Hey folks, figured I'd take advantage of the more experienced folks and ask about a bench top vice.
Any recommendations? I'd rather learn from someone else's mistakes
Hey folks, figured I'd take advantage of the more experienced folks and ask about a bench top vice.
Any recommendations? I'd rather learn from someone else's mistakes
what's the use?Originally Posted by Grey
Hey folks, figured I'd take advantage of the more experienced folks and ask about a bench top vice.
Any recommendations? I'd rather learn from someone else's mistakes
I've gone through several, and depending on what you're doing you may want something different.
If it's the standard "general purpose" then I'd go down to Harbor freight and buy whatever floats your boat. You'll know best what looks right for you, and in 6 months when it turns out you chose poorly you won't be out a whole ton of money.
I'm currently using a cheap under-mount woodworkers vice for a lot of stuff and I'm liking it pretty well.
Good question! Primarily for guns, pistols And ARs.
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Rob gave you good advice. I️ pretty much only use my vice for changing pistol sights so it’s extremely light duty. I️ got mine at Harbor Freight and it’s been fine for my uses.
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I have one of these I've used for nearly 20 years for all manner of gun-plumbing, including assembling countless AR uppers and lowers.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-in-s...vil-63330.html
I like this style block for uppers
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...prod22385.aspx
and can't stand this style
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...prod17094.aspx
and for lowers something simple like this (although why on earth this one is $50 is beyond me)
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...prod25011.aspx
you can get both the types I like in one kit from either of those links.
Thanks guys!
Start by spelling it correctly: "vise"
After that, I use mine for a multitude of tasks beyond gun stuff, so I lean toward American made traditional quality. Wilton's higher-end lines are my favorite. I have the 8-inch jaw, 8-inch opening unit that weighs literally 100 lb. Picked it up on Craigslist ten years ago or so for 1/3 of the best online new price. Worth every penny. Smaller ones will be less expensive, but the quality will still be worth it if you use it for a lot of stuff. If all you're going to do is hold another fixture that actually holds the workpiece, almost anything will be fine.
I also picked up an old-school Panavise off fleabay. The build quality is notably better than current production. Pretty neat piece of hardware for holding smaller stuff at any angle.
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Not another dime.
I'm not a fan of the ones with a 360deg rotating head that use only main vise screw pressure to keep rotation position. Lightweight material (aluminum extrusions or handguards) won't allow you to tighten enough to keep from rotating without deforming the material. If you want a rotating head for position work look for independent rotation lock mechanism.
If you want quality buy high end Wilton, Yost, Ridgid, Bessey or older models of same. Their low end products aren't much better than Harbor Freight and probably made in the same place.
If you have a ton of time and want to read about vises to your heart's content, here's a thread I started on WeldingWeb 5 years ago that keeps coming back to life. Lots of pictures and info, especially on older American and European vises, have made their way into this thread.
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php...ch-Vise-Thread
WARNING - I doubt you'll find much helpful info on Chinese knockoff vises in there.
Keep an eye out on Craigslist.
I ended up with a Wilton bullet vice.
David S.
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