Is it me or was this engineered poorly?

[edl]

bought this vice for the drill press from hft:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=32997

you will notice it has to cranks (covered with black plastic handles) - the higher one is fine...but the lower one, when the vice is secured to the press table, doesen't have enought clearance to turn?? - that is, it hits the table - am i doing something wrong? - does one usually put something underneath to raise the press? - or is this just a big "ooops" from hft? - thanks, ed

 

[OldCarGuy]

What do you expect for $59.00? An Advance rotary cross slide table?

 

[Merkava_4]

does one usually put something underneath to raise the press?

Apparently so if you want to turn that crank for sliding the vise sideways. Them Chinese are sure brilliant aren't they?

 

[Slim-Pickins']

Them Chinese are sure brilliant aren't they?

Sadly it appears they are smarter than us.

They build it. We buy it. Albeit dirt cheap.

 

[Phatsub]

It may be that the lower crank is meant to hang off the edge of the table.
Just my .02

 

[MXtras]

I agree. Hang it off the front edge of the table, if possible.

Scott

 

[rsanter]

I position mine off tt the side to avoid the problem. the thing I want to do is get a piece of plate and piece of pipe and weld them together to mount the vise to so when I need to use it I just pull the table and swap in the vise

bob

 

[MarkH]

I got so frustrated at mine like this I trashed it as a big chunk of iron disguised as a tool shaped object in the recycle bin.

Hopefully the molten iron gets made into something better next time.

Got a better one and it worked as advertised. Stress relief.

 

[Merkava_4]

^
That's where that Chinese hardware belongs . . . back into the earth it goes. Worm food! LOL!!!

 

[Merkava_4]

PALMGREN

Here's the real one!

"Counter-balanced ball-crank handles allow smooth movement and do not extend below the base, eliminating interference with the machine table."

 

[edl]

given palmgren's ad, seems like this is a known problem...seems like hft did not do their homework on this one...!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This same cross slide vise showed up in another thread about a month or so ago. These have been around for years. I have one (though I think it is the 4" version) that is at least 20 years old, and is identical to this one. Indeed, the lower handle cannot be spun when it is sitting on the drill press table. Mine is Buffalo brand and I bought it at a traveling tool show, as I noted, well over 20 years ago, in the early '80's I think.

Charles

 

[Tiny Jackson]

Could that high alloy Chinesium have possibly warped, causing the clearance issue?

 

[edl]

no...definitely just poor design - the arm is too long on both sides of the center to clear (by a decent amount...1/2" or more) - but i came up with a simple solution - took off the 14mm nut that holds the crank arm on the square stock...locktited the nut back on and can put a 14mm socket on it and turn with ease ... thx again - ed!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Just the normal Chi-Com **** actually almost not worthy of note for many! No offense intended to anyone with this statement either!

 

[Merkava_4]

that high alloy Chinesium

LOL!!!

 

[tommyj3]

Just put the vise on a 2 or 3 inch riser and all will be OK. geez!

 

[Spookrider]

Harbor Freight
Do I need to say more?

 

[goodfellow]

What do you expect for $59.00? An Advance rotary cross slide table?

Agreed! most of those things wind up as doorstops or at swapmeets. Can't tell you how many chinese cross slide drill press vises I've seen priced at $10 or less; just to get rid of them.

 

[ni[x]it]

Cant you just space it up?
On some old stock material, or ... something ...?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Just put the vise on a 2 or 3 inch riser and all will be OK. geez!

Cant you just space it up?
On some old stock material, or ... something ...?

Pull that trick on a bench top drill press and you will be stacked to the drill chuck!