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School me on a vise.

At my last house I had a smaller wilton mounted on my solid core door work bench. I inset a steel plate that I epoxied in, then tapped for bolts to hold the vice down. It allowed me to remove it easily if I needed space. I used wheel studs for the bolts.
 
I have this one. My old job was throwing it away since a bolt broke off on one of the jaw pads. Not sure if it’s a “good” one, but it beats what I’ve got. Obviously I haven’t mounted it yet.

And if anyone knows how to make it not sloppy I’m all ears. I took it apart and put it back together in way too long of a time frame, so I forgot how it goes together.
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X2 on the FIREBALL vise. He sells a ready-made vise with a swivel base. It is bad ass and costs less than a similar size Wilton. He did a destructive test on several brand name vises. The testing was brutal. None came close to the Fireball vise. Watch the Youtube vid.
 
bunk said:
I got a swivel base but the swivel head? gets used way more.
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Swivel base doesnt do much for me. The swivel head ones are fucking handy every once in a while. Not the vise thats going to take a beating though..Least the ones I have been around


I tried to order a Wilton, my salesguy showed up with the wilton chicom special. because it came with a free hammer:homer: Its a POS.
So I got pissy and picked up a Morgan Milwaukee. Its a nice vise, the jaws deflect a lil, if you grab something with just the corner of the jaws. But otherwise no complaints. Probly shoulda ordered a real wilton though
 
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Steve300xcw said:
Swivel base doesnt do much for me. The swivel head ones are fucking handy every once in a while. Not the vise thats going to take a beating though..Least the ones I have been around
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The swivel head is nice when your drilling and want to put your body weight in it. The swivel base while nice seems to loosen up at the wrong time. Just glad i got both.
 
Forged Bench Vise according to Garage Journal, this thing is sturdy for the price. HF one has gotten similar feedback

I'm in the Northeast so industrial stuff is EVERYWHERE. Vintage is the way to go if you can find something local for a decent price. I got a 4.5" Wilton Bullet for $50 or so, after some elbow grease it's DAMN nice to use
 
WoodburyZuk said:
I have this one. My old job was throwing it away since a bolt broke off on one of the jaw pads. Not sure if it’s a “good” one, but it beats what I’ve got. Obviously I haven’t mounted it yet.

And if anyone knows how to make it not sloppy I’m all ears. I took it apart and put it back together in way too long of a time frame, so I forgot how it goes together.
3DAF874D-18C8-4E54-978C-D25C69E482BF.jpeg
B9B035F5-B54D-4AF1-8155-FE180FD05505.png
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pretty sure that's a cheap import with the Wilton name on it. beat it, use it, and when it breaks get something better
 
JR4X said:
Really? I use the shit out of the swivel bases. And very rarely wish I could rotate the head.
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Yup. Probly depends what a guy is doing though. Never seemed like you could get a swivel base tight enough.

Swivel head, sure isnt a vise to beat on. But to clamp shit however you can, an then rotate it around for the right angle to drill or grind on...Kinda nice. Not something that got used all the time though. Its worth it to have as a second vise in the shop though
 
budget76 said:
pretty sure that's a cheap import with the Wilton name on it. beat it, use it, and when it breaks get something better
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I think so too.

Quick search on fb market has plenty of good beefy looking vices for good prices. We’re both in CT, so lots of old industrial shit.
 
M92PV4U said:
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Cheap import is good enough for holding stuff....
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Yeller one is the wilton import. I'll bolt it up in my garage one of these days. Will be fine for that. No way it would survive in a shop though

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surpip said:
I broke the jaws off the HF version of this just tightening it, no cheater either.
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This one is from northern tool. Probably same china factory, it's bolted to a wooden bench, it's literally just for holding something.
 
We had that same one. It wasnt used much for thumping on stuff. But for holding shit it worked great
 
I have an old Reed that I dug out of a scrap bin. I took it apart and cleaned the rust off. It will probably out live me.
 
Any vice is better than no vice. Start with a cheap one. All mine have come from flea markets.

On another note, how the hell did you go this long without one?
 
Chkn said:
Go with the fireball DIY. But you do have to have a welder and know someone that can cut the pieces if you don’t have them.
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Lol, this is not a starter vice... way out of his league
 
How are you breaking swivel bases? They are taper lock, tighten both down TIGHT and that thing is the same as a solid base. Mine never come loose, ever, but I tighten them with intention. This is the setup on my work truck. I regularly hoss on this with all my weight with a 48” certified pipe wrench extension on my 36” rigid. Depending on what plumbing I’m working on I’ll swivel that thing any position that makes it easier for me to pull down on my cheater pipe.

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JR4X said:
How are you breaking swivel bases? They are taper lock, tighten both down TIGHT and that thing is the same as a solid base. Mine never come loose, ever, but I tighten them with intention. This is the setup on my work truck. I regularly hoss on this with all my weight with a 48” certified pipe wrench extension on my 36” rigid. Depending on what plumbing I’m working on I’ll swivel that thing any position that makes it easier for me to pull down on my cheater pipe.

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1st off, thats a slick set up:smokin: Is it braced under the bed too? I woulda killed for something like that a few years ago. Swivel makes sense for what you are doing.

Every broken swivel base I have seen, was broke in the lower housing right around where the clamp screws were at.
 
If you're in an industrial area you should be able to get an old american made vise of decent size for about 80-100 bucks.

I don't get swivels on vises, never used them when they had one, and take them off when mounting now.
 
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Steve300xcw said:
1st off, thats a slick set up:smokin: Is it braced under the bed too? I woulda killed for something like that a few years ago. Swivel makes sense for what you are doing.

Every broken swivel base I have seen, was broke in the lower housing right around where the clamp screws were at.
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Not on bottom but the whole inside of the bed is a steel framed insert because alumaduty aluminum bed. So it’s got a lot of integrated iron on the top side of the bed floor. The insert framework bolts directly to the bed but everything is attached only to the insert.
 
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