Good Bench Vise Recommendations

[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.