Bench Vises

MachSchnell · #1

I no longer have my old antique vise that was extremely solid and well built in every way. Wish I still had it

. I recently got an Irwin 4 1/2" swivel bench vise last year and it is hardly mediocre at best. The base swivel only has one single bolt to tighten it down and it never locks solidly in place, and that's no matter how hard it is tightened (even with a hammer.) Most of the vise's that can be found nowadays are cheap, mass produced, and low tolerance disposable junk.... The anvil section on my vise developed a crack after some use, probably due to the whole unit being cast from some random pot metal :mad: .

Now, are there any decent brands of quality vises out there (New?) It seems like almost all vises I see in stores run about $50... and I would have no problem spending triple that or more for something that is going to survive many lifetimes of use.

Or should I search around for another antique and hope its up to snuff?

c11642 · #2

I've been professionally gunsmithing for 20 years now. I have used 2 craftsman 4 in benchvises from sears. they are well built and take alot of abuse. They also lock up well :)

MachSchnell · #3

Thanks I'll give them a look. I have done some smithing with the vise I have now and it's a little sloppy, and I had to put several layers of tape on the jaws to prevent marring.

JLS · #4

Check out the good Wilton vises. They seem to have two different lines as of late, one is cheaper and does OK for light work and the more expensive, USA-made ones that were still excellent quality as of 3 years ago when I bought the last ones at work. Depending on how much beating it needs to take, you may even find the cheaper ones fit your needs. I think they all still have a lifetime warranty.

phillipsted · #5

I've fiddled around with a bunch of low-end hobbyist vices for knifemaking, but haven't been happy with any of the basic choices from local hardware stores (Irwin, etc). I finally settled on the basic Panavise - it is great for small jobs because it swivels and tilts to allow access to different parts of the workpiece without re-clamping.

My only caution is that dust and debris can get down into the Panavise ball joint and binds it up. No real problem - just blow it out with compressed air and/or hit it with the shopvac.

TedP

tonydahose · #6

i have a craftsman vise and i like it. as far as a small vise for knife modding i want to build one like this.