Mill Vise Opinions

JPigg55

JPigg55

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Been chatting with Terry Wermer about a deal from a co-worker for a NIB 4" precision milling vise from The Little Machine Sop with swivel base for $100.
Before clamping myself in on the deal, thought I'd take opinions on milling vises.
Videos I've watched tend to recommend buying a good vise like a Kurt or Glacern over a cheaper one.
Looking at prices, my wallet my make the final choice.
What are your thoughts ?
 
I bought a Chinese milling vise and I'm really not very happy with it. Even though it is based on the curt anglelock design it does not seem to work well unless I really tighten down the lock (sorry not sure what the thing is actually called). When I tighten it down to what is required it is very hard to open/close the vise.

I am just a hobbyist so for me I live with it, it cost me $139 for my 4" vise. I would never want to use this vise in a real shop every day.

Also I removed the swivel base and have never used it, so that is another thing to consider.
 
I got a cheap 4" vice from QMT when I bought my little PM mill. It clamps things and works. It is not really square all the way around.
I waited for a discount +free shipping from Enco and used it for a Kurt.
Get the Kurt now or later, you will be happy you did.
 
JPigg55 said:
Been chatting with Terry Wermer about a deal from a co-worker for a NIB 4" precision milling vise from The Little Machine Sop with swivel base for $100.
Before clamping myself in on the deal, thought I'd take opinions on milling vises.
Videos I've watched tend to recommend buying a good vise like a Kurt or Glacern over a cheaper one.
Looking at prices, my wallet my make the final choice.
What are your thoughts ?
Click to expand...
if your a fair machinist the vise will work ok. don't get it to make parts for nasa.
 
I bought a Grizzly 4" vise after having been impressed with the quality of one we bought at work. I did do some rework on the vise though. Pulled the movable jaw off and cleaned up the as-cast surface on the lock down cam and added a small amount of grease to the threads. I also made a new beefed up thrust bushing to replace the rather flimsy OEM bushing.

It is not a Kurt but I could buy six of them for the price of a Kurt.

+1 on what Silverbullet said.

Bob
 
If you want precision look for a vise that applies downward pressure when the moveable jaw is tightened.. Kurt and others have this feature. Beyond that, you will pay some more for vices that are square and flat on the jaws to begin with. Also, while a swivel base might sound neat to start with, it reduces the available head room
 
If you want precision look for a vise that applies downward pressure when the moveable jaw is tightened.. Kurt and others have this feature. Beyond that, you will pay some more for vices that are square and flat on the jaws to begin with. Also, while a swivel base might sound neat to start with, it reduces the available head room in your mill, plus you can set any angle you need using your hold down clamps with the vise set to the desired angle -- Jack Coffman
 
LMS has 2, 4" precision vices. If its the plain "professional", then it's not a very good deal. You can get equivalent vices from a variety of sources for nearly that price on special. The other is the "professional" version with much better precision specs. That is a great deal and you aught to grab it before someone else finagles it.
 
The vise on my mill was built probably decades before the Kurt angle-lock was even thought of. Talk about jaw lift, but there are ways around it. Use paper to cradle the part and tap it with a dead blow, no big deal to be honest.
 
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