Most used vise size for a normal garage?

[charle10]

After perusing the Vise threads on here for a while. I've developed quite the urge for a heavier duty vise than my little 3-1/2 Turco. Its a nice vise but can only hold so much. Whatever I end up getting I was planning on mounting it on my small 26"x36" welding table, or maybe putting it on the bench where the turco is. I've eyed up some 4" vises, and like the size of the higher end ones, but I've also seen some 6" ones that I would really like, but am not sure if they will just get in the way being quite a bit bigger.

What size vise do you use most in your garage? Where is it mounted? Does anyone have a big vise that is just to big?

 

[Catalyze]

"Does anyone have a big vise that is just to big? "
No! Never even think that thought again. Let me explain, Too Big is actually a "too small project" for your perfect sized vise. Go get another bigger project that suits your vise.

"What size vise do you use most in your garage?"
4 inch.....You can shade up to a 4 1/2" if you want. 5" if you love doing U Joints for your relatives. If you fabricate large metal work, then shade to the larger sizes. For everything that I do, a Quality 4" vise will keep me smashing fingers and breaking hacksaw blades just fine.

"Where is it mounted?"
Workbench right now. Since I stole a lovely 5 1/2" Columbian from some Old Guy who was busy counting his Wiltons, I now have a vise that I will mount on a stand. It is too big for my workbenchs. Notice that the vise is not the problem, I just do not have the correct workbenchs for it. Purely my fault and not Columbian's. Never blame the vise, it is just waiting for you to provide the proper project and workbench.
Craig (really....it is My list that you all have been using)

 

[ZRX61]

I have 2 4in Morgans on my main bench, static at one end, swivel at the other.

 

[Catalyze]

What's in between.....that's what I want to know.
Craig

 

[porphyre]

I'll admit first off that I only own one vise. It's a big 'ole antique, though.

Jaws are only 4 1/4" wide, but it's a combination vise. Which means the throat depth is quite big. 5 1/2". That's the distance between the top of the jaws and the top of the slide.

I've used vises at friends houses, little HF jobbies, Bessy's from Lowes... The throat depth just isn't there.

Greater throat depth allows you to have the vise jaws clamping closer to the edge of your workpiece, which keeps it from vibrating when grinding, cutting, filing, etc.

For my homeowner needs as a light duty hobby mechanic and woodworker, I think a 5" combination vise would be about perfect. Something with 6-7" throat depth.

 

[back2class]

Truy depends on the use and MORE IMPORTANTLY the BENCH! I see lots of guys here with huge vises mounted on rinky dink work benches. There is little to no point in that as the bench will not allow anywhere near the intended use for that size vise. Kind of like runnng a sports car on doughnut spares.
You will always need bigger than you have once in a while. I had a huge Wilton once. Only real use for that would be mounted on a steel base concreted about 4ft into the ground. For real heavy home shop use. I do welding and some farm repair. I get by well with a Wilton C-0. I think the jaws are about 4 across and open 6-7 inches wide. Weighs about 75lbs. The HUGE wilton I had was a c-0 and only opened an inch or so more. It's real potential being twice the size with minimum additional opening was if you were working on things that weighed in excess of 1,500lbs.
Couple things;
1)Heft is as important as jaw size. The 4" chicom is 1/10 the wise a 4" Wilton will be.
2)How wide it opens is most often the limiting issue. Much better to get a big one that opens wide than a huge one that opens a small amount. Throat depth is something you want too if possible.
3)Get one with Pipe jaws so you can clamp round or odd shaped opjects
4)Don't get one bigger than the bench it's mounted on can handel. When I see a vise that could hold back a school bus mounted to a bench I could fling across the room I just have to shake my head.

I am a big fan of the c-0 wilton. I would think some american iron in the 40-100lb range that opens as wide as you can find would be great. Another thing to look for is replacable jaws. I have a very nice Prentiss Bulldog that has one piece jaws and it just won't grip well with he teeth gauled down. This happened from limited use dount metal work. It's first 95 years were in an old houses workbench where it saw tinkering use I woud imagine.

 

[ZRX61]

What's in between.....that's what I want to know.
Craig

Well, that Record 3VS is sat there, not sure where it goes yet.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Mine is a cheap(ish) import. But it's got 10" jaws and opens up just over 13" wide. I can't see any advantage to a smaller one.

 

[charle10]

Catalyze I totally understand that my projects could always be more than what my vise can handle, but I can only do so much in my garage. I'm not running a machine shop, just doing auto repairs, bending some metal, and occasionally using my vise as a press. I had planned on a nice 4", but ran across a 6" Colombian at an OK price (asking $100). See picture.

I've Got a fairly hefty workbench or welding table to mount it on, so I am not worried about a vise 6" or smaller being to much for either of them, but I don't want the vise to take up all my working space.

Do pipe jaws mangle up the surface as bad as they look like they would. All the round or odd shaped things I have put in my current vise, I don't want to leave a bunch of teeth marks in.

 

[W650Mike]

I have a 3½" light duty and a 5" what I'd call medium duty. Both have their uses. The 5" is on a rolling bench but mostly gets used for clamping O/U barrels for cleaning. It also gets used when heating, bending, fabricating, and when I just need something held whilst I pound the **** out of it.

 

[2oolhound]

I had a 6" record on a real sturdy bench but when I left my house vacant while working out of town it wandered off on me. I recall bending the handle on it from really clamping down on something. At the time I was disappointed to have bent the handle but I realized that a smaller vise would likely have broken. We see enough broken vises around this site and it happens for a reason. I bought a replica chicom but with swivel to replace it. It is currently mounted on a flimsy small ex kitchen counter work bench (hey, it was needed more badly in the garage). One day I'll get a better work bench for it. It does take up space but with the swivel I've always been able to position it to an advantage. It's mounted on a corner so it can hang off the front or the side. There are things that the 6" jaws will clamp that a 4" wouldn't like the machined flat spots on my motorcycle engine cases.
I'd say definitely pull the trigger on that 6" columbian. You may end up with a bigger garage some day.

 

[lauver]

I have two vises, a 3-1/2" and a 5". I use the 5" vise 90% of the time and it's a permanent resident on my workbench. The 3-1/" vise is parked under my work bench and only gets used for smaller projects when specifically needed.

These two vises seem like good practical sizes for typical home garage applications because they don't eat up too much space on my 24" x 60" work bench. I would add that usable floor space and workbench space are in short supply in my two car garage. YMMV.

 

[spongerich]

I use my 5" Record swivel most often. Most of what I'm doing is motorcycle repair and some basic homeowner stuff. My 4" Wilton sees a lot of use as well. I also have a selection of smaller ones (down to 1") but if you need to hold something small and only have a large vise, you can often just grab the work with some vise grips and clamp that into your vise.

 

[Catalyze]

Go grab that Columbian and don't look back. If you have the solid place to mount it, then it will work for you and your grandkids. Columbians aren't real heavy vises for their size so don't fret too much. As others have pointed out, the problem is make sure your work load matches your bench. The vise can handle the project, the bench may not. Check the vise for slide damage (as in did they use the slide end as an anvil), cracks, repairs, etc. As you can see, we use everything from Jack's 10" down to probably 3 1/2" vises with no problems. The combo vises are pretty nifty but those pipe jaws are made to squeeze without regard to marks left in the work. If you need non marring, try a set of poly plastic jaw overlays with the grooves molded in them to hold round stock. Fleabay has a bunch...Wilton makes some nice ones. Post some photos whatever you decide and Good Luck!
Craig

 

[back2class]

I find a set of old "V" blocks are good for non marring operations, as are copper jaw covers in the regular part of the vise.

 

[franzdom]

I am anxiously waiting to put a Wilton 450S on my new workbench, made it over Memorial weekend.

 

[Catalyze]

And we will await photos of the project....sounds great!
Craig

 

[canuckian]

I have a 4" Wilton and a little tiny 2 1/2' import. The 4" suits me fine for anything I have need it for so far but I'm on the lookout for something 6" or bigger to handle larger items.

 

[PCO6]

I have 4 Record vices (Nos. 3, 4, 6 & 8). I used the No 4 on my main becnch for about 25 years but replaced it when I recently picked up a No. 6. It works great just needs some cleaning up and a coat of paint.

 

[charle10]

I ended up passing on the 6" Columbian, so the search continued, and 2 days later I came across this nice heavy duty green vise for $20. After $10 in gas and a little road trip with my daughter it was ours. A few hours of wire wheel and painting left me with a pretty nice Columbian 604. Had to file the slide a little, as it had seen some hammering, but now it works smooth and should last me a lifetime. One good thing about 3-4 thick layers of paint is that it keeps the rust at bay.

 

[back2class]

thunbs up

 

[autopts]

I can't believe the deals you guys are finding. I find a nice vise and then someone steals it from me..

 

[tool_scrounge]

The most used vise is the one attached to the bench and is the least cluttered! I find a quality 4" bench vise with swivel base is a pretty good start. A combo one with pipe jaws is nice due to the height of the jaws, not just the pipe holding capability. A 50 lb 4" vise is hard to beat...

 

[jipps]

I have 4 Record vices (Nos. 3, 4, 6 & 8). I used the No 4 on my main becnch for about 25 years but replaced it when I recently picked up a No. 6. It works great just needs some cleaning up and a coat of paint.

Perhaps a stupid question (and apologies for posting to such an old thread too) put it would be very helpful if you could let me know which is which... I'm a bit bamboozled by Record numbering.

Am I right in thinking that, for single digit vices, bigger number = bigger vice?

Any other insights greatly appreciated, the double and triple digit numbers are particularly baffling

 

[2oolhound]

I thought this thread look familiar. For the last basic vices from record a 6" was a #6, a 5" was a #5, a 4.5" was a #4 (THX for correction PCO6) but that only worked for a small handful of vices they manufactured. Record probably made 40 or 50 different vices at least so your best bet is to bring a tape measure. I don't think you can find a constant pattern in their numbering system.

 

[exmaxima1]

I have 4 Record vices (Nos. 3, 4, 6 & 8). I used the No 4 on my main becnch for about 25 years but replaced it when I recently picked up a No. 6. It works great just needs some cleaning up and a coat of paint.

On my main work bench is a very similar Paramo No. 6 swivel---102 lbs

 

[PCO6]

jipps - You are basically right for the Record single digit vices - bigger number = wider jaws. I should have listed my vices in the proper order according to the photo. From the left they are Record No.8 (8" jaws), No.6 (6"), No.4 (4.5") and No.3 (4"). I have since added 2 Woden vices (basically same as Records and Paramos) - a No.1 (3") and a No.0 (2.5"). Notice that the number doesn't always signify the width of the jaw.

Here are the Wodens ...
View media item 43200
2oolhound - Most of the Record vices you see in Canada are single digit vices and generally easy to figure out. I am baffled by the numbering of the different types I see here from the UK. You're right ... bring a tape measure!

exmaxima1 - The vice on my main work bench is a Record No.6 so basically the same. Mine is a non swivel base and it weighs 82 lbs.

 

[Ign]

Despite 4 year old thread this is a smart question. In Metalworking Tips & Tricks, Tom Lipton addresses this very question & correctly states that for regular, daily use too big = too cumbersome. It's just like driving a CCLB everyday for every errand. Yes, you can do it but its nice to have something more compact for zipping around.

I have a 4.5" Wilton Machinist on one end of my bench, and a 5.5" Tradesman on the other. For daily use (mechanical, mostly I guess), I wouldn't want any larger.

 

[ClineWrench]

Honestly, old little craftsman 4 inch vise has served me well for years. Haven't found a need for a bigger one yet.

I will say it's due for a restoration though.

 

[Shootingblanks]

Found this Wilton from a machinist on Craigslist. I believe I paid $100 for it. Brought it home, cleaned her up, got a semi truck rim and fabed up this stand. Has worked out great.

 

[jipps]

Thanks so much for the responses. PCO6, that pic of the vices side by side is so useful in helping me figure out what I need. Thanks so much for the clarification on the numbers!

Ign - That's a good point, and it's the basis on which I'm going to restrict myself to <5" I think

 

[PCO6]

... I have a 4.5" Wilton Machinist on one end of my bench, and a 5.5" Tradesman on the other. For daily use (mechanical, mostly I guess), I wouldn't want any larger.

I agree with this. After 25 or so yrs. I switched from a Record No.4 (4.5") to a No.6 (6"). The 6" vice is great but I missed the smaller vice so I mounted it on my mobile bench.

 

[mark52621]

That is a great vise you got. My favorite bench vise was a 4.5" wilton machinist. The nice thing about the wilton machinist is the depth they open to for there jaw size.

One of the downsides to the large vises is the height of the the jaws. If you put the large vise on your old bench the jaws can be to high to be useful. I like elbow height for the jaws.

 

[oldldh]

My two cents worth---

4 to 5 inches...

Will do 95% of what you need to do...

As heavy as you can find...

I'm a non-swiveling kind of guy, but in some cases, I can see where it would come in handy...I just like the "Maximum Rigidity" of the fixed base mount...

 

[tedsters]

Catalyze I totally understand that my projects could always be more than what my vise can handle, but I can only do so much in my garage. I'm not running a machine shop, just doing auto repairs, bending some metal, and occasionally using my vise as a press. I had planned on a nice 4", but ran across a 6" Colombian at an OK price (asking $100). See picture.

I've Got a fairly hefty workbench or welding table to mount it on, so I am not worried about a vise 6" or smaller being to much for either of them, but I don't want the vise to take up all my working space.

Do pipe jaws mangle up the surface as bad as they look like they would. All the round or odd shaped things I have put in my current vise, I don't want to leave a bunch of teeth marks in.

if you can buy that 6in columbian for $100 and its in good shape grab it they are a really nice vise

 

[zkling]

Personally I think a ~4-4.5" is a good size for general mechanical and machine work. Now there are differences in depth, max opening and even jaw pad size that all come into play.

Found this Wilton from a machinist on Craigslist. I believe I paid $100 for it. Brought it home, cleaned her up, got a semi truck rim and fabed up this stand. Has worked out great.

I've seen your vise/stand before very nice. What size is the vise? Can you post some details on how well the adjustable height stand retains torsional loads?

 

[jipps]

I agree with this. After 25 or so yrs. I switched from a Record No.4 (4.5") to a No.6 (6"). The 6" vice is great but I missed the smaller vice so I mounted it on my mobile bench.

PCO6, given your experience with Records... do you think that a No.4 would be substantially superior to a No.3, or are they much of a muchness? There seem to be many more No.3s available here in the UK, I read somewhere that they were commonly used in schools and techs etc.

 

[dutchgray]

jipps
The 4 is a bit bigger and heavier than the 3, if you need the extra capacity then get one, if not the 3 is a very good vice, they are common for a reason. That said No 4's are easy to find cheap, I bought a Record for £29 on ebay a couple weeks ago, just needs a repaint.
Just don't buy a new Irwin Record Chinese made one.

 

[jipps]

jipps
The 4 is a bit bigger and heavier than the 3, if you need the extra capacity then get one, if not the 3 is a very good vice, they are common for a reason. That said No 4's are easy to find cheap, I bought a Record for £29 on ebay a couple weeks ago, just needs a repaint.
Just don't buy a new Irwin Record Chinese made one.

Yep, I'm already "-irwin" when searching

I think you did great getting a No.4 for that price, maybe I should keep my eyes peeled.... Bottom line, I'm thinking I'd be happy with either but very much value the opinions & experiences of people who have a couple within the 4-6" range. I don't want to buy too small, but equally i don't want to do what I just did with a combination ladder and go waaaaay overkill to the extent that it is unusable for 95% of work and awesome for 5% of work

 

[dutchgray]

You cant overlook all the Irwin adverts, a fair few genuine old British Records are advertised as "Irwin" because the sellers don't know better. You need to know the differences in them, also the Paramo and Woden which are basically the same, whilst much less common often go for very little money. A locally found Vice is generally the cheapest option especially in the larger sizes.