Best vice

Nobody has mentioned the leg vice, or blacksmiths vice. These have one long leg down to the ground with fixed jaw, the other jaw is pivoted from this. This cannot be called a precision tool, but it will take some hammer, ideal for bending, burning etc..Just the opposite to Ians' . 

Edited By Gordon W on 22/06/2015 15:25:33

this is a nice vice i might sell

If you need more squeeze pressue between the jaws you get that by adding torque to the handle, You add length by putting a pipe over the handle but on a cheap vise the handle will very often bend and if not the gears in the screw drive may crack and/or break. I found a little one here.

Here's my Record No.74 AutoVice which was given to me about 55 years ago. It's on a swivel base (that comes in very handy sometimes) and has seen lots of action.

The jaw clamps used to have fibre pads, which wore out so I replaced them with nylon. I can't hold hot things though.

Have a look here.......

Google Swindens Vice.

Beware of using a cast iron vice as a small press. They have a nasty habit of breaking, especially if the "Scaffold tube over handle" method is used.

Cast steel is much better, even if it does cost more.

Howard

Any well designed vise would fail safe - the handle should bend before destroying the vise by over-tightening.

I would say get an old one, of good quality, and replace the jaws if necessary. There are loads out there at good prices (I know a man who buys most of the decent vises at a regular auction I attend, cleans them up, paints if necessary and sells them on at a good profit).

If you don't like it, or prefer another that you come across, just swap it out and sell it for about the same as it cost you. Shiny new vises are money pit (if you make the wrong choice).

+1 on search out the boot sales and tip recycle shops etc for an older model Record etc that has not seen much use and abuse. Plenty of them about. And cheap as chips.

There's a seller with a Swindens type vice on a well known auction site

BERGEN 125mm multi-purpose vice, 66 bananas

search on "Multi-Purpose Bench Vice" to get a selection

Edited By Ady1 on 07/11/2016 11:48:16

I thought I did well to find this one locally on ebay - item 232125691006.

5" steel and has a rather wide opening and replaceable jaws. The garage roof has finally been replaced so as the old bench is a bit past it I thought make a new one and add a decent size vice.

It's been sprayed but appears internally as new - I was a bit worried about the quick release but it seems solid enough.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 07/11/2016 20:28:22

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Nudge, Nudge - Wink, Wink - Say no more:

This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.

Some people list things for sale in more than one place Michael. Ebay get their listing fee anyway.

I have a strong suspicion that my introduction to filing was on a Fortis vice. I don't recollect seeing a single Record vice at work other than when I moved to a place that just had a small workshop.

Quick release vices were not that popular for heavy use as they can fail and spring out. I'm probably not strong enough to have that problem now.

John

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