The un-official Craftsman pro vise thread (becoming one with your vise)

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

Everything you wanted to know about the Craftsman Professional 4 1/2" vise

I’ve started this thread to help organize the available information in this forum, and to contribute information I have learned from research, purchase, and ownership. The short version is “yes it’s a good one: Find a good copy, then disassemble, clean and re-lube, and expect to re-paint it some day.” For the long version, read on

Background

First of all, recognition goes to GJ member kythri, who did a nice restoration on his Craftsman Pro vise (after only 3 or so years in operation), as well member slip_kid, who provided some disassembly information from his Wilton 1745. Those discussions can be found here:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126958
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123880

Additional background information has been provided by GJ member Obie and outlander800, for example connecting historical dots relative to the heritage of the Craftsman:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124833

ToolGuyd http://toolguyd.com/best-bench-vise-craftsman-professional/ has posted a small write-up on this vise, although this page appears to have the goal of generating hits to both amazon and sears reseller sites.

Apologies in advance for any omissions; I’m happy to correct/Edit this post as required. The information below I have gleaned from others (such as the above) and obtained from my personal journey from investigation through purchase and ownership.

Rationale and positioning of the Craftsman Professional vise in today’s market

When I surveyed the marketplace for a sub-$150 vise, I found that all except the Craftsman Pro were uniformly horrible, suffering from some or all of the following deficiencies:
a. Exposed lead screw, making it vulnerable to debris and rust
b. Thin/weak casting material
c. Excessive jaw movement when not clamped, indicating wide tolerances and a sloppy fit between the dynamic and static assemblies.
d. Light weight lead screw and screw assembly (what accepts the lead screw) indicating a low clamping force capability
e. Poor fitment and/or lubrication of the mating/moving parts esp the lead screw.
f. Poor jaw fitment

Essentially a Chinese copy of the US-made Wilton 1745 tradesman vise, the Craftsman Professional 4-1/2” vise (sears item #item #00951888000) addresses all of the issues above at an attractive price. its only drawback is manufacturing consistency and carelessness, which of course I describe how to fix later in this thread!

The copy is so good, in fact, it makes one conclude that this vise is a step above the other imports at similar prices points and even above. To wit:
a. The lead screw is enclosed
b. The casting material claims to be 60,000 psi, supporting high clamping forces
c. The dynamic and static assemblies fit together nicely, producing very little jaw slop
d. The lead screw and screw assembly is very robust, indicating a high clamping force capability
e. With the vise supported only by its own weight (not bolted down), you can operate the jaws nicely with one finger on the handle -- without it moving around on the table
f. Jaw fitment is precise

more in part 2...

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

part 2

here are some photos of my vise.

The maximum jaw opening is about 5-1/4", but in this case, the lead screw is only one thread into the fixed nut, so don't expect much clamping force capability..

Jaw width and throat depth

jaw fitment

misc. photos

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

two more photos: The one on the left shows the underside and the swivel locking mechanism (and the poor paint job). The photo on the right shows mine weighing in at 39 pounds.

Purchase considerations

I have remarked before that buying the Craftsman Professional 4-1/2” vise might be compared to finding a used Wilton 1745 in good working condition, with new jaws and bad surface paint – if one can accept that it is a Chinese copy and not U.S. iron. It must certainly be manufactured in very high quantities at very little profit margin, which suggests high variability in both the retail price and in the copy quality -- so a little attention to detail at purchase time will pay off.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider purchase:

1. As of this writing, the vise typically lists at $135 but it can frequently be found for less than that if you watch the sales. Prior to purchasing mine, I noticed the price would land somewhere between $100 and $130 on any given week. I found mine on sale for $99, and with a generic 5% discount coupon for Sears on-line purchases, the price dropped to $94.

2. If possible, I recommend purchasing from a local brick and mortar store with more than one in stock, so that you can compare copies (My on-line purchase utilized “in-store pickup”). You will need to check for wobble in the lead screw, and fitment of the mating/moving parts and the surface finish. Also check for out-of-round condition where the lead screw matches up with the casting and the retaining ring. You won’t find perfection, but you’ll want to pick out the best copy. I ended up returning my first copy for a different one, which I am quite happy with

3. Purchase the vise with the expectation that within the first 5 years you will probably want to restore the exterior surface finish, which is known to be of poor quality.

4. Functionally, the vise is excellent but mine was not well lubed, and had chips and debris inside: I highly recommend doing a complete dis-assembly, clean, and re-lube soon after purchase, which I will describe in part 3.

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

part 3

What I now describe is a full dis-assembly, cleaning and re-lube. The process is not difficult, and is quite rewarding because it corrects for manufacturing carelessness and lack of attention to detail.

First, here is the fully dis-assembled vise. From right to left: handle/lead screw, lead screw retainer with screws, dynamic jaw, static jaw, fixed (female) lead screw nut, roller pins, lead screw collar, end cap.

1. Remove the jaw inserts and apply anti-seize compound to the screw threads to make sure you can get them off in the future. Off the shelf, the screws on mine were so tight I had to use an impact screwdriver.

2. Remove the lead screw retaining ring (three Philips screws). Turn the lead screw all the way out and set it aside, leaving the dyamic jaw itself in place. Then grasp the dynamic jaw and slide it out. Shine a flash light into the “bullet” and check for dry surfaces and contamination. Here’s a photo of mine, showing rather dry internals (left hand photo). In the very back of the lead screw assembly (right hand photo) you can see chips and shavings, most likely from drilling during assembly (which will become evident later). "chips in the bullet" is probably the worst manufacturing quality issue with this vise, and is easily corrected.

3. insert a dowel through the front of the fixed lead screw nut and tap out the rear cap. This will reveal the two roller pins that hold the lead screw assembly. Remove these pins, a step which may require some creativity: I was fortunate enough that I could push one of the pins all the way out from the inside with a right angle pick. The other pin wouldn’t budge, but I was able to tap it out using a straight awl, from the newly vacated hole on the other side. Note that these pins must be removed individually from the inside out, and that they do NOT line up with each other because the holes were drilled separately. Do NOT drive the pins in further to remove them – they are too long to fit inside the lead screw assembly.

EDIT: jim2664258 has provided a good tip for stubborn roller pins (read his response later in this thread): Tap the pin in just enough so that the vacated hole will accomodate a generous amount of your favorite spray lubricant, and then pry the pin back out with a screwdriver. keep working the pin back and forth until it is loose enough to be pushed out all the way out from the inside.

The photo below shows the pins fully seated before removal. Note that the center (lead screw nut) is surrounded by a fixed collar ,and both are held in place by the two pins.

I used a straight awl to push the left-side pin out

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

part 4

4. Remove the inner (fixed nut) portion of the lead screw assembly first, taking care to note its orientation for re-assembly (mark with a punch. thanks Provincial). You will probably see a bunch of chips, which you can clean off. Here's how my collar looked, while still installed, before and after cleaning:

5. Next, remove the outer collar itself, taking the same care to note (or to mark) its orientation. Of particular note is the fitment of the lead screw nut: The indents cast into the fixed collar appear to be assembly aids only -- the pins themselves (their sheer strength) prevent the nut from rotating or moving foward and sustain all clamping forces. By now it should be clear that the holes for the roller pins were drilled with everything in place (the chips are still inside).

Here is a shot of the lead screw assembly, with collar and one of the two roller pins:

6. Now the inside of the “bullet” is plainly visible, and you can thoroughly clean and generously re-lube everything. I found lots of chips in mine, mixed with small amounts of lube which had been applied sparingly. Here is a photo of mine after I cleaned it. I'm glad God inspired man to invent spray brake cleaner

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

part 5

Re-assembly

Before re-assembly, make sure to lube the entire inside surface of the "bullet", so that no dry surfaces remain.

The trickiest part of re-assembly is lining up the lead screw collar and fixed lead screw with the roller pin holes -- this is not difficult; it just takes a little care:

1. Line up the fixed collar first; making sure you can get both pins in. You might have to rotate it 180 degrees to get the holes to line up if you lost track of its orientation. In the left-hand photo, I am using a straight awl to help line everything up. The right-hand photo shows the pins partially seated in preparation for the fixed nut.

Then put the fixed nut portion of the assembly in place in the same way. Tap the pins in.

2. now turn the vise around. If you haven't already done so, lube up the lead screw nut using the lead screw itself. With the end cap removed, you can drive the lead screw beyond its normal travel, to insure that the entire lead screw assembly gets lubed. BTW I'm using wheel bearing grease here.

3. Install the dynamic jaw and lead screw. don’t forget to grease the interface where the lead screw shoulder mates up to the dynamic jaw casting.

Also, when installing the retainer ring, don’t tighten down all three screws until you have insured free 360 degree rotation – remember ,the handle assembly (the lead screw shoulder) may be slightly out of round, and you don’t want anything to bind up .

4. wipe off excessive grease, and re-install the rear cap.

done! comments/experiences welcome. I have to say that the process was most informative, revealing contamination that should be cleaned and dry surfaces that should be lubed. Speaking of which, I might point out that the inside of the dynamic jaw is typically dry. Grease is probably impractical (and probably unnecessary) but a spray lubricant of some sort will protect against moisture and rust.

One can argue whether or not this whole process is really necessary. I acknowledge that it isn't essential, but I would stress that it does eliminate risk, and greatly pro-longs the life of the vise. For example, while the chips are generally contained at the rear, it would be possible for a chip to migrate further into the "bullet" and perhaps score something. Of course, I don't like dry surfaces, so the whole re-lube process was most satisfying as well

not to mention that I have now become "one" with my Craftsman vise, lol.

geologist · Mar 20, 2012

Great tutorial!

Provincial · Mar 20, 2012

Well done!

I would add that you should make punch marks on the "lead screw" (actually the nut) and the fixed body while it is still assembled. A center punch mark on each piece in line with each other is enough to indicate proper alignment for reassembly.

Also, an awl, ice pick, or other pointed rod that fits the roll pin holes will make realigning the nut easier. Just insert it through one hole and wiggle until the other roll pin lines up. Once the first pin engages a little, the second should tap right in.

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

thanks Provincial ! yes indeed, I was just in the process of editing my post to mark things for easier assembly. An automatic punch is a great idea for that -- I'll go back and add that suggestiong to the original post.

as for the awl to get things to line up -- yes I showed a pic of that as well.

balane · Mar 20, 2012

I can't get enough of the vise threads, seriously. Well done, thank you.

Provincial · Mar 20, 2012

dlleno said:
thanks Provincial !

as for the awl to get things to line up -- yes I showed a pic of that as well.

You're welcome! I saw the pic, but thought the use of the alignment tool should be in the narrative.

Keep up the good work. Glad to see you are not resting on your laurels!

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

a colleague of mine once said "what good are laurals if you can't rest on them!" lol.

dlleno · Mar 20, 2012

Misc edits, re-organization of photos and text to make it read better...

my guess is that the real Wiltons are cleaned during initial assembly, and that there are no "chips in the bullet". Anyone with a new (recent) Wilton want to verify? I suspect such a step is eliminated in the craftsman to save 5 minutes and a few pennies in mfg cost...

Givl Reggin · Mar 31, 2012

I just bought one of these today pretty much on a whim... saw it in the store and it was on sale for $120. Pretty nice vise, decent paint and the screw is very smooth, jaws align as perfect as the eye can see, nice weight too. Seems hard to go wrong with this one even at it's regular price.

purevl · Mar 31, 2012

dlleno said:
Essentially a Chinese copy of the US-made Wilton 1745 tradesman vise

dlleno said:
if one can accept that it is a Chinese copy and not U.S. iron.

So, it's just like the original (pre-1993, I believe) Wilton/Snap-On tradesman vises which were manufactured in parts unknown?

plinker · Mar 31, 2012

Nice thread!

I'm going to pick one of these up I think. Probably one of the few items I need/want to buy from Sear's anymore.

Givl Reggin · Mar 31, 2012

dlleno said:
...if one can accept that it is a Chinese copy and not U.S. iron.

I was just cleaning off the cosmoline - side note; judging by the amount of cosmoline on the vise they must get it for $1 for a 55 gallon drum! The entire exterior, including painted surfaces was coated liberally - that's when I noticed a gold colored sticker on the side of the swivel base "Made In China" and "Inspected by #3"

I believe that this is the FIRST non-USA made Craftsman tool I have. It didn't even dawn on me to look before I bought it where it was made... should have known better, but I was kind of looking for another vise and this one is a nice size and seemed stout and well made.

Now, before I tear it apart and do the chip extraction, I'm wondering if I should just box it back up and return it... there aren't a lot of tool store in my neck of the woods (the closest Harbor Freight is 2,500+ miles away!) so I don't know if I can even find a new USA made vise in these parts.

Had I not seen the sticker I would not have guessed that this was Chinese made... if I had to guess I would have said maybe Mexico or Taiwan - the quality is much higher than the majority of Chinese made tools I have seen.

Outlawmws · Mar 31, 2012

Excellent job! :thumbup:

You can apply much of what you have described to most any vice. The logic is the same, even when the particulars differ.

Davefr · Mar 31, 2012

Givl Reggin said:
I was just cleaning off the cosmoline - side note; judging by the amount of cosmoline on the vise they must get it for $1 for a 55 gallon drum! The entire exterior, including painted surfaces was coated liberally - that's when I noticed a gold colored sticker on the side of the swivel base "Made In China" and "Inspected by #3"

I believe that this is the FIRST non-USA made Craftsman tool I have. It didn't even dawn on me to look before I bought it where it was made... should have known better, but I was kind of looking for another vise and this one is a nice size and seemed stout and well made.

Now, before I tear it apart and do the chip extraction, I'm wondering if I should just box it back up and return it... there aren't a lot of tool store in my neck of the woods (the closest Harbor Freight is 2,500+ miles away!) so I don't know if I can even find a new USA made vise in these parts.

Had I not seen the sticker I would not have guessed that this was Chinese made... if I had to guess I would have said maybe Mexico or Taiwan - the quality is much higher than the majority of Chinese made tools I have seen.

So what's the problem?? (just the China label??)

Just use it until you find old American iron. Or you can buy a new USA Wilton Machinist vise or German made Ridgid but you'll have to dig out lots more Benjamins.

Givl Reggin · Mar 31, 2012

Davefr said:
So what's the problem?? (just the China label??)

Basically, I don't like buying China made products when there are USA made alternatives... price isn't as much of a concern as is local availability.

It's my fault for not looking before I bought it, it didn't even occur to me in looking at the display that it was made in China.

Givl Reggin · Apr 1, 2012

I'm cleaning the vise and didn't know if this should be clean or greased - see attached image.

dlleno · Apr 2, 2012

purevl said:
So, it's just like the original (pre-1993, I believe) Wilton/Snap-On tradesman vises which were manufactured in parts unknown?

I can't comment on the Wilton/Snap-ons, but we know the craftsman, in its present form, is mfg in China. The sticker says so

I'm not pretending to comment on whether or not that is good or bad; my purpose here in this thread is to discuss the vise itself.

dlleno · Apr 2, 2012

Givl Reggin said:
I'm cleaning the vise and didn't know if this should be clean or greased - see attached image.

This is a metal-on metal moving part which will wear if it is not lubricated. On the underside of that surface, you will see the channel into which the dynamic jaw fits into the bullet. All those surfaces should be greased. I will say this, however: I've got plenty of grease inside the "bullet" on mine, so I did wipe the excess off of that silver surface in your photo. As you move the jaws in and out, that surface will pick up sufficient grease from the inside. so you don't need to apply new oil or grease directly to it, no. you will just find, under normal usage, that you will see small amounts of grease there.

to "get to" the inside, just unscrew the handle (keep your other hand on the dynamic jaw) until the jaws stop expanding. then lift the whole dynamic jaw out. You'll see where all the moving/touching parts are and how it all fits together. Even if this is the only dis-assembly you do, it will be a great improvement. you can even "deliver" grease way back inside the bullet by just putting a bunch of grease on that dyamic jaw and turning the lead screw all the way in (closing the jaws).

I was not impressed with the grease and oil used. I figured God inspired man to create cans of brake cleaner for this reason, so I hosed her all down, inside and out, and re-greased with the red wheel bearing grease I had on hand.

dlleno · Apr 2, 2012

Givl Reggin Here are the important surfaces to grease. First shown is the fixed lead screw nut (in the bullet) and the bullet itself. I've got wheel bearing grease all over everything because these surfaces support the operation and movement the vise. Note the channel on the bottom - thats where the dynamic jaw fits and slides in and out of.

Once the dynamic jaw is installed, and excess grease is wiped off, you will still get some grease appearing on the surface you mention, on account of grease being applied inside the bullet (previously). This is normal and necessary lubrication!

lastly, don't forget to grease the lead screw shoulder and retaining ring

fourtythree · Apr 7, 2012

Did the cleaning/greasing on my new vise yesterday. Nothing much to add, other than be careful if you're using brake cleaner. You might as well be using paint stripper if you get it on the paint.

plinker · Apr 12, 2012

Well, I ordered one of these last sunday and managed to get it for 93$ (plus 28$ shipping).

It is a very nice vise, very solid. Way better then the 5" Irwin I have just by looking at it. I'll do some cleaning on maybe this weekend, so I'll put the info here to good use, but I have a question.

Can the swivel base be removed so it can be mounted as a fixed base vise?

fourtythree · Apr 12, 2012

plinker said:
Well, I ordered one of these last sunday and managed to get it for 93$ (plus 28$ shipping).

It is a very nice vise, very solid. Way better then the 5" Irwin I have just by looking at it. I'll do some cleaning on maybe this weekend, so I'll put the info here to good use, but I have a question.

Can the swivel base be removed so it can be mounted as a fixed base vise?

Yep, just unscrew the two base locks.

jim2664258 · Aug 24, 2012

Finally got around to doing this with my vise. I have a tip on removing those 2 roller pins. Mine were not coming out no way, no how by using a right-angle pick. I took a punch and pushed them in until 3/4 of the pin was exposed in the shaft, then sprayed some lithium grease in the vacated hole, then used a screwdriver to push the pin back out and used the right-angle pick once the pin was flush to the inside cylinder. Worked very well. Just don't screw yourself and push the roller pin in too deep before you try to push it back out.

dlleno · Aug 26, 2012

nice tip thanks! I wonder if penetrating oil or silicon spray would work good as well. work the recalcitrant roller pin back and forth until the right angle pick is able to push it all the way out. perhaps what you are calling out here is that the more viscous grease is more effective at reducing the friction holding the pin in there.

jim2664258 · Aug 26, 2012

dlleno said:
nice tip thanks! I wonder if penetrating oil or silicon spray would work good as well. work the recalcitrant roller pin back and forth until the right angle pick is able to push it all the way out. perhaps what you are calling out here is that the more viscous grease is more effective at reducing the friction holding the pin in there.

I tried PB Blaster first but that pin was in there pretty tight. I was not real patient with it so I went for Plan B. It actually worked better than I thought it would, and was glad I did when I saw how much resistance those pins had even when using a punch from the outside. I guess the real exercise would be seeing how easy the pins would be to push out now that the grease is in there. Curiosity isn't enough to get me to try it though :beer:

tomshep · Sep 3, 2012

I am considering this vise. Used vises don't appear in my market. The few I have seen are beat to pieces. I can be into this for well less than a used one off of ebay. I believe it will give me many years of service. The design is much better than anything else in this price range.

They are on sale for Labor Day for $106.24 online.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00951888000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Anyone have an on-line coupon code I can use?

Tom

PT Doc · Sep 4, 2012

Sears2012

dlleno · Sep 27, 2012

updated the original post series with the jim2664258 roller pin tip. thanks

LG63 · Oct 8, 2012

Is $106 as low as they go these days? I saw a recent post in another thread mention getting them cheaper but I think this must be from using special coupon codes that aren't widely available. I'm in no hurry but figured I'd go ahead and pull the trigger if history suggests they aren't likely to go any lower.

autopts · Oct 8, 2012

Five Stars* * * * * Great Reading!

NC-Fordguy · Oct 9, 2012

autopts said:
Five Stars* * * * * Great Reading!

X2....

Threads like this is what makes reading GJ worth the time

dlleno · Oct 9, 2012

Its possible you might see a more attractive price, but the lowest I've ever seen is 94, and that was with a combination of a promotional sale and a 5% coupon. Its totally a game, but at $106, I'd say pull the trigger if you need the use of the vise

who knows the coupon mentioned above might still work. I'd expect another sale around thanksgiving

try searching for coupons too

pendragon1998 · Oct 9, 2012

They had a $15 off $100 coupon last month plus free shipping for some online tools. If you get it to somewhere around $100 +/- I'd say that is about right.

Nch209 · Oct 11, 2012

I just got one for $101 out the door, with coupons and such. My paint was OK, and the center bolt isn't lined up perfectly straight, but the jaws are true, casting looks decent, and no grooving from all of the internal metal debris from drilling.

I disassembled, cleaned and greased everything and I am super please. For a hundred and some elbow grease, this is hard to beat! Mine had a lot of metal shavings, and taking 10 minutes to clean up that slop-job is key IMO.

I also greased the 360 movement and that helped a lot too!

Thanks to the OP for the post that pushed me to this vise!

-n8

Pro-Painter · Oct 11, 2012

I got mine last week for $63 out the door. It was on sale (via local ad) for $84, used the Sears promo code and $17 worth of rewards I did not earn. For some reason, my rewards went from $6 to $17 overnight with no reason.

The un-official Craftsman pro vise thread (becoming one with your vise)

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