Bench Vise

[Namerifrats]

Guessing this would be the right place to ask this. I don't own a bench vise. I want to get one to hold pistol barrels so I can slug them.....wrapped in cloth of course. Question is, what isna reasonable quality vise I could get for this? Harbor Freight, cheap Irwin from Lowes, etc? Literally all I would use thie thing for would be just for holding a few barrels. So a cheaper light duty vise is likely all I would need. Thoughts?

[frkelly74]

I got a 6" bench vise from harbor freight and like it. Take a coupon along and you can get one for around $60 , it is not light duty but should last a long time.

[samari46]

I have two large vises. On is about 45 years old and the other is a Wilton with swivel base. Prices for just about every pocketbook. First off lowe's sells these nylon or polymer pieces that attach with what appears to be rare earth magnets. Or you can buy some scrap leather and wrap the barrel in that. One thing about a vise is that besides slugging barrels is that they are either rarely used or frequently used. Ive used mine for cutting walnut patches for gunstocks to holding metal for drilling and tapping. The drill press I have has an assortment of vises for metal work. Go what you feel comfortable with and maybe step up a size or two. The old one was built up from parts of three vises of the same type and brand. Keep the screw that allows the jaws to open well lubricated with grease or wire rope and chain lube. Frank

[Jeff Michel]

A vise that has a 5"-6" jaw width will serve your purpose. I would suggest however, you spend the time to make an assortment of inserts for your jaws. Leather faced plywood, plastic, you can get sheet plastic inexpensively at places like MSC. A piece of second hand copper pipe, split makes a good facing material, anneal it and bend to fit the jaws and of course, aluminium and sheet lead. I have all of these, and all are used to hold different materials. Wrapping something important with a rag and squeezing it with tons of pressure will likely not produce an outcome you will find pleasing. Of all the equipment in my shop, my vises are used the most, a quality vise is expensive, buy the best you can afford and take care of it, keep it lubed and change the jaws when they are worn out, don't beat them to death with a hammer and you will only buy one in you whole life.

[Thin Man]

Buy a reasonable quality vise and cry only once. Cheap tools can lead to frustration and added expense when you have to replace them. Get 4-5 inch size with a swivel base. Vise jaw pads can be found in many locations. Lead sheets, aluminum, polymer, leather, and the list goes on. I prefer leather mounted on angle-iron backers, very satisfactory.

[Petrol & Powder]

A vise is one of the most used tools in a shop. Once you get one you will wonder how on earth you managed to get by without it.

I tend to agree that it's better to just cry once and buy a good vise. You're going to keep it forever. A vise isn't super high tech and what you're paying for is essentially different qualities of cast ductile iron and cast steel. If you stay small (3"-4" jaws with 4"-5" opening) you can get a decent one for not much money.

I also STRONGLY agree with Jeff Michel that you do NOT want to wrap something in a rag and squeeze it with tons of force. You want to take the time to make the appropriate inserts for the faces. For round stock that you don't want to crush, drill a hole through a block of hardwood that is slightly smaller than the stock you want to hold. Then cut the block through the hole so that you end up with two blocks with semi-circular grooves. Use those blocks to hold your round stock in the jaws of the vise.

There are some excellent vises available. Because good quality vises last forever, you can sometimes find excellent used vices.

[contender1]

I can't add much to the above excellent advise except to say I own several vises myself. Of course,, I have a pair in my home man cave, and another one in my workshop, and another one I can mount to my truck reese hitch. Add in the various ones used on my machines,, as well as the machine vise I made in trade school,, they are a necessary tool for those who want to tinker on stuff. They are the 3rd & 4th hands needed to do a proper job.
A swivel base is a very desirable feature. A rotating vise is the cats meow when needed.
But the best advise is the info above on the different stuff used to hold different things. A barrel or gun held in a vise with just a rag will give you marks on the gun quicker than a $2 hooker will take your money. Pay attention to all that good info!

[bdicki]

I would look for an older used Wilton or break down and spend the $200-300 for a new one. A cheap vice will always break when you need it and the stores are closed.

[largom]

Get the best you can afford, you are going to find many uses for it than you think. I currently have six in my shop and would not part with them.

[waksupi]

I use a Wheeler gunsmithing vise for guns, and a 4" Harbor Freight for heavy work.

[jmort]

I got an old vise from a neighbor who would buy old vises, among other good stuff, clean them up and sell them. It was a treat to see them, with names from a number of industrial U.S. cities. They weigh a ton, and are built like tanks. Mine was the pick of the litter. Wilton has cheap foreign models and expensive U.S. made models that cost hundreds of dollars. I would look for an older one made in the USA in good condition. My harbor freight gave up the ghost, really never asked much of it. I agree with the post above, get a good gun vise and it never is a bad thing to have a uber vise or six as mentioned above.

[Namerifrats]

I really just need something to hold a pistol barrel so I can slug it. I don't have a shop or do any wood or metal working. I have a cheap MTM gun "vise" I use to clean rifles and mount optics. Looked at a Tipton Ultra Gun Vise, reviews say it's sturdy and can be used with handguns too. Not sure it would work for slugging as it may jolt the entire thing around. Also thought about possibly trying to use my Lead Sled with weight added to slug a rifle barrel.

[country gent]

Wilton is a major name in vises and very good. The assortment of soft jaws is also good advice. To save marring and gouging a vise produces a lot of force. Another is a supply of hard maple 1"X2"x the length of the jaws for making jaws. Clamping a round tube in between the 2 jaws is inviting crushing or distortion. Using a set of jaws with a snug hole drilled for the part helps reduce this and spreads force over a greater area. A good vise is usefull for a lot of things.

[Gewehr-Guy]

A quick and easy vice can be made of scrap hardwood 2x4's , a bolt and nut, and screw one half to a wall stud and hinge the other at the bottom, and maybe use a small spring in between to hold the jaws apart. I use a set of carpenter's hand screws in my heavy bench vice as a non marring clamp all the time. Just another option, Jim

[nvreloader]

I like this type of vice, it has so many uses, have 2 of them mounted on the corners of the benches, can be used to hold a rifle for glass bedding,
or being worked on, plus this type of vice lays down on the side and pivots around the stem, to hold bbls vertical etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D3125-Parrot-Vise/dp/B0000DD4ZU/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539978331&sr=8-2-
spell&keywords=shopfox+vice

Can't afford the original type, but these work just as well.

YMMV

Tia,
Don

[bdicki]

I like this type of vice, it has so many uses, have 2 of them mounted on the corners of the benches, can be used to hold a rifle for glass bedding,
or being worked on, plus this type of vice lays down on the side and pivots around the stem, to hold bbls vertical etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D3125-Parrot-Vise/dp/B0000DD4ZU/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539978331&sr=8-2-
spell&keywords=shopfox+vice

Can't afford the original type, but these work just as well.

YMMV

Tia,
Don
That is a cool vise and they have one less now.

[Boolit_Head]

I got my hands on a 6 inch Wilton Bullet vise on a swivel base after watching it sit on a shelf in a lab for 15 years practically new and unused. They closed down the lab and I managed to get it. It's really kind of to big for my needs but I could not pass it up for free.

[2152hq]

I've got more than a few bench vises of all sizes around the shop. All of the above info is good and if you are going to get in to serious work,,buy the biggest and best you are going to need.

But I admit I recently bought something I had never considered before,,and I bought it just 'cause it was cheap (yard sale) and looked brand new.
It's a Wood Workers vise.
I do wood working but had never really considered a special vise for it.
I paid $8 for the beauty I picked up and it immediately has become a fine addition to one end of a bench in the shop for all sorts of work,,not just wood work.

The large flat jaws and open area make it easy to use with bulky, odd shaped stuff.
I certainly wouldn't try and scrunch down on a bbl and try to unscrew a breech plug while in the thing. But for your type of light duty work it'd be fine. It also makes an excellent clamp for glue up work as it is mounted on the bench.

I see they are not very expensive. $20 to $30 gets you the big box store brand w/ 6 1/2" width jaws.
You can spend any amt you want of course but that applies to machinests vises too.
You'll probably buy one of those in the future also,,but I'd suggest something bigger than the 3 1/2" to 4" jaw size that the under $50 usually buys in the same quality grouping.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-6-5-in-Woodworkers-Vise/1000235649?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-ToolsAndHardware-_-ClampsAndVises-_-1000235649:IRWIN&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000235649&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1655&k_clickID=ff86b3dc-f80d-4e91-ac34-82638e648ef3&gclid=CjwKCAjwgabeBRBuEiwACD4R5kHy3LWKhDBGnENEMvCW dNT4GmtJjiG6UaDTG5Zyrm0Foo8yw0OklBoCAYUQAvD_BwE

Just my opinion of course.

[nvreloader]

On those Shop Fox vices,
they also make an adapter, that fits between the jaws, so you can hold odd shaped gun stocks,
or as needed for other odd shapes.

Tia,
Don

[BigEyeBob]

I like this type of vice, it has so many uses, have 2 of them mounted on the corners of the benches, can be used to hold a rifle for glass bedding,
or being worked on, plus this type of vice lays down on the side and pivots around the stem, to hold bbls vertical etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D3125-Parrot-Vise/dp/B0000DD4ZU/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539978331&sr=8-2-
spell&keywords=shopfox+vice

Can't afford the original type, but these work just as well.

YMMV

Tia,
Don

I have one of these ,they are great .Ive made a few sets of jaws for it tilting and bolt in with various slots ,vees and other features that make this vice truly universal .Ive also made a couple of bases that allow the vice to be used in other positions ,including a rotating ball /swivle base .My benches have a rectangular slot inthe front edge and the base

that fits in there holds this vice .I can move the vice from one bench to the other and lock it in place where ever I want to work .

[tigweldit]

I am very happy with Wiltons. I have four of them in various sizes. All made in U.S.A. NEVER use a hammer or "cheater bar" to tighten up the jaws on any vise. That is the best way to do permanent damage to a vise.

[Drm50]

I have a couple big Wilton's and a brass gunsmith vice. I also have a precision small vice with micrometer feed and Pyrex runners to do perfect filing. The Wilton's jaw insets are held to vice with
counter sunk screws. You can take these out and use for pattern to make inserts of wood, nylon or
other softer metals. Wrapping a barrel in cloth will not protect from damage in steel vise jaws. I use
oak for holding barrels.

[labradigger1]

If you want a good vise buy an old Wilton or Columbian steel vise. You get what you pay for and imho I don’t think much of any tools made after ww2. Also, not really gunsmith related but do not hammer hard on a bench vise, they will not take it. If you need to hammer use an anvil or a old blacksmith post vise, the post transfers the energy to the ground and they were made to be beat on every day. Bad thing about a post vise is the jaws are not parallel but you can really torque on them with a cheater and they take it due to being hammer forged. Ymmv.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I'm happy with my Wilton

[JimB..]

I have a 3” Wilton on my reloading bench, a 4” Wilton on my workbench, and a 4.5” swivel-jaw Reed that I’m restoring. Someday I’d like to have a large vise.

My advice, if you have a place for it, would be to watch Craigslist for old, heavy vises made in the USA. Skip any that have been repaired. If you’re really tight on space and only need it for slugging pistol barrels then get a few wood clamps and clamp them to a handle table.

[lmcollins]

I do not think that there is anything better than a Wilton Tradesman. The secret is that the jaws are made to operate on round bored arbors. The jaws stay parallel.

[Blanket]

buy once cry once, get a Wilton

[stephen_q]

I recently picked up an old no. 92 prentiss made in NY that a local blacksmith refinished and was selling on craigslist. It's about 45lbs and will last a lifetime, add in some soft jaws and you're set. I paid $80.

[alamogunr]

I like this type of vice, it has so many uses, have 2 of them mounted on the corners of the benches, can be used to hold a rifle for glass bedding,
or being worked on, plus this type of vice lays down on the side and pivots around the stem, to hold bbls vertical etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D3125-Parrot-Vise/dp/B0000DD4ZU/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539978331&sr=8-2-
spell&keywords=shopfox+vice

Can't afford the original type, but these work just as well.

YMMV

Tia,
Don

I've got one of that type but different brand on my bench. I also have a big Wilton that I finally broke down and bought about 10 years ago. I don't know how I ever got along without it. Since I'm space challenged, I mounted both on large plywood bases and C-clamp them to the bench.

[Fishoot]

Any vise will do, as long as it says "Wilton" on the side and is made in USA. I have had several vises and would not give up my Wilton.

[JSnover]

Know Your Limitations.
Wilton, Palmgren, Kurt, etc are all great but I've seen each of them broken by idiots with cheater pipes. I have a 5" Shop Fox bench vise w/swivel base for small jobs and it hasn't failed me in 15 years, mostly because I know what it can't do.
If all I had was a small vise I'd wish for it to be top-of-the-line, but if all I needed was a small vise I wouldn't spend much on it. Keep stuffing the piggy bank, when you decide you need a bigger vise, buy a good one.

[Markopolo]

I don’t know if I could ever live with one bench vice... I have 4 of various sizes, most are over 50 years old, some nearing 100

[bob208]

a pipe vise with the jaws replaced with al. or brass with the taper to match the barrel would be the best. a bench vise would still need special jaws or blocks to hold the barrel.

[Lance Boyle]

I don’t know if I could ever live with one bench vice... I have 4 of various sizes, most are over 50 years old, some nearing 100


My big vise in a non swivel from the Lowville foundry in NY. Made in the pre WW1industrial age.

They haven’t been in business for about a 100 years

[Blanket]

I have 6 big vises around the place all older USA made, some over 100 years old

[Clark]

This forum has 3334 pages on a thread about bench vises.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782

One possible result of that thread is that big old bench vises on Ebay get a lot of bidders.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xbench +vise.TRS0&_nkw=bench+vise&_sacat=0

I got started with Columbian vises from Boeing Surplus.
229552

The prices on Ebay are much higher than the now gone Boeing Surplus.

Boeing's seafoam green color from the 70's is ugly:)

[Geezer in NH]

remember the bench is as important as the vise. A weak bench and the bestist, strongest vice will fail.

[country gent]

In one corner of the tool room we had a 10" Columbian vise mounted on a piece of heavy pipe thru the floor and poured in concrete, open all around it. This vise was used for those jobs that required real persuasion.

On the old style mill vises I have seen the back jaw pushed out of square by guys "setting" them with a hammer. Even on a old grinder or drill press vise with a fine thread it dosnt take much force on the thread to push them out of square and or bow the bottom. A good vise should be used accordingly. Some of the solidest vises were the ones on the old shapers built like a tank on steroids. Those when good were extremely solid you spun them closed on a piece they went thunk and very little handle turn past that.

[Lance Boyle]

In one corner of the tool room we had a 10" Columbian vise mounted on a piece of heavy pipe thru the floor and poured in concrete, open all around it. This vise was used for those jobs that required real persuasion.

On the old style mill vises I have seen the back jaw pushed out of square by guys "setting" them with a hammer. Even on a old grinder or drill press vise with a fine thread it dosnt take much force on the thread to push them out of square and or bow the bottom. A good vise should be used accordingly. Some of the solidest vises were the ones on the old shapers built like a tank on steroids. Those when good were extremely solid you spun them closed on a piece they went thunk and very little handle turn past that.


My buddy has a barrel vise set in the floor like that. I have turned around and walked into it. It didn’t move.

[mazo kid]

Does the Shop Fox vise rotate on the base?