woodworking vice, too many brands to choose from

[Dan Gonzales]

I would be partial to this one at Woodcraft -

http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/Pro...6-b39e2abfac06

My preference is for wood-handled vises though. I just like the feel of the larger diameter handle.

[Rob Keeble]

Allen it looks like the Groz has the feature my vice has for quick release. You turn it one way and it tightens and if you reverse it a few turns it then releases and you can slide it in our out.

From what i have seen at Busy Bee up here Groz can be rough castings but then so can the Grizzly stuff at times.

This is a tough one.

[Jim C Bradley]

Hi,

You and your darned question about vises got me to thinking about my own HF. Random thoughts follow.

When I mounted the vise the tops of the jaws and my bench were the same. When the vise gets used that relationship deteriorates a bit. When I tighten now one end goes up about a 1/16 th.

Under some conditions the vise will not hold the material steady. It is like there is a high spot and the material can rotate even after strong tightening.

The reason for "darned question" is that now I am going to spend some serious money for a new vice. If you had not posted this, I would probably still be using the HF.

Glenn, my son, has the same HF vise. However, they are not really the same in action. His seems to be more stable than mine, even though we purchased them within a couple weeks of each other.

I sincerely hope you find what you want.

Enjoy,

Jim

In case you didn't figure it out, I would not purchase the HF again.

[allen levine]

Im basically waiting to make a trip to grizzley for either theirs or shop fox quick release.
I watch local ads if I see a decent used one.
I made an offer on a jorgenson, the guy got 5 more bucks, I lost out.
I havent made a new work bench yet, waiting for cooler weather, so Im ok until then.

[Jim O'Dell]

Allen, Griz sells a lot of Shop Fox tools, as do other stores. There seems to be some kind of kinship between Griz and Fox but I don't know what it is.

Frank, and all, Shiraz owns both Grizzly and Shop Fox. Shop Fox is the retail brand that is sold through dealers and, on their machines at least, have longer warranties. One of these years, I want to make a nice bench that would have a vice or two. I will probably make mine into an assembly bench and use the vices with dog holes to assist in assembly work. Jim.

[Rob Keeble]

Not sure if anyone is looking but this saw this vise on ebay and thought for those in the USA this is a good deal you can even make the guy an offer. Morgan is one of the good "old iron" units.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/VINTAGE-ANTIQ...378142fdf#shId

[glenn bradley]

maybe a real work table eventually, I dont have a problem using my plywood tables.
I run into alot of time consuming clamping and attaching the little portable vice when I have to do some simple tasks, so a vice is something I need to save time.

I agree that a permanent vise that sits flush with your table will save you a bunch of time over one that must be clamped on and then removed. I have used vise hardware (like so) and vises like Rob shows. The vise hardware worked better for me on thinner tops although the jaw thickness and leverage point come into play and are a personal choice. I have two Lee Valley sets of vise hardware under the bench waiting for me to get annoyed enough with my Harbor Freight vises in order to swap them out ;-) I had to go through quite a few of them at the store to find two that were worth buying.

Both my current vises have QR and I don't use it much. Good dog hole spacing makes a lot of vise jaw positioning go away. When I do need to move the jaw several inches, it is nice to have the QR feature. Dad has the large Rockler QR vise hardware and hasn't been too happy with it. Like many QR vises/vise hardware sets, it does not open under pressure or in a real controlled manner. There are times that I want to back the vise off just a bit to re-adjust or to use it as a spreader. The Rockler will not do this. Mine back off a turn but, after that they just 'click' under opening pressure. Just something to be aware of.

This one wins the bake-offs in the 'vise' category more often than not. I forget who's vise hardware wins but, the Lee Valley style ones made by 'someone' come to mind.

[Rob Keeble]

I found another one just like Glenn mentions. Wilton. $60 looks like a good deal to me.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-WILTO...item3a76f280da

[David Agnew]

Both my current vises have QR and I don't use it much. Good dog hole spacing makes a lot of vise jaw positioning go away. When I do need to move the jaw several inches, it is nice to have the QR feature. Dad has the large Rockler QR vise hardware and hasn't been too happy with it. Like many QR vises/vise hardware sets, it does not open under pressure or in a real controlled manner. There are times that I want to back the vise off just a bit to re-adjust or to use it as a spreader. The Rockler will not do this. Mine back off a turn but, after that they just 'click' under opening pressure. Just something to be aware of.

My $0.02 is that I hate "half-turn" quick releases. Both of my Craftsman vises have it and it's horrible. Exactly as Glenn says, if you don't position your piece exactly right, you can't just back pressure off a bit and reposition. Quite infuriating if you have a heavy piece and you're using the vise to help hold it up while you position.

I know there are/were vises that had a separate QR lever or button... I think Record made them. That looks to be a MUCH better solution. When I get around to it, I'm going to modify both my vises to be non-QR.

Has anyone else noticed the great Roy Underhill's face vise is not a QR?

[Carol Reed]

I have Grizzly QR vises - three of them, and love them. Simply pull a lever in and push or push for a macro adjustment. Release the lever and turn the handle for micro tightening. The 'half-turn' QR's are a pain! Hate them. Had them at school when I was teaching.