Recommend me a new bench vise

[Firemoore98]

Brad,

Now that I know your weak spot I'm gonna scarf up all the craigslist Wilton vices in Ohio so I can trade you for some port work [emoji854]....

Jason


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[bulletpruf]

@bulletpruf , is that a model 1745, 450S, or C-1?

Brad -

It's a machinist vise - 450S.

Scott

 

[bulletpruf]

I just measured and found that my cheap Crapsman is 5 1/2". I don't want anything smaller. I've got my buddy, @Stihl 041S , keeping his eye out for a nice one to restore.

Brad -

The older Craftsman vises - the 519X series (5195, 5196, 5198) are great vises and very popular with the vise restoration crowd at www.garagejournal.com forums.

If you're looking for something vintage and large, a 6" vintage vise (measuring width of jaws) is where they start to get expensive. And an 8" vise is pretty much the holy grail; very rare and quite expensive, if the seller knows what he/she has.

If you pick up an old one, Kevin Scott's parts are as good as you can get. His Wilton site is here - http://www.wiltonviseparts.net. For other makes, click here - http://www.benchvisejaws.com.

Good luck.

Scott

 

[blsnelling]

Brad -

It's a machinist vise - 450S.

Scott

That makes a big difference. It opens much farther than the Tradesman and is much heavier.

 

[Philbert]

If you pick up an old one, Kevin Scott's parts are as good as you can get.

Thanks - that's very helpful.

I picked up an older Craftsman vice out of the 'FREE' pile at a garage because it had a broken screw. It was similar to one I have, so I thought it might be useful for parts. Sears listed the broken part as 'NLA', but I figured that it must have been made for them by someone else. Did not know exactly where to look or how to describe it.

Are there good places to look for these parts?

Philbert

 

[bulletpruf]

Thanks - that's very helpful.

I picked up an older Craftsman vice out of the 'FREE' pile at a garage because it had a broken screw. It was similar to one I have, so I thought it might be useful for parts. Sears listed the broken part as 'NLA', but I figured that it must have been made for them by someone else. Did not know exactly where to look or how to describe it.

Are there good places to look for these parts?

Philbert

Best place is Garage Journal - here's the main vise thread - http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782&page=2548 -- don't try to read it all; there's 51,000 posts on the thread. Just post a picture of your vise and ask for help with identifying it and sourcing a new screw.

Good luck.

Scott

 

[Philbert]

Thanks!

Kinda funny - if I can fix it, then I will be 'screwed'? If I can't - no loss . . .

Philbert

 

[ML12]

Why did no one recommend a Record Vise? I have a 6" and its very rigid and quite well made. Irwin (of vise grip fame) now owns them.

 

[bulletpruf]

Why did no one recommend a Record Vise? I have a 6" and its very rigid and quite well made. Irwin (of vise grip fame) now owns them.

I'm a big fan of Records; just don't think you see many of them in the states.

This is my 6" Record - was in good condition, just needed a teardown, cleanup, sandblast, paint, lube, and reassembly. I have some Wilton copper jaw covers for it, too. Gets a lot of use.



Nice vise and well made; think it weighs in at around 100 lbs. Not as robust as my 6" Morgan (Chicago), which comes in at 143 lbs.

Scott

 

[balehman]

Groove out the crack, have a friend preheat with the rosebud torch. Then burn some 7018 in there super super hot and don't let it cool when grabbing the next rod. Bury in a pile of sand and dig it up after a few days and keep on using it!


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[Rudedog]

I'm a big fan of Records; just don't think you see many of them in the states.

This is my 6" Record - was in good condition, just needed a teardown, cleanup, sandblast, paint, lube, and reassembly. I have some Wilton copper jaw covers for it, too. Gets a lot of use.



Nice vise and well made; think it weighs in at around 100 lbs. Not as robust as my 6" Morgan (Chicago), which comes in at 143 lbs.

Scott

I did the same thing you did when mounting my vise. I was afraid that my 2x4 bench topped with 5/8 ply would not sufficiently support my Yost 750 DI if I was really wailing away on something. I bought a 1/4 inch piece of 16x16 steel and had them punch the bolt pattern in for the four bolt base. Cheap and sturdy.

 

[NormP]

After reading the recommendations in this thread I went over to the bay and picked up an old Columbian for under $50.00 shipped. Should fit my needs just fine.

 

[bulletpruf]

After reading the recommendations in this thread I went over to the bay and picked up an old Columbian for under $50.00 shipped. Should fit my needs just fine.

Columbians are generally well-made vises, reasonably priced. It appears that you have an exposed screw vise, which vise snobs will often turn their nose up at. However, the only real disadvantage is that you have to be careful when drilling so that you don't accidentally drill into your screw.

Can't tell from the picture if it has removable jaws; if not, that another thing to watch out for, especially if you are going to get a lot of use out of it -- once the serrating is gone or damaged, it's quite difficult to repair/refurbish.

 

[NormP]

Well I reckon there are snobs for every tool, but I don't worry too much if they don't like this old vise! I just need it for general "vise-type" of things I guess. I didn't buy it to restore. God knows I already have enough hobbies that require money and space to accumulate stuff.

 

[bulletpruf]

Well I reckon there are snobs for every tool, but I don't worry too much if they don't like this old vise! I just need it for general "vise-type" of things I guess. I didn't buy it to restore. God knows I already have enough hobbies that require money and space to accumulate stuff.

Restoring vises can be a bit addictive. They're relatively inexpensive, if it's in good shape, you can disassemble, wire wheel and sand blast, clean, paint, lube, and re-assemble in an afternoon. I think I have about 10 in the garage, but only ones mounted are my Wilton 4.5" and my Record 6".

Scott

 

[SCOTTS_4X]

here's my reed 3 1/2 inch machinists vice I did a semi rebuild restore on last year. had to build a pivot bolt/lock and cap. took it apart cleaned and greased it and put some paint on it. it's very solid and has zero play in the screw/guide/jaws. has smooth tool steel jaws. I love this little guy!

 

[bulletpruf]

here's my reed 3 1/2 inch machinists vice I did a semi rebuild restore on last year. had to build a pivot bolt/lock and cap. took it apart cleaned and greased it and put some paint on it. it's very solid and has zero play in the screw/guide/jaws. has smooth tool steel jaws. I love this little guy!

That's a sweet Reed. Need to add one to my collection when I get back to the states.

Scott

 

[tomdcoker]

I would definitely buy on older vise, but that's me. You can get a lot more bang for your buck. FYI - I would trade any of the vises below for/towards vintage Stihl saws.

I have a Wilton like the 4 1/2" one below except mine has the pipe clamp. I bought it about 15 years ago for $25.00 from a cousin. I have used it a lot, used to have a machine shop. There have been no problems, but I was in the local hardware store last week and the cost for a new one was $350 Tom


Here are a few Wilton bullets that I picked up on Craigslist the last time I was back in the states. The larger one is 4.5" jaws. The smaller is 3.5".



This is what they looked like when I got them. Think I paid around $200 for both.


Here's a Morgan 6" that I picked up in Italy. Made in Chicago. It's a beast at 143 lbs. This is what it looked like when I picked it up - someone did a rattle can resto. Disassembled, blasted, new jaws, repainted factory light blue.


This is what I have mounted on my workbench - a 6" Record. Nice vise, but not a monster of a 6".

 

[Philbert]

Here are a few Wilton bullets that I picked up on Craigslist the last time I was back in the states.

Man, your carry-on fees must be outrageous!

Philbert

 

[sawfun]

I guess I've been lucky as the 4 inch Craftsman I bought new as a kid in 1977 has been beat on with sledge, welded on, and used way harder than its had a right to be and is still working great. I'd love a Wilton but am too fond of that old vise to upgrade.