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Beaumont Texas Area Machine Tools

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Shawn_Laughlin

Aluminum
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
I’m looking for a new place to buy machining tools. To be specific I’m looking for a new vise 6” max 4” min and needs to open to at least 6”. I ave no problem buying a Kurt but would like to find a place locally that sells them,I’m a very impatient person and waiting on shipping sucks. It doesn’t have to be a Kurt either just saying. Rex Supply closed the Beaumont branch and that has left me searching with no luck. Google searches just result in pages of rice mills lol. I have talked to a couple people but all I get is what are you looking for and I’ll email you tomorrow with a quote on what I can get and never hear anything back which pisses me bc my money isn’t any good bc I don’t have a company name behind me. Sorry for the rant it’s just bs. Thanks guys and gals
 
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I'm also in Beaumont; have been for several decades. I do not know of any local places other than HF and Northern Tools. Neither of them have Kurt or other brands of quality milling vises in stock. I recently purchased two 5" mill vises from Shars. Delivery took about three days. They are not Kurt quality, but I am happy with them. I may do some work on them to make them more accurate. McMaster also usually delivers in two to three days but that can vary depending on where they ship from.

Northern Tools lists the Wilton brand on their web site, but I have not seen any milling vises in the store. So they can probably order it and you have to wait until it arrives. I have a Wilton bench vise, but do not know anything about their milling vises. I don't know, but would have to guess that they are Chinese imports.

If you really want to pick it up you could probably find one in Houston. But don't ask me where because I do not often shop there.
 
Shawn_Laughlin said:
I’m looking for a new place to buy machining tools. To be specific I’m looking for a new vise 6” max 4” min and needs to open to at least 6”. I ave no problem buying a Kurt but would like to find a place locally that sells them,I’m a very impatient person and waiting on shipping sucks. It doesn’t have to be a Kurt either just saying. Rex Supply closed the Beaumont branch and that has left me searching with no luck. Google searches just result in pages of rice mills lol. I have talked to a couple people but all I get is what are you looking for and I’ll email you tomorrow with a quote on what I can get and never hear anything back which pisses me bc my money isn’t any good bc I don’t have a company name behind me. Sorry for the rant it’s just bs. Thanks guys and gals
Click to expand...

The "rant" is what's BS.

- Took you how many months - or even YEARS - to decide it was time for purchase of a decent vise? WTF had you BEEN using? Gumbands?

- The type of vise involved can last a whole human lifetime. And more with a rebuild kit or three.

And 2 or 3 day delivery sends your instant-gratification arse into bitch over-drive?

You need to get a grip, alright.

But the vise is the symptom, not the problem.
 
dalmatiangirl61 said:
I'd take the 3 day wait over a drive into/out of Houston any day.
Click to expand...

A decent milling vise is not usually a casual purchase.

I'd guess most of us spend more than 3 days just checking for favorable prices, and more than 3 weeks even before that in getting to the point of taking a decision as to WHICH type, size, and make of vise is going to be best value for money to serve the work expected of it for at least a year or so ahead. Or ten years..

Now .. if your local "Tiger Mart" or 7-Eleven doesn't have gasoline, milk, eggs, bread, nachos.. jerky..... beer .. tampons... condoms .. or ......lottery tickets?

That might be cause for concern!!!

:)
 
yea...I gotta say...if you can't wait a few days for a specialty item that is essentially a lifetime purchase, something ain't adding up. And, I could see your perspective if you happened to live in a city like LA where there is some serious machining activity. But Beaumont? Get used to waiting.
 
GregSY said:
yea...I gotta say...if you can't wait a few days for a specialty item that is essentially a lifetime purchase, something ain't adding up. And, I could see your perspective if you happened to live in a city like LA where there is some serious machining activity. But Beaumont? Get used to waiting.
Click to expand...

Seriously... even in high-density, high-average-income areas. "The good stuff" comes off a truck.

I was "waiting for a DEAL" for so long on a suitable model of the legendary Kurt vises I ended up not having one (yet...).

Because... along the way.. I found a deal on a James Morton Multi-vise, then an SPI Quad.. then FIVE Gerardi Modulars.

Dealers just cannot stock high-unit-cost, slow-turnover items in dozens of branch locations "on speculation" that someone "just might" pop in to that branch outlet and make a once in many-year purchase.

That isn't just vises. It includes even inexpensive consumables that are "seasonal".

Bet your local supermart stocks Eggnog at the relevant holidays.. but Fourth of July ain't one of them.

Turkey is easier. There'll be one posting on the internet, any given day....
 
Thermite I won’t be drug into a pissing contest with a person that had no clue of the person I am. But I will let you know,It took me since May of this year to figure out my 3” vise is not big enough square a 5 x 5/1/2 x 7-1/2 piece of steel and that the right way to eliminate as many variables as possible is to get a nice vise.

I had never worked on or seen in person a mill or lathe before getting my machines and for the limited time I’ve learned a lot by trial and error.i didn’t grow with My daddy doing it or my job doing anything with machining but I can fabricate and weld good well awesomely very very very good and pretty smart from what I’m told. And I’m told that a lot and by people who would rather shoot themselvs before saying that to me.

For the other guy who says it doesn’t add up. Well hell I feel like I’m being investigated for murder or smuggling cocaine,wtf. I said I’m impatient not a person that was in the wrong place at the wrong time or actually I guess I was when I started this thread.

Get to know someone before you start throwing up words all over your clean shirt or say it in person. Thank you for your replies and god bless you
 
I said I hate waiting on shipping and I have my reasons I’ve had a lot of packages go missing. I have had an unusual amount of packages damaged and lost in transit and that’s usps and ups’ words not mine so I don’t see a problem with wanting to get something quick. And by the f ing way I said it was bullshit that when a person says they will quote you and email you and it never comes bc your not a company. I never said slow shipping or shipping period was bullshit. I woulda rather a person not comment even if they had great info if they are being an idiot. Furstvreactiks are usually the wrong reactions so think before you say anything.
 
EPAIII and RBJScott I appreciate the info and ima look into bass thank you very much. EOA I’m born and raised right here and lived my whole life in Groves if you know where that is? I think I found a Kurt vise but it’s on amazon and I’m kinda skidish since the time I paid 320 for an iwata spray gun just to be delivered a Chinese clone.
 
Shawn_Laughlin said:
EPAIII and RBJScott I appreciate the info and ima look into bass thank you very much. EOA IÂ’m born and raised right here and lived my whole life in Groves if you know where that is? I think I found a Kurt vise but itÂ’s on amazon and IÂ’m kinda skidish since the time I paid 320 for an iwata spray gun just to be delivered a Chinese clone.
Click to expand...

High price to pay for "cautious", given most of us are happier with used-not-abused from another PM member or any of many reputable dealers in such things.

But...one can order a Kurt vise... directly from KURT, too y'know.

Check out their "scratch & dent" pages for at least a modest price-savings:

Scratch & Dent

Nearly ALL workholding can be found at lower than MSRP, worldwide, with a rather average bit of searching. I'd say most of us shoot for about HALF of MSRP.

So whom would WANT to buy it at full-retail just to be able to grab it locally?
 
How about giving us a link to the Kurt vise on Amazon, I see lots of knockoffs, few actual Kurts.

If you get that worked up over some forum posts that are trying to help you, you're going to love Houston traffic:)
 
dalmatiangirl61 said:
How about giving us a link to the Kurt vise on Amazon, I see lots of knockoffs, few actual Kurts.

If you get that worked up over some forum posts that are trying to help you, you're going to love Houston traffic:)
Click to expand...

JMNSHO, but "these days", either of Amazon or eBay - are safest when used only as search engines.

In both cases, one can ferret-out the vendors back of or UNDER them and do further, direct research.

Lo and beheld.. many of them are but extra online "storefronts" for vendors we already have info about as to reputation.

Worth doing that digging, most days, most goods, 'coz 'puters have made it really fast and cheap to do.
 
I am by no means a wealthy person so Spending 600 or more for a vise is going to sting but I need to get my roller built bad but I am in no way against buying used. I’m not to good for used parts,just ask the auto salvage yards lol. I will put a link up in one second. I’m rolling a tank shell right now.
 
What scares me about it is that it sold and shipped by amazon and that means they have it in the amazon warehouse and most name brand merchandise especially these kinds of things are not stocked. I could be wrong my iwata spray gun was sold and shipped by amazon from their warehouse
 
Looks legit to me, Amazon has a massive warehouse in San Marcos, bet they can cram a lot of stuff in there. Looked at ebay, seems average selling price for a used one is $300ish range + shipping costs, so for roughly $200 more you can get a new one from Amazon. Would not surprise me if the ones Amazon stocks are factory blems.

Looking at the Kurt site linked above, that same vise in a blem sells for $544, not sure if shipping is extra or included.
 
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