Bench vise improvement?

[Eddyde]

Personally, I wouldn't want a vise if I couldn't hammer something on it.

I never really liked swivel bases, though the Wilton Bullet vises have a swivel that is designed probably as good as can be.
When I restored my Wiltons, I did away with the handles on the swivel nuts and just use a wrench on them.

 

[GrifterGuru]

Personally, I wouldn't want a vise if I couldn't hammer something on it.

I never really liked swivel bases, though the Wilton Bullet vises have a swivel that is designed probably as good as can be.
When I restored my Wiltons, I did away with the handles on the swivel nuts and just use a wrench on them.

@Eddyde

Much as I am not keen on rotating vices, they do serve a purpose for me in that once mounted, I don't have to mess about trying to get into an awkward standing position to do what I need to do, instead, I swivel the vice a few degrees.

Granted, I would prefer a non-rotating vice, but space is at a premium and I don't fancy having yet another vice to contend with. I have at least seven vices of various forms (granted, two are pocket sized, one being a mini clamp-on with 1-3/4" jaws, the other a hand vice) so I have enough already and each of them do get regular use.

My smallest pocket-size clamp on vice, I leave at a set jaw opening clamped to the top by the lathe. Makes it far easier to tweak the limit nuts on tool holders. Simply remove the tool holder, turn upside down, slip into the jaws, turn the tool holder to adjust the nut, drop back on the tool-post. It is actually faster doing it that way than using a spanner and yes, I have timed it to prove the point to myself. The other thing is, I can hang a "swarf bag" on the vice. Helps keep the swarf down since I can just brush it into the bag whilst I am working.

 

[rwdenney]

Those needle thrust bearings are available in many sizes from McMaster-Carr, and they'll ship them right to your door.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

This the bearing I bought to enhance my Wilton Mechanic's Vise:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

It doesn't come with the washers, but those are right below it on that catalog page.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

That adds up to less than eight bucks. The bearing is good for about 4000 pounds of thrust at rated rotation (6500 RPM) and over 16 kips static loading. That is abundant for a vise that size.

I also put a fat O-ring on the handle shaft, stretched over the ball ends. That keeps the handle from banging on the ball end as it slides.

Rick "much smoother operation and more consistent tightening without the forbidden cheater or hammer" Denney

 

[Eddyde]

Much as I am not keen on rotating vices, they do serve a purpose for me in that once mounted, I don't have to mess about trying to get into an awkward standing position to do what I need to do, instead, I swivel the vice a few degrees.

I totally agree, and I do have the swivel bases on 3 of my 5 vises. I just find they can be wonky at times, moving when you don't want them to and a PITA to adjust with those bar handle nuts. Plus the fear of breakage with the one-piece swivel bases...

@ rwdenney

I added thrust bearings to my 2 Wiltons, but used oil impregnated bronze instead of needle bearings. No cheater bar needed.

 

[GrifterGuru]

I totally agree, and I do have the swivel bases on 3 of my 5 vises. I just find they can be wonky at times, moving when you don't want them to and a PITA to adjust with those bar handle nuts. Plus the fear of breakage with the one-piece swivel bases...

@ rwdenney

I added thrust bearings to my 2 Wiltons, but used oil impregnated bronze instead of needle bearings. No cheater bar needed.

I did see the setup for my Babco 614 and, in fact, used it several times in the original location. The chap who owned it (friend) had drilled clear through the workbench, had a piece of 2mm steel with the horseshoe cut-out in it mounted directly underneath the vice with a long carriage bolt pointing up from the underside with a nut and washer on the vice. Did the trick alright, vice never moved when tightened down, though I doubt I would want to go to that extreme myself just to stop it moving.

 

[C-Bag]

I have some steel car wheels lying around. One of this days I'm going to make a few tool posts for my vises ...

Car wheels are pretty small and light IMHO. My last one was a semi wheel and it made a great base.

I'll keep my eyes open for a vise like that.

I did a quick search for that kind of vise, mine is made by Bessy. It has the better internal locking mechanism like the original I first used years ago. It locked the rotating head when it’s tightened automatically. Far better than that silly threaded lock I see on the pic, sorry. And yeah, it’s all about why you need a vise. Most times I’m wanting to hold something small to grind, thread, or something like that. I rarely put something in a vise to beat on it.

 

[C-Bag]

Personally, I wouldn't want a vise if I couldn't hammer something on it.

I never really liked swivel bases, though the Wilton Bullet vises have a swivel that is designed probably as good as can be.
When I restored my Wiltons, I did away with the handles on the swivel nuts and just use a wrench on them.

Lol, this is why I’ve done away with rotating bases on all my machine vises where they can be deleted. Unfortunately this is not always the deal with bench vises. Interestingly my favorite vises(the wood vise and a little cheap tilt vise minus the tilt mechanism) don’t have any extra mechanisms.

 

[yota]

my vise improvement. get an old well-built one.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I just have an old Chinesium vise, I bought it new 30+ years ago and recently rebuilt it, I am in the process of replacing the pipe jaws with large clamping steel jaws and I have already replaced the upper jaws with brass jaws.... its not awesome but it does everything I ask of it.

 

[m1kemex]

Personally, I wouldn't want a vise if I couldn't hammer something on it.

Maybe my ape-instinct remains dormant, but I can't imagine a task right now requiring really hard beating of a piece mounted on a bench vise. In my view, bench vises are devices meant only to hold pieces for tasks such as cutting, grinding, filing, tapping, de-burring or even assembly. That's because, despite their robust look, the only thing holding the jaws together are the threads of the screw / nut. It's easy enough to damage such threads by overtightening to even consider tasks that are really meant for an hydraulic press or anvil.

P. S. Or maybe I'm just talking from ignorance because I've always had cheapo vises...