Good Bench Vise Recommendations

[ultrarunner]

Jaws look good from here and still mostly original paint... good find.

 

[LD1]

wish I could find some of them around here

 

[cat fever]

Here's my vote on a Yost.

Got it for Fathers day so haven't used it much, but seems like it'll last.

 

[DFB]

That's a cool vise, but I have no idea who could have made it...that one needs to get posted over on Garage Journal for the experts!

Hey thanks for that tip. I registered over there yesterday and started perusing the 2369 pages of "The Vices of Garage Journal" hoping to see what I have. :confused2:

I haven't seen so many photos in one place before (and all the advice).

I probably will post soon to see if anyone does know what manufacture that vice I bought may be. I took it all apart this morning and inspected everything closer, it's very clean. There also was larger vice that same dealer had on the ground there too (maybe a Parker if I remember right ) for $45. I will have to take closer look at that this weekend

I'm all excited now

But the ultimate question now remains to me what color should a vice be painted...especially an antique one!

 

[GManBart]

wish I could find some of them around here

That 5" Wilton is going to get a swivel base and a complete overhaul, then be up for sale....just sayin'

 

[GManBart]

But the ultimate question now remains to me what color should a vice be painted...especially an antique one!

Many people think that for the really old/antique vises a finish of boiled linseed oil is as good as it gets....still keeps it looking antique, but protects it from rusting.

 

[Big Barn]

Many people think that for the really old/antique vises a finish of boiled linseed oil is as good as it gets....still keeps it looking antique, but protects it from rusting.

I'll have to try that. I've been wiping items down with Fluid Film. This anvil got the treatment almost a year ago.



Terry

Edit. Here's a better example of an old post drill with Fluid Film applied.

 

[DFB]

That's a cool vise, but I have no idea who could have made it...that one needs to get posted over on Garage Journal for the experts!

Hey thanks for that tip. I registered over there yesterday and started perusing the 2369 pages of "The Vices of Garage Journal" hoping to see what I have. :confused2:

I haven't seen so many photos in one place before (and all the advice).

I probably will post soon to see if anyone does know what manufacture that vice I bought may be.

GManBart...I think we got a match!


Many thanks for that

DFB

 

[GManBart]

GManBart...I think we got a match!


Many thanks for that

DFB

I saw that...very cool!

 

[JRobyn]

I did a search in this thread for "Fuller" and had no hits. My current favorite vice, on my bench now, is an old Fuller 4 -1/2". I think it's about a mid-70s vintage.

 

[GManBart]

I did a search in this thread for "Fuller" and had no hits. My current favorite vice, on my bench now, is an old Fuller 4 -1/2". I think it's about a mid-70s vintage.

There are quite a few mentions of Fuller vises on the Garage Journal thread. I know some were made in Japan, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Picked up a dirty, but great condition Wilton 400S on a cool cast iron Baldor stand over the weekend. The vise is already stripped, primed, painted, and all the bright work polished....will reassemble it tonight.

 

[CADplans]

Picked up a dirty, but great condition Wilton 400S on a cool cast iron Baldor stand over the weekend. The vise is already stripped, primed, painted, and all the bright work polished....will reassemble it tonight.

Well,, I am probably gonna fall into the category of;
"It turns out you can have a million posts, know everything there is to know about tractors, and still be wrong while managing to be rude."

but,,, I would not own that vise/base,,, unless the base were bolted soundly to concrete,,,
I dropped an unbolted vise off a workbench, onto my left foot,,, when I was ten years old.
Six weeks in a cast reduced my inquisitiveness!! :laughing:

The C/G of that vise/base is so high,, it will easily turn over.

Rant over!!

 

[GManBart]

Well,, I am probably gonna fall into the category of;
"It turns out you can have a million posts, know everything there is to know about tractors, and still be wrong while managing to be rude."

but,,, I would not own that vise/base,,, unless the base were bolted soundly to concrete,,,
I dropped an unbolted vise off a workbench, onto my left foot,,, when I was ten years old.
Six weeks in a cast reduced my inquisitiveness!! :laughing:

The C/G of that vise/base is so high,, it will easily turn over.

Rant over!!

No need to rant, that base has holes for bolting it to the floor :thumbsup:

In this case the base weighs nearly twice what the vise does, so it's not really top heavy, but should be secured just the same.

 

[CADplans]

No need to rant, that base has holes for bolting it to the floor :thumbsup:

In this case the base weighs nearly twice what the vise does, so it's not really top heavy, but should be secured just the same.

My left instep thanks you,,, :laughing: I was getting phantom pains out of fear of a re-occurrence!! :thumbsup:

 

[GManBart]

My left instep thanks you,,, :laughing: I was getting phantom pains out of fear of a re-occurrence!! :thumbsup:

Good thing it wasn't an anvil!


Here's that Wilton 400 after 48 hours....waiting on a new Wilton badge, and she's done. I'll probably highlight the lettering in silver after the paint cures a few days, but that just takes a few minutes.

For most of us, this is about the ideal bench vise size, and you can't really go wrong with a bullet.

 

[JRobyn]

Got a photo of my Fuller....



No idea if it's USA made or not.

 

[ultrarunner]

As a kid Mom turned in years of trading stamps for a Fuller bench vise... it was such a handy thing to have and then around age 13 I broke it by tightening it too tight... it was usable... just cracked.

Still have it welded to a piece of I beam and use it to hold assemblies for welding...

 

[GManBart]

Got a photo of my Fuller....

No idea if it's USA made or not.

If it gets the job done, that's all that matters!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Good thing it wasn't an anvil!


Here's that Wilton 400 after 48 hours....waiting on a new Wilton badge, and she's done. I'll probably highlight the lettering in silver after the paint cures a few days, but that just takes a few minutes.

For most of us, this is about the ideal bench vise size, and you can't really go wrong with a bullet.

I have the same Wilton 400, how much are they worth used if I sell it?

 

[GManBart]

I have the same Wilton 400, how much are they worth used if I sell it?

It depends on the overall condition, but one that's got good jaws and no damage I'd expect to get $250 pretty easily. This one I expect I can get $300 for it since it has only the slightest signs of use.