Following Lew's suggestion, I plan to rip some SYP 2 by 8 lumber in half,
glue the resultant pieces together with the factory cut side down, and sand
the down side to make a workbech top. It will thus be approximately
7.25/2 3.5 inches thick.

The Rockler 9" quick-release vise has drawn my attention. However it has a
maximum
top thickness of 2.75" inches. Since it's important to me to have the vise
level with the top
I have been contemplating a good way to cut the necessary "dado". What
makes this
tricky is that the best side is on the opposite site of the side that needs
to be cut!

One thought would be to put a nice board adjacent to the top and use it as
support
for the router. This might work fine for up to a few inches. Alternately, I
could just cut it and
shim it as necessary. My other ideas seem to break down because the surface
I wish
to cut on may not be flat or level. Always willing to listen to ideas...

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I've also been thinking about binding the benchtop with some hardwood. I
was thinking that this
might look good and it may add structural integrity to the front vise (the
rear jaw being seated
in hardwood rather than SYP). Is this latter point a valid concern?

Thank you for listening!
Bill