Looking for a good vise

[The patriot]

I got rid of a vice about 4 months ago. It was A. Fuente's. :laf:

Now the alcohol and women thing... ...

 

[Crazy Horse]

Here's a photo of one I got from Northern Tool. It will do everything my past vises have lacked. It has a good drive gear to it and locks down very good and was priced reasonable.

 

[Grizzly]

I found an old Wilton vise for $50 on craiglist last Friday, 23 Sep 11. It doesn't have a swivel base. It's a machinist vise and it's banged up a little. The screw works great without a glitch. It will open to almost 8" and weighs 62 lbs. I'm happy with it. It has a stamped date of 277, which means it was made in February 1977. It was made in Schiller Park, Illinois. It's a 450N model. I'm going through the internet trying to figure out more about it.



I've been wanting a Wilton Vise for many years and now I've got one. See attached images.



george

 

[GCroyle]

Vise vs. Vice

I inherited this one from my FIL and it is a darn good piece for my chores. I did a bit of searching, didn't find alot about the Charles Parker Co. except one reference to Parker Shotgun being a part of the company.



No plans to strip and paint or anything, model is 954 1/2 jaws are about 4 1/2" W and it will just open to 9". The bench is nothing special, wish I had kept my Dad's that he made.



Now about that other vice... ... ... .

 

[Grizzly]

I inherited this one from my FIL and it is a darn good piece for my chores. I did a bit of searching, didn't find alot about the Charles Parker Co. except one reference to Parker Shotgun being a part of the company.



No plans to strip and paint or anything, model is 954 1/2 jaws are about 4 1/2" W and it will just open to 9". The bench is nothing special, wish I had kept my Dad's that he made.



Now about that other vice... ... ... .

That's a nice vise and it's a genuine USA made. I don't know if there are any more USA made vises. My Wilton is USA made, but now Wilton are made in Taiwan by the makers of Jet machinery.



As for our other vises, is Rebel Well, USA made? My other vise, which is Chocolate, is USA made.



george

 

[GCroyle]

Grizzly,



Ma Deahr Sir,



The kerect announciation of the werd ya jumbled is Y E L L as in the anceinet and honorable REBEL YELL, a fine Southern Tradition.



Back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

[Grizzly]

Gary, I'm not familiar with Rebel Yell. I am , however very familiar with the south since my wife is from Alabama and we do make truck and 5th wheel trips there and other parts of the south.



george

 

[Grizzly]

A couple of weeks ago I purchased another bigger and much heavier Wilton Bullet Style Vise than my first Wilton, which is a mod # 450N. This one is a mod# 500S with 5" jaw and weighs 96 lbs. I plan on restoring both.



george

 

[TGentry]

Best advise I can give is "go big"

I've been fairly impressed with my el-cheapo Harbor Freight 6" Pittsburgh swivel vise, $70. I've been abusing this vise for 14 yrs or more:
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[Grizzly]

TGentry, nothing wrong with Harbor Frieght, my son has and is very happy with it. However I do like the Wilton Bullet style as a collector vintage tool. I do intend to use them, one in my garage and one in my woodworking shop in my barn. I like your work shop.

 

[seafish]

I bought a Harbor Freight vise like the one Crazy Horse has on post #22. It broke it where the dynamic jaw attaches to the runner only the 3rd time I used it!!! I was expecting muh more from it, based simply on it's size, but looking at where it broke, it was obviously a very porous casting. I'l post up some pics of what NOT to buy.

 

[TGentry]

TGentry, nothing wrong with Harbor Frieght, my son has and is very happy with it. However I do like the Wilton Bullet style as a collector vintage tool. I do intend to use them, one in my garage and one in my woodworking shop in my barn. I like your work shop.

Thanks! I like your Wilton's

Besides all the "go big" recommendations, which I'm fully subscribe to, another useful item is a portable vise stand. I have various hole/anchors throughout my garage floor which are used to quickly secure my portable vise. Every once in awhile my vise gets bolted atop my 4' x 8' heavy duty welding table, but more times than not it is found nicely rested and anxiously waiting to serve atop my portable vise stand.