A Question Of Vises...

Thanks, Terry. If I can't get the Kurt to behave, it might be the next big purchase...
 
I like putting a copper sheet strip between the movable jaw and the part, helps a lot with my down market vice :)

Stuart
 
I like my lead hammer for thwacking. And if things get difficult, I’ll add a piece of round stock on the movable jaw side…Dave
 
How thick of a sheet? Thinking, if I bent a hook at the top, it would be self-supporting, and more convenient than a wire.
 
If the part you are clamping lifts off the parallels, something is out of square. It's either the part you are clamping, or the jaws are not square with the base. You might want to swing an indicator on the jaws to find out. Sometimes it doesn't take much.
 
With years of use and abuse, being tightened with a "hammer" and smacked with dead blows, the stationary jaw gets the most of the damage. The footprint of the stationary jaw is less than half of the footprint of the movable jaw, and it's held down with 2 bolts and a key. After numerous "hard" clampings, the bolts tend to stretch and bend, given the fact that most of the time the part that is clamped is usually at the top of the jaws, essentially adding extra leverage to tip the jaw away from the base.
 
I had a good quality 6 inch Kurt clone vice and I was having the same problem. I replaced the 1/2 inch stationary jaw cap screws with 5/8 cap screws and torqued them to about 200 ft/lb. The new bolts extended almost to the top of the jaw. Pretty much ended the problem.
 
I'll be tearing the whole thing down as soon as the repair kit comes in. I'll look at extending those bolts. Thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top