Good Bench Vise Recommendations

[DFB]

Have an older Reed 403 that I'm working on now

 

[GManBart]

Have an older Reed 403 that I'm working on now

Very nice! Reed is probably my favorite brand overall.

 

[GManBart]

Since much of this discussion has been about used vises, and people ask me about them all the time, I wrote an article about how to evaluate a used vise and put it on my website. I'm going to add pictures and probably a page dedicated to the anatomy of a vise, but the description should be pretty helpful as it is for folks considering buying a used vise:

Evaluating a used vise • MIVise

 

[CADplans]

This is a great thread to revive,, maybe with some "unblurred" pictures??

My used vise arrived today, now, I gotta figure out how to make a 9/16" T-slot nut,, with 1/2X20 threads,,
unless someone has a better recommendation on how to anchor it to a drill press??

 

[Ford850]

This is a great thread to revive,, maybe with some "unblurred" pictures??

My used vise arrived today, now, I gotta figure out how to make a 9/16" T-slot nut,, with 1/2X20 threads,,
unless someone has a better recommendation on how to anchor it to a drill press??

Like these only 1/2x20? Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com
If these 9/16 nuts with 3/8 hole will fit your press, maybe you could drill and tap to 1/2x20. Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com

 

[CADplans]

Like these only 1/2x20? Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com
If these 9/16 nuts with 3/8 hole will fit your press, maybe you could drill and tap to 1/2x20. Shop Tools and Machinery at Grizzly.com

Yes, exactly,, my concern is that the nuts are case hardened 1080 steel, which is the same stuff that many knife makers use to make steel knives,,
it is too hard for me to drill and tap,,

I did find a similar t-slot nut for a Toyota Tacoma bed rail, made out of stainless steel,,
that may not be hardened??

 

[the old grind]

Make 'em. They don't need to be much harder than say ~40 Rockwell C. (gun barrels/actions) The Ts won't coin out of shape as badly as the holes might get worn out from frequent adjustment of the vise on/to the table. (why they're so hard, cheap high carbon steels heat/quench easily, aren't drawn down. Threads last) For DIY, ask for 4140 but not PHT. Mill, heat to cherry red, dump in new/used motor oil. Chase thread when cool and tumble to remove scale if you must.

I mill from 1018 for mounting vises or other long-term setups. Threads can be hardened with Casenite on the bench. I'd just mill you an 8" long one with 6 holes, then chop to length and square up. Two hrs for that one. No charge, free shipping.

btw,Your bolt(s) will want to be the exact length (easy) to get a purchase on threads at the bottom of the T. Threads at the narrow top will be very thin-walled and would pull easily.

 

[CADplans]

How many did you say would be enough? Give us a few more dimensions, either of your slots or a T-nut that fits 'em snugly but freely already.

Could take a whole hour to make one, plus a spare. Your bolt(s) will want to be the exact length (easy) to get a purchase on threads at the bottom of the T. Threads at the top will be too thin-walled and would pull easily.

To D&T one to a larger thread size may cost a drill or tap. I've modded a few (bought with 1/2" hole, milled for my smaller slots), and the imports are often made of mysterium. I mill from 1018 b__ (AKA A36 b__. Gimme some shop time, will ya, guys? :laughing: Is free stuff all that awful?? I'll show you pics of my yard sale find Columbian.

The vise in the pic has a 1/2x20 thread on the "T" handled bolt, as part of the vise, it tightens the two piece clamp that holds the vise in place.
I will have to check the length of the threads, as compared to the depth of the slot on the drill press,,,

I have a T nut that is too wide, I may try drilling, and tapping that to see if it will work,, I probably have the right drill bit, and tap,,,[somewhere,,, :laughing: ]

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: I own a few vises so wanted to mark this thread to follow it along and maybe help some of you that don't know which vises are any good. my preference would almost always be an big old vise not welded or broken from mis use that left the factory before WWII, but there are a few new ones that can do the job too.

my REED 4c is 178 pounds so maybe a bit overkill for my small home's garage, but since I own it and the steel bench can support it I use it just like I would a smaller one.

 

[goeduck]

ALL: I own a few vises so wanted to mark this thread to follow it along and maybe help some of you that don't know which vises are any good. my preference would almost always be an big old vise not welded or broken from mis use that left the factory before WWII, but there are a few new ones that can do the job too.

my REED 4c is 178 pounds so maybe a bit overkill for my small home's garage, but since I own it and the steel bench can support it I use it just like I would a smaller one.View attachment 637029

^^^ That is art. Nice.

 

[chim]

Bought this old Wilton a few years ago when I built the welding table.

 

[ruffdog]

I have this vise ready in case I have work out in a field somewhere. It slides into a 2" receiver and is long enough to be away from the tailgate. The neighbors seem to use it much more than me.

 

[drivesitfar]

Chim: while I won't deny Wilton bullets are good vises that job you are doing there probably would be best in what I call the CHINESE WONDER VISE (CWV). it's jaws can be turned 360 degrees so you could have placed that heavy piece vertically and not had it's weight on the vise. Wiltons have hollow jaws towers so they'll break a lot easier than some old vises when doing jobs maybe a bit on the industrial side. looks like you might have got that job done without breaking your Wilton so congrats and maybe put that on a bench inside your shop that is a bit more light duty work.

Ruffdog: I'm not surprised your trailer hitch vise is popular. since that Wilton Tradesman you have is a spendy vise unless you don't care if it breaks i'd also consider bying a CWV for about $100 or less used and put the CWV on the hitch. i've seen a lot of hitch mounted vises, but that's the first one I've seen with a long piece of tubing and a nice handle to carry it so I might have to steel that idea.

ALL: while the CWV is far from my favorite vise and it is maybe more liable to break than some of the vises I've yet to find a user that doesn't love them and they are willing to fix them when they break them or it's not a ton of money to replace one new or find a used one.

 

[LD1]

You're kidding right? Save a Wilton bullet vise for light duty stuff? Probably the funniest thing I have read in Awhile

 

[ruffdog]

Ruffdog: I'm not surprised your trailer hitch vise is popular. since that Wilton Tradesman you have is a spendy vise unless you don't care if it breaks i'd also consider bying a CWV for about $100 or less used and put the CWV on the hitch. i've seen a lot of hitch mounted vises, but that's the first one I've seen with a long piece of tubing and a nice handle to carry it so I might have to steal that idea.

Mostly, I use the vise when I'm out cutting a bunch of firewood and it works great to hold the saw. If I have to sharpen the chain, it sure is nice to have something to clamp the saw into.

 

[chim]

Chim: while I won't deny Wilton bullets are good vises that job you are doing there probably would be best in what I call the CHINESE WONDER VISE (CWV). it's jaws can be turned 360 degrees so you could have placed that heavy piece vertically and not had it's weight on the vise. Wiltons have hollow jaws towers so they'll break a lot easier than some old vises when doing jobs maybe a bit on the industrial side. looks like you might have got that job done without breaking your Wilton so congrats and maybe put that on a bench inside your shop that is a bit more light duty work........................

I did make it through that project without a catastrophe. Guess I was lucky. Thanks for the advice. From now on I'll just use it indoors and have Wifey tighten the handle.

 

[ruffdog]

I did make it through that project without a catastrophe. Guess I was lucky. Thanks for the advice. From now on I'll just use it indoors and have Wifey tighten the handle.

^^Better safe than sorry! :laughing:

 

[goeduck]

I did make it through that project without a catastrophe. Guess I was lucky. Thanks for the advice. From now on I'll just use it indoors and have Wifey tighten the handle.

Maybe even just small kids :confused2:

 

[ruffdog]

I also have a big Craftsman and a Columbian vises. Those may be the ductile versions as they were old vises from a shop.

Wilton 4" #1740
Columbian 4" #504 M2
Craftsman 4.5" 391.5197 looks like Re-badged Columbian

 

[drivesitfar]

funny thing is I went to give a kid $1,500 for his big 250 pound vise that a friend needed for his shop and when I got there it was welded maybe 4 times. he said it worked better than it did when he got it so welds shouldn't matter. he'd put tractor bumpers in that huge vise to straighten it out and the vise would break so he'd pull out his welder and fix the vise and do the same thing again. well needless to say I didn't pay him for the vise and he NEEDED the cash cause he had an operation to pay for, but he completely ruined the value of a $3000 vise.

so if you think your hollow jaw Wiltons will handle anything you are mistaken cause i've helped hundreds of guys try to find parts for theirs cause they couldn't find a cheap replacement and didn't have $400-1300 to buy a new Wilton made in USA vise. sure Wilton sells their Chinese vises for $100, but they are not worth that in my opinion. I do like Wiltons but they weren't meant to be used for tractor bumpers or blades.

Ruff: yep using yours to sharpen your chainsaw is the job it can surely handle. i've seen and heard of two many guys using those vises on their hitches to bend something they did to their 4x4 or helping a friend and i've got more than a few broken vises pics i've seen that the guy wanted help cause he had no idea how much a Wilton bullet or Wilton Tradesman is to replace.

my bench vise weighs 178 pounds which is overkill now for my little garage, but it works on small jobs too and my wife and grandkids don't play with it. If you google Wilton vise diagram you might see a cut out of them showing their jaw towers are hollow.