Vices

[Jacob_Curtis]

I'm not talking about drugs, alcohol, or rock and roll. Instead what is bolted to your bench? To me vises easily become the center piece of a work shop.

vise.jpg

[Eric Estlund]

Yeah, one of those.

[Too Tall]

I'm not talking about drugs, alcohol, or rock and roll. Instead what is bolted to your bench? To me vises easily become the center piece of a work shop.

vise.jpg

Jinx. I've got the same one and am waiting on a steel pedestal from Tom Palermo. It gets used for so many things. A good vice is a nice thing to share.

[jscottyk]

Vises must be in the zeitgeist 'cause I was just about about to post a similar question. I'm trying to decide between a Yost or a Wilton tradesman vise.

[Eric Estlund]

Both are great. Think about working height and go from there.

[Craig Ryan]

Consider the version with a square throat instead of round. Tube blocks stay put there when you loosen it that way.

[EricKeller]

I had one of those Wilton bullet vises, and during a move I gave it away. The shear pin that holds the back cap is way too fragile for my tastes. In fact, the bench vises they sell have the same issue. I think a wimpy framebuilder should not be able to break a vise by hand power alone. I'm sure a lot of them have the pin replaced with something more substantial. If you look on ebay at how vises break, it's not because someone put a cheater bar on the handle, it's because someone beat it with a sledge or dropped it or something similar.

We have a Reed at work, it's incredibly nice. I really like the fact that it doesn't swivel. I was looking for vises a while back, but there are too many choices and I got brain lock. I have a horrible Chinese vise, need to replace it.

[Craig Ryan]

Although it's used often, I don't think a vise is where one should spend his money. 100 bucks can get 95% of perfect for any framebuilding need. They are cool though, and any man wants a bigger one.

[Andrew R Stewart]

Glad to hear that Tom Palermo is still in the swing of things. Andy.

[jon_norstog]

My own vices have always been cheap. Well, I used a harbor Freight 5" vise for years. It was a POS and the first one I had broke in half (and was cheerfully replaced by another equallt crappy one.) A few months ago I was visiting my friend Mike, who was cleaning out his house and lot. I thought i was gonna faint! there in the box of his PU was what looked like a Wilton machinist's vise. it was headed for Pacific Recycling. Mike agreed to give it to me in return for a couple bottles of beer.

As it turned out it was chinese copy, but a good one. Big improvement. And no $$ spent.

jn

[Jacob_Curtis]

Although it's used often, I don't think a vise is where one should spend his money. 100 bucks can get 95% of perfect for any framebuilding need. They are cool though, and any man wants a bigger one.

Where does one spend money on then? Files are perhaps one thing I've never found reason to be stingy about.

[RCP FAB]

I found this one in my grandmothers basement. 4" Woden

[Craig Ryan]

Where does one spend money on then? Files are perhaps one thing I've never found reason to be stingy about.

The goal should be to spend as little money as possible any time you can. And I think a vise is one of those things you can save some money on. Files are that way for me also. I'd save that money for a good fork fixture, or a dynafile, or silver, or good tubes and lugs, etc. It's not as bad as working on cars though.

[EricKeller]

Where does one spend money on then? Files are perhaps one thing I've never found reason to be stingy about.

this comment makes me laugh. If I had $20k that I had to spend on fbuilding tomorrow or lose it, I wouldn't even break a sweat.

[Eric Estlund]

I spend a lot of my time in front of my vise. Probably the single highest percentage use tool. I agree that $500 or so for a new Wilton or Yost et all is a lot of coin, but a couple hundred on a used one in great shape pays dividends.











(You get my point)

[datas_brother]

Sorry, I don't have another picture with my vise in it. I got it about 15 years ago for free while visiting the factory in china. Although I use it everyday I have had no problems. I don't quite beat on it like you steel guys do, though.

4904265698_640d10fbe4.jpg

[steve garro]

Although it's used often, I don't think a vise is where one should spend his money. 100 bucks can get 95% of perfect for any framebuilding need. They are cool though, and any man wants a bigger one.

I think quite the opposite.
I'm one of the "Buy cheap/buy it twice" frame of mind guys.
You spend many of your hours at the vise.
I have a $200 vise that is on the verge of dying - I think the body is cracked somewhere............I should have bought a Kurt, it's bolted to the mill.
I have both 4.5" and a 5" Wilton Machinists, a crappy offshore Wilton 2-way that is going south (see above) an old nameless but bomber mill vise for a rotating work station which is Wilton blue but only says "100", a Bison 58lb tubing vise on the mill, and a 2-way Palmgren.
Wilton vises and kennedy tool boxes are two of my vices - good tools say allot about a shop.

- Garro.

[Eric Estlund]

Just to follow up a bit more generally- I don't buy tools unless they are the best I can get away with. I like the way good tools feel, I like the way good tools work, and I like looking around knowing that my shop has the best I can afford. Sometimes I need to buy something to get me by- it's the real world, after all, but anything I plan on keeping as an addition gets special consideration.

Best case scenario, a good tool lasts forever and is a pleasure to use. Worst case, a crappy tool stays crappy and is a pain in the ass for-EVER.

[Jonathan]

One of the bike shops in Moab has a pretty polished Wilton I'd give a nut for but it would stay bright only about 10 seconds in Fla's humidity but other than that Vises are common, it's what people bolt them too that interests me. Ive recently welded up a pedestal stand for 360 degree access but I'd really like a cast iron pedestal for more solid base.

[Eric Estlund]

Bolt it to the floor! Solid.