A tooling plate may come in handy. I use one at work, just a scrap piece of aluminum with a bunch of 1/4-28 holes in it. Aluminum works out nice if you consider the plate expendable. To go with the plate a bunch or toe clamps and so forth where made up. Comes in very handy for working on very small stuff. When it gets too thin (from the required resurfacing from time to time) you can throw it out or save for chunks of thin aluminum.
Tooling plates can also be made of steel and may even be desirable for some usage. However having one that can be drilled or milled into is very desirable. Actually having tooling plates of different sizes can also be useful. One that will fit into your vise can save you from dismounting the vise to use the tooling plate. Meanwhile larger plates are great for large, but thin items that are difficult to clamp.