Best Vise for the $$

[ajooter]

I go through a vise each year.  I usually buy my vises from home depot or lowes and they just dont last.  I am willing to spend a couple $100 dollars on a vise if I know it will last me a good long while.  What are some good brands to look for?  and or models?

[osage outlaw]

The older the better.  Auctions are a good place to find them.  You might check your local craigslist for a deal.  I look for older USA made vises. 

Or you could send Misslemaster a PM and see if he would make his version of the stave press or bow press for you.  I've got one of each and I love them.  They are built to last several lifetimes. 

[DC]

What breaks on them? I have a 4" Record that I've had for almost 40 years. It doesn't swivel though.

[ajooter]

I have a stave master and its great for limb work...but i like a vise for my handle work.  The vices i get have some kind of spring in them rather then just a gear and they dont last.  They literally just loose their ability to actaually clamp down.   I will surely check craigs list and maybe some flee markets.

[jimmi the sammi]

Have you looked at the Rockwell Jawhorse 9000?  Portable, solid and able to hold up to 48" items.  Use mine almost daily especially for bow making and construction projects.

[bubby]

The older the better.  Auctions are a good place to find them.  You might check your local craigslist for a deal.  I look for older USA made vises. 

Or you could send Misslemaster a PM and see if he would make his version of the stave press or bow press for you.  I've got one of each and I love them.  They are built to last several lifetimes.

I agree with Clint i saw one of mm vices up close and they are built

[ajooter]

Thats a nice looking horse...but i dont think it would give me the leverage i need when im giving a stave the business with my ferriers rasp.  I do the majority of my reduction with an axe or hatchet...but i do almost the remainder right to floor tiller with my ferriers rasp.

[Greybuff]

Find a good used blacksmith post vise and it will outlive you. They are made to be hammered on and come in widths 4" and up. They run about $150.00 and up.

[Dances with squirrels]

I have a 5" Wilton vice that is 20 years old, been on a handful of different benches in 3 of my shops, and has held hundreds of staves, billets, boards, bows, and other jobs. It literally looks like it's maybe 2 or 3 months old.

That said, if I ever have to buy another, I'll look hard at a pattern maker's vice from Highland Woodworking. Very versatile and solid. In fact, I plan to get one if I ever get my new bench built.

[paulsemp]

I bought this one at a flea market about 15 years ago for 50 bucks. It weighs I would guess between 75 to 100 pounds. The best research I could come up with shows at about 60 to 80 years old. I put the pop can in there just as a reference for how big it really is. Like Clint said you cannot replace some of the old tools in quality. With very little pressure on the handle it grabs your material to the point where you cannot move it. I would start shopping the flea markets you won't regret it

[paulsemp]

By the way vices should not be beaten on with a hammer at any time unless you get a blacksmith vise.

[Knoll]

I would start shopping the flea markets you won't regret it

Yep.

[osage outlaw]

That's a nice one Paul.  You can't beat the quality of the older vises.  The new ones aren't near the quality unless you want to spend hundreds of dollars for a high end model.  I picked up this old Poland made vise at an auction last week.  I got the contents of a maintenance room for $10 and the vise was in there.  It seems very solid.  I've got another vise from the same company.  It was my on my grandpas work bench for longer than I've been alive. 




My daily driver is a large USA made Matco that I got off Craigslist for next to nothing.  It was missing the jaw pads.  That wasn't a problem.  I would have made wooden pads with leather for it anyway. 

[osage outlaw]

I like seeing old vises.  I've been acquiring a few of them over the last couple of years.  Maybe we should start a new post for everybody to post pictures of their stave holders.

[mikekeswick]

4 inch Engineering vice. Pad the jaws with thick tooling leather. You American fellas are lucky to have sales where you have a chance of finding old tools....you would be devastated to turn up to one of our 'carboot' sales.....nothing but junk for miles.... You would be lucky to find a cheapo case hardened file....there are shops that specifically sell old tools but man you want to see the prices.....you don't get 'owt for 'nowt here