Vise Advice

[a***nc83]

Hey guys, I have been a member on here for a while, but just always as a spectator, as I am quite inexperienced compared to everyone here, and mechanical work isn't exactly my field. Nevertheless, I do enjoy engineering, and doing things myself...soo i always enjoyed this site.

I am currently a student, 2nd year, Medical School, in Toronto (so you can imagine how inexperienced i am).

I have been working on a project car...for 2 years now...a 300ZX (doing a twin turbo conversion)...soo i have been assembling a set of tools along the way, and as i did so, i realised i was enjoying collecting the tools, as much as i was enjoying the project itself.

However I am lacking a good vise. From the many threads on here and a bit of research, i gathered that Wilton Vises are pretty good quality, So i have been keeping my eyes out for one.

I recently came across this one for $100...I was wondering if its worth it. And are there any things in particular i should look out for?

Thanks.

 

[mkirkpatrick]

the photo is tool small to tell. Sorry, how large are the jaws. How much does it weight.

 

[bluebolt]

That picture is too small too tell. Waht is the size of the vise, jaw width, jaw opening? Does it have "made in USA" on it?

 

[a***nc83]

Sorry...still trying to figure out how to post a larger pic...it seems the larger pics, pass the allowable attachment size.

The jaw width is 3 1/2 inches, it is stamped "Made in Usa"

I tried attaching a larger pic...hopefully it works.

 

[Sick Puppy]

Just curious about the twin turbo conversion, are you converting an existing non-turbo to twin turbo, or upgrading the turbos? We have them here in NZ as twin turbos I think, standard spec as a Jap Import...

edit: Without knowing anything about Wilton vices, $100US seems too much for a 3.5" vice, used 6" Record vices (made in England ones) go for less than that here, and we are expensive compared to the US...

 

[a***nc83]

I am converting a 92 NA (US) to a twin turbo (using a US front clip)....and the project grew from that to a full strip down of the car...and paint job... to I guess somewhat of a overhaul of the entire car ....lolol my ambitions surpass my experience/abilities/current financial situation (medical school is a financial nightmare).

But i have the FSM...and a genuine desire to learn/figure it out...soo i thought i would at least give it a proper shot.

There are few JDMs in toronto, but mostly North American based ones.

Turbo upgrades are going to come later...when i actually start working...lolol...for now my financial situation is all in the negatives...lol

 

[Catalyze]

Greetings aXXXnc83!
I do think that although the vise would probably serve your purposes, you could most likely get a bit "more" for your funds. Wiltons have several categories from machinist's vises to general home useage. That being said, are you able to take a bit of time to perhaps freshen up an old vise? If so, then you might want to look about for a 3 1/2" to a 4 1/2" machinist's vise. One maker of vises comes to mind that you might be on the look out for: Columbian. It is a fairly common vise to find (still in business made by Wilton) and they don't command premium prices for the most part. Now I am writing about the older "pre Wilton" vises. Schools bought them for their shop classes in various parts of the country and they seem to pop up when they buy new equipment. They are a no frills basic working man's vise in every size you can imagine. If you look on Ebay, lots of machinery companies have 10 -15 of them in stock in various states of use. If you can find one close to the border, you might just pop across and take one home. Look for a Columbian with a curved logo on it and you will most likely have an older (and better) vise. Good Luck with your project and search!
Craig

 

[a***nc83]

Hey Craig, thanks, i certainly don't mind taking the time to freshen up a used vise, especially if it's a vise that i count on lasting me a while, as i fully intend to have a garage of projects throughout my life.

 

[bczygan]

Here is the Wilton you should get for $100:
http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/tls/2302030189.html

It's a good deal. I've got one. I emailed the seller to see if he still has it. See if I can talk him down on price a little. If we can figure how to ship it to you cheap, I'll pick it up and pack and ship it.

Bill in Detroit

 

[a***nc83]

Oh wow, thank you very much, thats very generous of you. I really appreciate the help and interest you are taking.

Arvin.

 

[mjozefow]

Check out the vise info article in my sig. There are many brands that are very good other than Wilton.

 

[bczygan]

Oh wow, thank you very much, thats very generous of you. I really appreciate the help and interest you are taking.

Arvin.

Haven't heard back from the seller yet. It probably sold as that is a good price. I stole mine for $35. But keep an eye out for a good heavy duty vise. Read the Vises of GJ thread to see what is good. Check CL. If you find one here in SE Michigan the offer stands.

Bill

 

[autopts]

Sorry...still trying to figure out how to post a larger pic...it seems the larger pics, pass the allowable attachment size.

The jaw width is 3 1/2 inches, it is stamped "Made in Usa"

I tried attaching a larger pic...hopefully it works.

I believe those small Wiltons are almost always under $50 bucks or less when they are on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-Wilton-Benc...308780318?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item483fd8391e

 

[justanengineer]

I believe those small Wiltons are almost always under $50 bucks or less when they are on Ebay.

Dont forget that ebay prices are typically 3x what a private deal would be.

Tool fads like all others come and go. Wilton bullet vises are a current one, but in a short period will be gone. They are definitely a good quality, but there are many others out there. Vises are like **** cracks and excuses...theyve been making them forever and everybody has a few of them.

There are two rules to vises

1. You can never have too big of a vise

2. Never pay more than $0.50/lb weight of vise.

 

[a***nc83]

I was skimming through Mjozefow's thread on vises during my pathophysiology course, and i guess that's how you judge what price to pay for a vise... $0.50/lb.

Are there any points i should ask/check out in a used vise, for example, i'm guessing check to ensure the jaws close uniformly is one of them, but also considering that the Wilton's seem to be predominantly of the enclosed slide design, are there any other tests i can run on the vise to check that the internals are in decent/fixable/serviceable condition?

 

[Gtamazing]

this one is local to you in St. Catharines. not a wilton but a big *******

 

[a***nc83]

Heyy looks good, it seems to be the curved logo Columbian, that Catalyze was referring to. Do you know which region it's listed under? I can't seem to find it. If you could share the link with me, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[bl00]

http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-tools-equipment-Columbian-Metal-Working-Vice-W0QQAdIdZ271820022

Use the above for the direct link or the below for the smart *** response.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Kijiji+St.+Catharines+vice

 

[a***nc83]

Lol thanks, i thought it was on craigslist.

 

[a***nc83]

Hey...soo i have been keeping my eyes out for one...and i just came across this 5" Record, English made, for $50...is it worth it?

 

[Catalyze]

Hi there!
Yes Sir....that is a very nice appearing Record vise (or vice since it is English). If the slide isn't pounded about and there aren't any cracks, you are golden to grab it. Those are really nicely made vises from the ones that I have seen. Run, don't walk, and buy it.
Craig

 

[spongerich]

That's a nice Record for $50. I have one and it's every bit as good as the Wilton, Reed and Parkers that I've got. The only downside to the one pictured is that the slide looks a little short, so you might only have 4-5" of jaw opening on it. If that's enough, I'd grab it.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Sorry...still trying to figure out how to post a larger pic...it seems the larger pics, pass the allowable attachment size.

The jaw width is 3 1/2 inches, it is stamped "Made in Usa"

I tried attaching a larger pic...hopefully it works.

That picture looks good.
You can even post a bigger one,
The site will re size it for you, but they will still be nice and big.
Here is one (Picture) that was 1023 X 767 and 85 KB
Tony
No that came out pretty small, don't know why.

 

[a***nc83]

Thanks a lot guys....i just picked it up, was able to talk the guy down to $30.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Thanks a lot guys....i just picked it up, was able to talk the guy down to $30.

What one did you get, the Record?
Thanks,
Tony

 

[a***nc83]

yup...the record.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

yup...the record.

nice!

 

[Catalyze]

Nice grab on the Record. You can now start spelling it "vice" in all
your posts! You are practically Royal Family now.
Craig

 

[ZRX61]

yup...the record.

Jeeze, just a noob & he gets a "You ****!" already

 

[a***nc83]

Thanks, hopefully this was a good deal as well. Today i got in from my clinical simulations, and my neighbor, an elderly fellow, noticed that I do stuff around the house myself, and was apparently impressed.

Sooo impressed, that he gave this vise for free....unless i'm mistaken, it's a good quality vise, no?


Sorry for the small pic..will get a better pic...but it says REED on the vise...and it opens to 7 inches

 

[Catalyze]

A Record for a low price? Then you come back all innocent and say "I got a Reed for free." Now you have just upped the You **** level by the square of the total jaw width of the two vises combined. You ****!

and to answer your question....Reed is a very good vise to have and so is your neighbor.
Craig

 

[kc-steve]

He-he, you seemed to have stumbled into a "You ****" by accident, but I would suggest working on those graphics skills in the near future.

When you enlarge, change or save a photo, try selecting "web" grade graphics, or a lower number of pixels per inch (PPI of generally 72 per inch) when saving to your computer's hard drive. GJ will thank you and your photos will be much better.

Steve

 

[a***nc83]

A bit more about the vise, the base is a swivel base, also stamped on the vise is Erie, PA, and USA.

The vise seems to be in great condition based on the little that i know. The jaws close uniformly, the swivel spins rather freely, is there any kind of maintainence i should do before using it?

Also it's quite heavy, not sure where and how to mount it.

Will try to get some larger pics soon...

 

[porphyre]

A bit more about the vise, the base is a swivel base, also stamped on the vise is Erie, PA, and USA.

The vise seems to be in great condition based on the little that i know. The jaws close uniformly, the swivel spins rather freely, is there any kind of maintainence i should do before using it?

Also it's quite heavy, not sure where and how to mount it.

Will try to get some larger pics soon...

You're noticing all these things because the Reed is a higher quality vise than the Record....

The how of mounting is using bolts. Big ones. Even though that's a wee little vise, you've noticed it's stout.

The where is the right front corner of your bench (or left front if you're a lefty). Basically, wherever you were intending to put the Record.

Even though the Reed is a 4" width and the Record is a 5", you'll notice the Reed has a deeper throat (distance from top of jaws to top of slide) and probably opens wider also.