# Yost 6.5" Bench Vise



## johnnyc14 (Dec 30, 2015)

I got fed up with my old Chinese 5" bench vise, it never seems to hold securely or open far enough for those tough jobs. I wanted a high quality vise!! I ordered this Yost vise on Amazon, it was discounted $150 and included free shipping to my door. That's nice when your ordering a 60 lb vise! Yost vises are made in the USA and have high quality ductile iron castings and replaceable hardened jaws. It has a cool feature that allows the moveable jaw part to be inserted into the body from either side giving 0-7" opening one way and 3-12" opening the other way. The jaws are serrated on one side and smooth on the other. I took it apart and inspected the castings and machine work and I have to say I'm impressed. Everything fits correctly and the jaws line up perfectly.


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## kd4gij (Dec 30, 2015)

That is one fine looking vise you have there.


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## 4GSR (Dec 30, 2015)

I bought one of their vises couple years ago.  They are nice and much cheaper than a Wilton.


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## joshua43214 (Dec 31, 2015)

hmmm.
I've been looking for a new vise.
That looks pretty nice


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## johnnyc14 (Dec 31, 2015)

I've been meaning to make a set of soft jaws for bench vise use and now that I have a new vise and a few days off work it seemed to be the right time for this project. I had a length of 1/2" by 1.5" 6061 bar stock in my scrap bin and started with that.

I cut 2 jaw pieces just slightly longer than the 6.5" finished length in the band saw. I used a 45 degree carbide end mill to machine 1 horizontal groove and 3 vertical grooves to .160" depth.







I located and drilled the holes for the 5/16" fasteners and counter bore them to a depth of .300" with a 5/8" end mill.




I put the jaws face to face in the vise and reduced the height to 1.25" and cut a bevel around the outside edges.







They turned out well.


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## middle.road (Dec 31, 2015)

Sweet. Quite a bit of difference -eh?


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## wawoodman (Dec 31, 2015)

I'd be afraid to use a vise that nice! At least until it had its first oopsie.

But on another subject you mentioned: the 45 degree end mill. I was under the impression that they didn't work well for V-grooving, because the middle wouldn't cut as well as the outside edge. I thought that the preferred way was to use a regular end mill, with either the head or the work tilted. Have I been wrong, all along?


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## stupoty (Dec 31, 2015)

The Lower jaws for holding round stuff look good, do they work well? 

Stuart


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## johnnyc14 (Dec 31, 2015)

wawoodman said:


> I'd be afraid to use a vise that nice! At least until it had its first oopsie.
> 
> But on another subject you mentioned: the 45 degree end mill. I was under the impression that they didn't work well for V-grooving, because the middle wouldn't cut as well as the outside edge. I thought that the preferred way was to use a regular end mill, with either the head or the work tilted. Have I been wrong, all along?



I've heard that too Mike, I would not use one in steel but in aluminum it plows through with no problem and leaves a nice surface finish at about 1800 RPM. Any slower and it seems to get plugged up with chips. The 3/8" one I use a lot is actually called a "drill mill" on the container.





http://www.ebay.ca/itm/3-8-4-FLUTE-...083043?hash=item46463c88e3:g:NHQAAOSwZ1lWbyx4


http://www.htcmfg.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=7_2&product_id=4598

I have another style in 1/4" with straight flutes that I use for a job I do regularly. I mill a groove .030" deep and .125" long. I do it in 2 passes otherwise the mill gets pulled off centre but it also does a nice job if you have the patience.


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## johnnyc14 (Dec 31, 2015)

stupoty said:


> The Lower jaws for holding round stuff look good, do they work well?
> 
> Stuart



I haven't had a chance to use the pipe jaws yet but they are removable, replaceable and very hard.


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## wawoodman (Dec 31, 2015)

Thanks, johnnyc!


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## Kiwi Canuck (Dec 12, 2016)

Johnnyc14, I have the purchased the same vise and agree it's a nice unit.

I have noticed that it's very firm when winding the handle more than a few inches and it's not possible to spin the handle with bare fingers without needing to stop because it really hurts the fingers.

I've disassembled it to see if I can make it smoother with a little less resistance, I used a honing stone to clean up the surfaces but it didn't help.

Wondering about the spring/washer interface, it seems a bit rough, I may try to find a flat thrust bearing like some of the larger Wilton's have to see if that may help, like this.




How smooth is yours? can you spin the handle with a finger?
David.

Edit, BTW very nice job on the soft jaws, I'll need to make some of those once I get my mill.


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## Kiwi Canuck (Dec 12, 2016)

I just went out to the garage to check the vise for measurements so I could order the parts from McMaster Carr.

So I pulled the vise apart and reinstalled the acme thread into the vise without the compression spring and washers and realized the large end of the shaft is binding in the casting on the movable jaw.
Also found wear marks on the shaft near the front so something needs attention on this one.

I guess I will have to wait till my mill shows up and then I can clean up the casting and hopefully solve that issue.


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## johnnyc14 (Dec 13, 2016)

That sucks. Mine is smooth but firm to turn. I've heard that some people cut the spring shorter to reduce the friction but I find it handy that the handle stays where you put it. It will not turn under its own weight but a bearing at that position makes sense and would be a good modification. Did you get yours through Amazon.ca? You could send it back for replacement. Please let me know how your vise repair goes.

Have you ordered from McMaster Carr before. I tried to order some acme nuts from them last year and they would not ship to Canada.


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## ddickey (Dec 13, 2016)

Is that the 865-DI?


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## Kiwi Canuck (Dec 13, 2016)

Johnnyc14, thanks for the response and yes I did get it from Amazon.ca, but more than 12 months ago, so probably too late to return.

It should not take too much to fix the issue, in fact I could use a rotary file and clean it up by hand in a cordless drill as it's only a few thousands to skim off but I'll wait for the mill and do a right.

IIRC it was about the same price in $CAD as the one on Amazon.com in $US which made it a great deal, but is not the case now.

I have purchased through McMaster Carr before and they shipped to Canada, I placed the orders in my Company name and had no issues, but I've heard they don't sell direct to individuals.

ddickey, yes it's the Yost 865-D1 and is on Amazon.com for about $185.00 US

BTW they are very tall, so if you purchase one allow for that when mounting. (picture by Johnnyc14)




David


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## johnnyc14 (Dec 13, 2016)

Yost does offer a lifetime warranty on their vises. It might be worth your while to shoot them an email with a picture of the interferance, at the very least they might send you some free swag.

Yeah, McMaster Carr will not sell to individuals in Canada. Too bad because they have a great catalog.


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## ddickey (Dec 13, 2016)

$185 bucks shipped is very inticing for a USA made vise.  I searched Home Depot and Sears, both are fairly cheap considering the $450 retail price.


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