Want to buy a vise, which one?

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I have one of those Taiwanese Emmert Clones, like the HH one, but imported by AMT, and have been using it for several years. It works ok, but it's kind of sloppy. It has a lot of play, and gets out of adjustment easily, and is slow to adjust, since it is not quick release. When the jaws are tightened in the work, it does lock down firmly. It is really convenient having a quick release vise somewhere in your shop. I also have a Record 52¹/₂, but I find myself using the patternmaker's vise a lot more.

I have checked out the L-V Tucker and have found it to be very well made, sturdy, flexible, smooth-operating, and it has a quick release mechanism. In fact it has two quick release mechanisms, since you can hook it up with a pedal operated, spring-loaded release. Alas, my vise budget has been blown, and all four corners of my bench are already full (I have the L-V twin screw across the other end). The tucker has a couple of shortcomings that would keep me from trading my Record and my AMT in on the Tucker. First, it does not have the facility for inserting the swiveling auxiliary jaw that the Emmert and the AMT and HH have. Second, it does not allow for the easy installation of custom jaw inserts in the manner of the Emmert and the AMT and HH. This last capability would be easy to add, in one or two different ways. One way would be to cut a couple of keyhole slots in the jaw faces, like the other patternmakers vises come with. Another method would be to build your custom jaw inserts to drop down over the front and top of the jaws and register in the dog holes using a couple of 3/4" dowels. Lastly, it costs more than the sum of AMT and the Record.

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>You have the right idea of buying the vise first. I bought a old Wilton off of e-bay it's a 90 degree vise with 2 faces one up and one to the left. As for tail vises I will never make another one again. The twin screw vise looks great and the next bench I build it's going on.

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I've lusted mildly after one of those Wilton L-shaped vises ever since Consumer Reports praised it years ago. How does it work?

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>It's awesome. There were 3 for sale and wished I would have picked up another one but the exchange rate was super high. I saw one in a shop about 15 years and when I planned to build the bench and saw it on e-bay there must have been 20 different bidders but it was alot more money than a new large record vice.

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

Verne Mattson, Northeast NJ

>I've got the HH patternmakers and LV twin screw on my main bench. The patternmakers vise replaced a Record 52 1/2 which I moved to another bench.

I don't miss my Record on the main bench at all, though I still use it. The pm vise gives you versatility that a fixed vise can't match and it's a good vise for the money. It's not perfect, as William pointed out, but I'd buy it again.

I'd suggest getting the pm vise, but save up to eventually add a record or similar vise in the future.

Re: Want to buy a vise, which one?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Wilton made some interesting vises, that model being one. I've got an odd duck made by Wilton (who knows when) with two sets of jaws, one for wood, one for metal, all mounted on a turntable arrangement under the bench. It's been an interesting vise, though I haven't used the metal jaws (they stick up above the bench about 4" when "up," and my thinking was to replace the metal jaw faces with wood and use them for shaping small work).

Too bad they don't still make some of their better designs.