Vise Question..

[Lee Celtic]

Ok so it's not a bullet or even an engineers vise.. it's a woodwork vise.

I have a record 52 1/2E that I fitted to my newly built bench and I'm having problems with it..

It's an old one with very little wear that I've had kicking round the shop for years and have just got round to fitting it.. so here is the main problem:-

It tightens up ok , nice and smooth and grips well.. However when I come to open it up again it jams then the quick release starts to jump threads..

If I pull hard and I mean real it hurts my fingers to pull on it hard on the quick release lever the vise opens smoothly but otherwise it just clicks and the lever jumps as the carriage inside jumps the thread.. any ideas guys it's doing my head in..

Things I've tried are...

Cleaning out the thread and oiling well..
turning the loading spring an extra turn to add more pressure..
stripping it down and getting the moving side to slide really smoothly on the two guide bars..

until I put the quick release mech back on it opens and closes really well.. then the jumping starts.. Help.

 

[dutchgray]

Something assembled not quite right in the QR, the QR bar slightly twisted, QR lever bent so you dont get full travel, slightly bent main screw, and not enough spring tension are all things I have seen give engagement issues with QR mechanisms. They can be a right nightmare when something is just a little bit out and its not obvious.

 

[jimreed2160]

The QR is a simple mech but often a mystery as to how it really should work. It is easier to troubleshoot if you can see it in action. BUT that can be difficult with a heavy mounted vise.

When I restore vises, I like to play with the QR on the bench until I understand it and tweak it to work correctly. The last time I had a quirky Wilton QR on a bench, I hot wired it with a coat hanger to disable the QR mech. Even that was a chore as I lay on the floor and stretched to reach the bench monster. Years later, I removed it for troubleshooting. All it took was a drop of oil and the QR worked flawlessly.

So I really hate QR vises. There are at least a dozen vises mounted for use in my woodshop and NONE of them are QR. But good luck with yours. My bet is that the problem is something simple.