bench vise recommendation

[slayer]

I'm going to buy a vise for general use and specificly for holding a FAL receiver wrench. The brownells wrench head is roughly 3.5 inches wide. That tells me I need at least a 4 inch jaw.

Anyone had good or bad luck with certain vises? I'm thinking about a 5 inch model, but haven't spent any money yet.

TIA

slayer

[ September 10, 2001: Message edited by: gary.jeter ]

[Uncle Buck]

Bigger is better. I would recommend getting a 6 inch all steel vise. You can skip the Chinese cast iron models with a rotating head. They crack just by tightening them.
UB

[FALPhil]

Ditto.

It's cheaper in the long run (and maybe even the short run) to follow Uncle Buck's advice. I got my 6" all-steel during and inventory clearance sale at the local Northern Hydraulic for $50 brand new.

Originally posted by Uncle Buck:
Bigger is better. I would recommend getting a 6 inch all steel vise.



------------------
..Phil
Download free targets at
http://harringt.home.mindspring.com/targets.htm

[gunplumber]

Wilton. Best $300 I have ever spent. Do not buy Chinese or Craftsman. Broke 6 of those in a couple months.



------------------
T. Mark "Gunplumber" Graham
gunplumber@arizonaresponsesystems.com
Arizona Response Systems
5501 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013
623-873-1410 http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com

[stimpsonjcat]

Well MY recommendation is to get a 'post-vice'...these are used by blacksmiths everywhere and can take more abuse than any other form of vice.

Basically, they have a leg which goes to the floor to transmit any vertical stress to the floor. I'll post a pic if you like. Downside is you either have to find them at a flea market for $100-150 or pay $1500 for a new one.

Seriously, no matter how bad you treat it...this will be the last vice you ever buy.

peace!

EDIT---------------------------------------

No man...THIS is a post vice.

http://www.alltel.net/~jbperry/postvice.jpg

I have hit the tops of the jaws and the handle as hard as I can with a 2-1/2lb hammer...zero damage.

peace!

[This message has been edited by stimpsonjcat (edited February 19, 2001).]

[Sgt Rock]

Hmmmmmm. I must have lucked out. My chinese vice has been going strong for 10 yrs. Even when I add 5 feet of pipe to the handle to tighten it. I paid #30.00 at Sams when it was called Pace. I have beaten all the filler out of it where they used it to make it nice and smooth but I beat the piss out of it regularly. Maybe it was made on a wednesday with an old Chevy engine block.

[sixplusone]

[ September 04, 2001: Message edited by: sixplusone ]

[Mr pogo]

Wilton C-3, 200 someodd lbs of metal but still sensitive enuf for those petite jobs that come along http://www.fnfal.com/forums/wink.gif

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=108685&a=9816154&p=41582370&Sequence=0&res=high

[ricochet]

Hello Slayer,
I gotta agree with Gunplumber,again and Mr Pogo, a Wilton is a tough vise. I've broken 3 vise's thru the years, but my Wilton is the last vise I will ever need. I see fitters abuse these daily in my plant, and have never seen one fail yet. We use 3" to 8" Wiltons and they outlast the people. I have a 5" Wilton and you can use it as an anvil, or really crank down on it. Replacement jaws (even copper) are readily available, but these vises are not cheap. I bought mine well used, and it was an investment that'll last my lifetime.
So Gunplumber, you must've broke that Craftsman vise in your video? I did.
Just my .02 http://www.fnfal.com/forums/biggrin.gif

[Will+1]

I got lucky and got an 8 inch MAC Tools at a flea market for $60.00. It was coated with 5 different types of paint and enough oil and metal shavings to add 10 pounds to it. A few hours with some Acetone, a sand blaster and some good rattle can paint and good as new.

I looked for over 6 months before I found this vise, the Chinese have about taken over the market. A buddy had one of the Chinese rotating models, busted it in half while torquing off a stubborn Mauser barrel. Caveat Emptor!

[slayer]

I guess I'll spending some time at the flea market looking for a good used vise. Thanks for the pics and info.


slayer

[This message has been edited by slayer (edited February 21, 2001).]

[mark]

What did you guys do........must have gave the postman a hernia......or maybe yourself??

LOL

[Wrangler100]

I bought one of those cheap-assed chinese 6" vises from MSC. Would rather have had a good one, but didn't plan on becoming addicted to FALs and stuff. So far it works great even though I expect it to crack each time I really tweak it.

[Mr pogo]

Another good brand is Columbian, I think now owned by Wilton. This particular model has swiveling jaw for odd sized stock, both it and the bench came out as a set from Castle AFB http://www.fnfal.com/forums/wink.gif

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=108685&a=9816154&p=41676577&Sequence=0&res=high

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=108685&a=9816154&p=41676578&Sequence=0&res=high

[TomJ]

I like a good machinist vise like a Kurt. With those you don't need a reciever wrench.

[stimpsonjcat]

That columbian is a fine looking vise!

You lucky dog! and a table too!

peace!

[W.E.G.]

Originally posted by gunplumber:
<STRONG>Wilton. Best $300 I have ever spent.</STRONG>


http://www.clark.net/pub/warwick1/wiltonvise.jpg