meantime I need to set up a makeshift deal..
Currently I'm using this setup

which works and I can put a lot of pressure to it, but as you can see nothing can hang over the edge of it so I want to possibly cut out perhaps some oak circles and laminate them together so I can slide a handle up and down, etc.. The problem is if the lamination will hold without twisting apart.
I know steel would be ideal, but my capabilities to machine steel are limited and the screw I'm using now is 5/8th, 11 pitch.. I'm thinking that a stack of 1/2 inch oak circles might do the trick, but they really need to withstand quite a bit of force and from past experience they'll likely fail. I'm just working with what I have available which isn't much right now. I have plenty of pine, but have little confidence in it..
Any suggestions other than to just wait it out which is plan B..

Because the handle is "fixed" to the screw there are some positio9ns where it lands above the top of the bench and is in the way.?

Which is why you want to make a traditional sliding handle so it can drop down out of the way.... right?

You need a way to attach it to the 5/8" X 11 threaded rod... right?

Other than having a block of steel welded to the rod with a 3/4" bored through it, I don't have an easy answer that will stand the stress when you apply clamping forces.



I have seen 1" pipe fitting "T" s that will allow a wood handle to pass through, but you will still need to attach your threaded rod somehow....permanently!

I'd take a good look at the second picture wood posted. A vise hands like that would be dead easy to put together. Take a piece of wood, drill one hole for the vise screw, another for the handle to slip through, slip a dowel through for a handle and epoxy it on

Number 2 looks about what I'm thinking about.. For some reason the word expoxy just didn't come up on my mental radar. Meanwhile I got done what I needed done without harming any children, animals or more importantly, me. The rest of my tasks for the near future involve bar clamps and I have them covered so plan B it is..just wait it out and stand there like a kid at Christmas when the postman arrives..