How Much Vice Do I Need?

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 1, 2015

• #1

Hello All!

How much bench top vice do I need for building1911's and general gunsmithing? Do I need a super heavy model? One that rotates as well as swivels? Do I need a lot of clamping force?

Thank you for your help!

Andy

 

R

rdhem2

Aluminum

Joined

Oct 11, 2012

Location

Yakima, Eastern Washington, USA

• Aug 1, 2015

• #2

Check out Brownel's they have a good selection. Kinda spendy but most "GOOD" tools are. Wilton is another reputable brand. A vise that swivels-and securely locks- in any and all directions is a blessing to your workbench. Remember to look for smooth replaceable jaws with option, copper, rubber, knurled jaws available. A 4'' to 6" vice should serve you well.

Now go fix that .45.

 

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 2, 2015

• #3

Gentlemen, I have that vice well covered....

What I would really like to know is if anyone has ever purchased a smaller vice and wished that they would have bought a larger model. I would also be interested in knowing how useful is a vice that is capable of rotating and not just swiveling.

Thank you!

Andy

 

WILLEO6709

Diamond

Joined

Nov 6, 2001

Location

WAPELLO, IA USA

• Aug 2, 2015

• #4

you can't go wrong starting out with a Kurt D688 clone with swivel base. After you use it you'll see what you can't accomplish and adapt/ buy from there

 

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 2, 2015

• #5

I apologize, I am referring to a bench vice and not a vice for the mill.

Is a vice like this ductile iron Yost too much vice?? Yost Vises 750-DI 5" Heavy-Duty Multi-Jaw Rotating Combination Pipe and Bench Vise with 360-Degree Swivel Base and Head: Bench Vises: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Would I be better served with a shorter, non-rotating model?

Thank you!

Andy

 

A

abarnsley

Titanium

Joined

Mar 24, 2005

Location

Palmer, Alaska

• Aug 3, 2015

• #6

Wilton 6 in, not the cheap homegrade import wilton models. Your Yost included... Not beefy enough.. Not ductile, made in china... With a good old school vise Name... and Name only,,

Swivel is VERY handy... Kurt and similar machine vises, do not have a deep enough throat for general gunsmith work. And taking a torch/welder near them is not a good thing..

You should consider only made in US ones with rounded edges like this : Tradesman 6-1/2? Round Channel Vise with Swivel Base

Not the Squared homegrades Sears sells..

The sealed construction models are overkill/$$ for gunsmithing, but if you find a used one............

Will take all the use/abuse a 1911 smith can dish out.. Without breaking, getting loose.

USE NO CHEATERS ON VISE HANDLES... Anything can be broken/bent by DUHHHH.

Having a chinese vise break in two, when tightening handle with normal pressure, cures you of chinese vises

Have watched neighbors springy chinese POS, pop parts out of jaws, doing just light work..

A Wilton will be over 500.00 You will not need to replace it.. 1760 has served me well. Current model is 1765

The 600S model is just too much $$ new and only ~3 lbs heavier.

If you can find used ones in good shape, go that route.

Next problem will be a stout enough bench to mount it on..

 

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 3, 2015

• #7

Thank you for the very insightful information! I have a line on an old vice that I will check Wednesday. Hopefully one is left. If not, I will need to buy one. The Yost model is a Chinese made vice, however, it is make of ductile iron and is quite heavy. Does that change anything if it is a heavy, ductile iron vice for $200.00 despite being made in China?

Thank you!

Andy

 

L

LBrooks

Aluminum

Joined

May 30, 2007

Location

Texas

• Aug 4, 2015

• #8

Look for a used Wilton in garage sales. I have bought 3 over the years from $10 to $25 that needed a good cleaning. My current one is a 3 inch Wilton bought for $10 and it is perfect for a portable bench and shop for RV'ing. I bought a metal bench which is adjustable with bolt together parts. It was used in schools to hold heavy TV's and is made of heat treated steel. The 4 inch Wilton is about right for most gunsmithing.

 

MilGunsmith

Stainless

Joined

Mar 6, 2006

Location

Sandyston, NJ

• Aug 4, 2015

• #9

The rotating head vise is very usefull for gunsmithing, but the extra hight has to be taken into consideration when building a bench. Too high and it is hard to do some operations easily. The old school method was to bend your elbows 90* and that was the hight of the vise for filing and sawing.

 

V

vintovka

Plastic

Joined

Oct 26, 2006

Location

kalifornia

• Aug 4, 2015

• #10

Our Sheffield 4" has served long and well over decades. A 2" Palmgren lever locking swivel vise (mounted on 2 pieces of angle iron welded back to back) is used for small work. The angle base is clamped into the Sheffield when needed and raises the Palmgren up to a comfortable working height for precision fitting/filing. Running a bead of silicone around the base of the big vise (where it meets the benchtop) can prevent debris and small parts from going underneath the base.

 

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 4, 2015

• #11

Would this Wilton 4.5" vice serve me well?

Wilton 63199 #1745 Tradesman Vise - Bench Vises - Amazon.com

The thought of spending $360 on a vice is a bit more than I was hoping... However, there are very few garage sells around here that have anything other than baby clothes and DVDs.

Andy

 

V

vintovka

Plastic

Joined

Oct 26, 2006

Location

kalifornia

• Aug 4, 2015

• #12

My eyes are failing its a record vise made in sheffield england

see this link for more info

Did I buy a real Record Vise or a cheap new China import? - The Garage Journal Board

 

E

extropic

Stainless

Joined

Dec 3, 2010

Location

WA, USA

• Aug 5, 2015

• #13

A VICE is a type of misconduct, for instance, consistently misspelling the word vise.

A VISE is a work holding device.

As to the title question: Get as much vice as you can, as soon as you can. Someday that might result in you being deprived of access to the web.

 

G

Guncraft

Guest

• Aug 5, 2015

• #14

extropic said:

A VICE is a type of misconduct, for instance, consistently misspelling the word vise.

A VISE is a work holding device.

As to the title question: Get as much vice as you can, as soon as you can. Someday that might result in you being deprived of access to the web.

Click to expand...

Thank you, the lesson in the proper spelling was helpful. Thank you for pointing out my error.

 

N

ncglocker

Plastic

Joined

Nov 17, 2014

• Aug 5, 2015

• #15

I have found unless you are trying to squeeze the rails on a 1911 ( and I would advise against it), then a parrot gunsmithing vise works perfect, I have one large vise and small one, but by far prefer the parrot vise, brownells carries them but grizzly has them much cheaper, buy the cork tilting jaws from grizzly and buy red and blue padded jaws from brownells. You can also get the red and blue jaws for 5,6in regular vises. best padded jaws available, get a thick piece of leather also for jaw pad for stocks.

 

A

abarnsley

Titanium

Joined

Mar 24, 2005

Location

Palmer, Alaska

• Aug 6, 2015

• #16

Yost ductile iron... Very heavy... NOT

A good vise needs to be bought only once, it holds almost all the things you work on, Daily...

Do not scrimp.. I use a 6 in vise. Not only are the jaws wider, it opens wider, has a deeper throat..., is heavier, and stronger..

4.5 wide jaws for main vise, is just a bit too small for me.

As to squeezing slides with x jig.. Back in the old days, there were no undersize slides, no oversize frames.. And only a couple plastic pistols.. VP70 anyone...?

Padded jaws can be made/bought.

Buy an excellent shop vise.. You will NEVER regret it..

Driving out tight taper pins, demands a SOLID backing.

If spending 500.00 or more for a vise bothers you, you might consider another hobby/livelyhood..

You might get to see a few guns come in, that are worth as much as a new car... Go ahead and feel good that you cheaped out on your vise..

General gunsmithing can involve things, quite a bit larger than a 1911..

A small all angle vise, has never been a priority for me.. a standard Vise swivels, work tilts in jaws..

IMO Palmgren is JUNK, always has been, even the jaws are made of cast iron resembling warm butter. Turn padded vise jaws around to protect vise, instead of work...

 

D

dero338

Plastic

Joined

May 11, 2013

Location

moskito land Canada

• Aug 9, 2015

• #17

I broke a few of them cheap ones until I decided to pay big bucks and buy a RECORD .
I have seen them beat up like hell and never brake.

 

J

Jim Kobe

Aluminum

Joined

Nov 30, 2007

Location

Minnesota

• Aug 10, 2015

• #18

Brake? How? Did you mean break?

 

V

vintovka

Plastic

Joined

Oct 26, 2006

Location

kalifornia

• Aug 10, 2015

• #19

1+ on the Record. I bought my english made and marked 3vs years ago from Sams club (IIRC) for under $30. Never thought much about it as it has done all i asked of it and continues to do so. Thanks to this thread i now know what a bargain i got all those years ago. As for "braking". I have broken two vises in the past 50 years. One was a chinese junker and the the other a 5" craftsman. The chinese failed at the movable jaw and the craftsman at the fixed base. My current "outdoor" 5" craftsman is mounted on a big plowshare base and has a very bent handle

 

C

Claude Wright

Cast Iron

Joined

Oct 18, 2003

Location

Fern Creek, Kentucky, USA

• Aug 13, 2015

• #20

I guess my big China made vise I have used for almost 30 years is just a fluke.
I don 't try to remove barrels with it , I have a barrel vise for that.

I did buy the Wilton vise jaws caps in brass and aluminum with rubber to use with it.

As to the little vise , I bought one of those when I got our house and have used it to hold rifles when needed.