Wilton vise issues

[Bartleby]

I recently got a Wilton 500S machinist vise that has a couple of issues.

The most concerning is the spindle. The previous owner had put a undersized collar on the spindle so it's extremely loose and it seems to have wore a grove into spindle. At this point I am not sure if I should just get the correct collar and see if works out or replace the spindle. Your advise?














Also, the base was being held in place by some bolts and cleats. From my Google searches, it looks like I'll be needing an inner ring. Is that correct?



Thanks!

 

[dumper]

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/w...chinist-vise-parts-c-32774_155485_155575.html. This will help to answer your questions. You will need to get the correct "horseshoe washer" for the front, or you can make one out of a thick piece of aluminum- I just did for an old Tradesman I just picked up. You could also file the existing collar out enough so that it doesn't rub on the inner spindle. I believe the only time the horseshoe washer comes into play is when you are opening the vise- the spindle will push against the backside of this. When you close the vise, the rear side of the spindle should press against the moving jaw, and not on the horseshoe washer. You can add a thick washer to the spindle (item 2 in parts picture) to make sure this happens. As for the base, it does appear that you are missing the inner ring for your base. For that price, I would just remove the base and mount it as a fixed base vise- once you try using a fixed base vise, you may never miss not having a rotating base again.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Some wilton's used an inner ring in the base, other's used those little clamps like you have, except you are missing one and the other is broke..

Autopts is a member on this forum here, but also has an ebay store with lots of parts, you can see if anything he has might help in your re-fit...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/autopts/m.html?ssPageName=STRK:MEFSXS:MESOI&_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2654

Honestly, unless you NEED the base to swivel there is no advantage to mounting it with. I like to mount mine fixed so it is more rigid...

 

[Bartleby]

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/w...chinist-vise-parts-c-32774_155485_155575.html. This will help to answer your questions. You will need to get the correct "horseshoe washer" for the front, or you can make one out of a thick piece of aluminum- I just did for an old Tradesman I just picked up. You could also file the existing collar out enough so that it doesn't rub on the inner spindle. I believe the only time the horseshoe washer comes into play is when you are opening the vise- the spindle will push against the backside of this. When you close the vise, the rear side of the spindle should press against the moving jaw, and not on the horseshoe washer. You can add a thick washer to the spindle (item 2 in parts picture) to make sure this happens. As for the base, it does appear that you are missing the inner ring for your base. For that price, I would just remove the base and mount it as a fixed base vise- once you try using a fixed base vise, you may never miss not having a rotating base again.

I'll see if I can find a washer with the correct size and see how that works before I buy the collars.

Some wilton's used an inner ring in the base, other's used those little clamps like you have, except you are missing one and the other is broke..

Autopts is a member on this forum here, but also has an ebay store with lots of parts, you can see if anything he has might help in your re-fit...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/autopts/m.html?ssPageName=STRK:MEFSXS:MESOI&_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2654

Honestly, unless you NEED the base to swivel there is no advantage to mounting it without. I like to mount mine fixed so it is more rigid...

Thanks for the info. I don't need the swivel base, but it would be nice to able to make it right.

 

[Bartleby]

Some more questions:

Should the spindle take up most of the counterbore in the dynamic jaw on a Wilton 500?

My vise spindle just doesn't seem to look right to me. I cleaned up the spindle, but there wasn't a part number on it so I took some measurements. Maybe someone can chime in to tell me if something is way off besides the worn spindle groove.

Spindle head diameter = 1.735"
Spindle groove width = 0.305"
Counterbore diameter = 1.990"
Counterbore depth = 0.300"
Through hole diameter = ~1.305"

My vise:

Compared to another wilton:

The counterbore of my vise:

Thanks!

 

[dumper]

I think I see what you are getting at. It almost appears that someone swapped in a smaller diameter main screw, and that is why there appears to be an undersized horsehoe collar on your vise. Before we panic, how about cleaning the **** off the head of your main screw to find a part number. i have a Tradesman 7400, so it may be a bit smaller than yours.

 

[Bartleby]

I think I see what you are getting at. It almost appears that someone swapped in a smaller diameter main screw, and that is why there appears to be an undersized horsehoe collar on your vise. Before we panic, how about cleaning the **** off the head of your main screw to find a part number. i have a Tradesman 7400, so it may be a bit smaller than yours.

There isn't a part number stamped into my main screw. I sanded it to bare metal.

Maybe it did get swapped.

 

[autopts]

Some more questions:

Should the spindle take up most of the counterbore in the dynamic jaw on a Wilton 500?

My vise spindle just doesn't seem to look right to me. I cleaned up the spindle, but there wasn't a part number on it so I took some measurements. Maybe someone can chime in to tell me if something is way off besides the worn spindle groove.

Spindle head diameter = 1.735"
Spindle groove width = 0.305"
Counterbore diameter = 1.990"
Counterbore depth = 0.300"
Through hole diameter = ~1.305"

My vise:

That's a good photo showing the small round dowel that actually holds the independent channel bar positioned properly in the Dynamic assembly. I had a front 2 piece assembly like that and the jaws did align up plus there was excessive side play. It was an older C1. I sent the Dynamic to Wilton and they repaired it "No Charge"

 

[exmaxima1]

The horseshoe and the spindle both look wrong. There should not be that much play in the spindle head pocket. That pocket both centers the spindle and is the bearing surface for jaw. The horseshoe is not supposed to be the centering device, but only a retainer to captivate the spindle. They both look very sloppy.

 

[Bartleby]

The horseshoe and the spindle both look wrong. There should not be that much play in the spindle head pocket. That pocket both centers the spindle and is the bearing surface for jaw. The horseshoe is not supposed to be the centering device, but only a retainer to captivate the spindle. They both look very sloppy.

That was my suspicion. The spindle does hang and rests on the bottom surface of the spindle pocket, and it leaves an empty gap in the form of a crescent shape above it. How much clearance should there be between the spindle and the pocket?

 

[dumper]

what is your goal with this vise? To get it functioning, or to throw lots of dough at it and make it good as new? It sure seems like you have the wrong spindle and horseshoe washer for your vise. The only way I can think of to make it work without spending a lot of money is to install a thick washer behind the head of the spindle- the ID will be the same as the diameter of the threads, and the OD will be just under the diameter of the "pocket" in your picture. Then you can make a quick horseshoe washer out of a scrap of 1/8" aluminum, with ordinary hand tools. That should make it totally functional.