Metal working vise
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26 September 2017 at 2:27 am #322963
Not strictly woodworking, but sometimes we need to bash a little metal about. I noticed that Paul used one when making the poor man’s spokeshave. There are a lot of cheaply made metal vines out there. I have been looking for a used Record vise. The naming conventions are somewhat confusing. Anyone know of a good guide?
Hello Gerard, I’ll happily offer my two-pennies-worth;
A metalwork vice is definitely a good investment. It’ll have a better grip on smaller objects than your woodworking vice and they usually come with an anvil area for bashing stuff. The one Paul uses appears to be a huge, heavy, beast of a thing. Just watching him lift it to the floor made my arms ache! I wouldn’t go for one that large.Record vices are roughly numbered; 00 for the smallest (Jewellers size), 0 is the one I’ve got (small all-purpose), then they go up in sizes 1,2,3,4,5…
Record had a selection of table-top vices which can be quickly attached or removed for occasional use such as the Record Imp 80. They’re hard to find in good condition, but look cute. They have a pipe-bending area, tube grips, round anvil and pointed anvil.
Speciality vices like the Engineer’s one have a rotating base. Nice, but not necessary.
Then there’s the Pipe-Fitter’s Vice; as the name suggests it’s good for holding/cutting tubes.Begin your search by looking at the Record 0 or Record 1 and judge your own needs.
Check the jaws are OK. Buying replacement jaws for any vice is ridiculously expensive.
For protecting delicate work (plastics/aluminium) you can buy ‘soft’ jaws inserts with a fibre lining.
The Tommy-Bar must be straight. You won’t be able to straighten one easily and the screw has been stressed.
Make sure it’s the one you’ll want. Taking a gamble at auction is a risk when spares are non-existent and the postage costs exceed the cost of the vice itself.
Don’t limit your search to Record. They’re good, but so are many others. Lesser-known names are a lot cheaper.Paul bolted his to a wooden block to sit in the woodwork vice. A good idea for occasional use/limited space.
Gerard, from your spelling of “vise” I deduce that you are an American. Record metalworking “vices” are pretty scarce on our side of the Atlantic but there is no lack of high quality older American made vises. Your best bet is to look locally at flea markets, estate sales, Craigslist etc. (Good vises are danged heavy and shipping costs will eat you alive.)
Some good makers: Columbian, Wilton, Morgan, Yost, Starrett, Athol, Parker, Reed. I would be suspicious of imported Wiltons and Columbians and would avoid anything with an exposed screw.
You can make effective jaw pads yourself by taking a piece of wood (plywood will do) as wide as the vise jaws and a couple of inches longer and cutting a notch at the bottom to fit over the moveable jaw’s support.
Dave
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