Bench Vise recommendations

[wxm]

Here is my old US made vise. I mount it on a piece of 2x12 and then clamp it down on the workbench. That way I can move it to the mobile station or even back of truck if I need to. It is not mounted as steady as the above, but I trade the steadiness with mobility.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

careful on the wiltons at box stores..I snapped 2 of em I think they were the cast ones from china, not sure if they sell those anymore or not. Get the good wilton and you will never look back. If it says made in china you'll probably snap the thing in half.

Finally got my grandfathers vice from the farm.. Should never need another vise ever.. Mine's bolted to 3/4" steel plate workbench. Yes the workbench is overkill but you can set a 2f on it with accessories and it doesn't budge.. or when welding just clamp the ground to the bench and go.

Find a machine shop auction or a junkyard auction. Junkyard auction is where i got my workbench. Had to use a forklift and trailer to get it home but it was worth it.

 

[D'Animal]

My neighbor sold his house and I stopped by his Garage Sale.

He is keeping most of the good stuff and had some really cool antiques that his father and grandfather bought new.

I needed this like I need another Land Cruiser. LOL

 

[craptabulous]

the old records are good vises , they went out of buisness a few years ago though . i have a big one in the garage . generally my vises get beat up with 16-20lbs sledge hammers trying to straighten out parts . have yet to have that one break .

 

[Cattledog]

I have had several vises, cheap box store vises are cheap and will fail when you need then the most.... In the garage I have the current 6" craftsman sears vise, total crap IMO. Last vise I bought was a Brockhaus vise awhile ago off ebay and could not be happier. Ran me about $85 on ebay for the 100mm unit and no it is not a china knockoff. The 100 mm unit is too small for the garage, go at least to a 6".

Like others have said, go forged, old and used or spend the money -min cost $500-. Criagslist and ebay are best bets for inexpensive units. Buying a crap, cheap vise will just piss you off in the end.

Good luck

 

[Rambrush]

This is the one I picked up several years ago. Large round bottom plate with I beam and plate on top to hold vice. No name I could ever find on it just a few numbers. stays outside but at least its a dry heat here in az.

 

[dkroth]

DKRoth after looking at that link you posted, that price isn't half bad. If that model is made in US and it looks plenty big for my uses, I may just pony up and get it from Amazon.. Thanks again for that link.

I had it on my Amazon wish list for two full years before finally pulling the trigger!

When I unwrapped it on Christmas morning I had to explain it to my kids. Then I told them they could fight over it when I die 40 years from now.

 

[pillguy]

I have one exactly like this, but it move side to side when you are using it, ie from wear. Can it be welded. I would think it would not need much to fix it.

Thanks,
A

Here is my old US made vise. I mount it on a piece of 2x12 and then clamp it down on the workbench. That way I can move it to the mobile station or even back of truck if I need to. It is not mounted as steady as the above, but I trade the steadiness with mobility.

 

[wxm]

I have one exactly like this, but it move side to side when you are using it, ie from wear. Can it be welded. I would think it would not need much to fix it.

Thanks,
A

The vise does swivel. There is a lock handle on the other side to lock the vice on the base with a desired angle. (I can take a picture from the other side if you want). In any case, if you flip the vise up side down, and look from the bottom of the base, you will see two nuts: one at the center serves as a pivot point, and another on the side for lock down. I assume your problem is at the locking mechanism. I would play around with that (tighten the bolt a bit, or even take it apart to see what is wrong). It is handy to have a swivel vise. I'd leave welding the last resort.

 

[Kernal]

Bringing this thread back, anyone have a Yost 104? Looking at a couple of used Yosts but I'm not sure how much height is best/needed like between the jaws and the spindle (?throat), and how wide to go for jaws??

 

[haryv]

Be careful what you buy.
Probably 20+ years ago before the advent of the big box stores and harbor freight I picked up an inexpensive 6 inch vise, heavy cast steel, all the pivots, small anvil on the back, it has been everything I ever needed, worked flawlessly for 20 something years, well I was recently building a minibike frame for a grandkid, I would heat the tube ends where the axles go, and where the all of the joints come together,( its a take off on the old Taco's), and crush them flat in the vise, hammer a bit on the anvil, heat, crush repeat, well the gear portion of the jaw couldnt take the abuse, one of the teeth stretched, now the vise wont hold, so my moral is dont buy cast, get machined steel, you will be able to give it to your grandkids.
I am looking for a nice old machinests vise now in garage sales and swap meets

Same here, buy the best and still own it when you retire

After 16 years, I still use my snap-on swivel ratchet wrench daily. Best wrench I have ever owned.

 

[Tapage]

opinions on those ones . ?

Jet 8" general purpose bench top vise r=$150 | eBay

or this one ..

6" BENCH VISE CLAMP SWIVEL LOCKING BASE TABLETOP VISES | eBay

 

[pb4ugo]

I stopped by a yard sale & saw this vise. I ask how much? he said fifteeee. I said HOW MUCH? $15 bucks. Clean her up and mounted on a 3/8" plate w/a reciever so it can be moved or removed. Patent date AUG 1, 1865.

 

[Kernal]

Seems like anything I've found that cost less than $200 is made in China. Most US made vises run well over $300 for a small one. I like the old one above, that was a screaming deal.

 

[bmorefj40]

Just bought a morgan chicago 160 machinists vise yesterday off of craigslist for $53 (don't ask why the odd ball price, but I wasn't complaining). 6" wide and weighs about 140lbs.

Although, I've been looking for almost a year and this deal finally panned out. I have another $40 1950s Craftsman that I have been using in the meantime. Don't have pics yet of my new toy, since Im waiting for a friend to help lift this thing out of my trunk. It's a monster of a vise.

Keep looking, you'll find a deal. Just get something to get you by in the meantime.

 

[618Henrik]

If you are looking for a big heavy unit that can take alot of abuse then the record made in UK are the one you want. But they are "klumsy" and not that usable for precision stuff.

If you prefer something that are virtually unbreakable but stil with slim jaws it is the German made Heuer Front.
Mutch more usable than all those big chunks of iron from HF and have just seen one at ebay from 1935 looking almost identical to the model produced today.
Brockhaus||Heuer

 

[bmorefj40]

Here's pics of the Morgan I just picked up next to the craftsman. The big boy makes my green vise look like a vise grip.

 

[wxm]

Chas Parker

Here is the one that I just finished restoring and it is going onto my work bench.

 

[Kernal]

Those Parkers are getting expensive, at least on fleabay. That German vise looks a bit like the Ridgid vises which are made in Germany or Poland by a German company.

 

[Joe_E]

Here is the one that I just finished restoring and it is going onto my work bench.

That thing looks sweet, nice job.