best source for high quality WW vise

[Dave Burson]

Building my assembly table now (aka James King type design) and wondering what the best source would be to find a high quality good sized quick release end/front vice? Looking for something better than the chinese built ones that tend to have racking issues from what I've read. Cost is not determining factor, looking to put in and enjoy for decades, so whatever that takes to get the right one. TIA for any input!!!

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I’ve had great luck on Craigslist. On 3 different occasions I picked up mint Made in England Record vises - 2x 52 1/2D and 1x 53. But I was patient. Otherwise I would buy a Milwaukee Tool Company vise. Huge selection and Made in USA. Tools For Working Wood carries a couple, or I believe you can order a much larger selection directly from the company - www.miltool.com

[Bill Dufour]

I was going to say record as well. I found one at a auto wrecking yard. I had to wait while a fool clamped it to something and pounded on the vise to pull the something out. Record is out of business. I think someone bought the name and is selling made in China junk with no relation to the originals except paint color and the name slapped on the sticker.
Bil lD

[Chris Luke]

Otherwise I would buy a Milwaukee Tool Company vise. Huge selection and Made in USA. Tools For Working Wood carries a couple, or I believe you can order a much larger selection directly from the company - www.miltool.com (http://www.miltool.com)

Minor correction after going Googling for it myself: It's Milwaukee Tool & Equipment Company at http://www.milwtool.com/ :)

[Stephen Rosenthal]

You’re right - mea culpa. I copied the link incorrectly. But I’m right about the vises.🙂 As Bill noted, if you stumble upon a Record make sure it says Made in England on the front face. The Chinese clones are crapola.

[Jim Matthews]

If you're keen on a US product, the Wilton is excellent.

https://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/view-series/heavy-duty-woodworking-vises/HDWoodVise

The Veritas front vise requires construction if jaws, but sets the standard for operation, size and quality. It's made in Canada.

http://www.veritastools.com/Products/Page.aspx?p=542

The Accura patternmaker's vise is a complicated variant of the venerable Emmert vise. They're finicky to mount but amazingly flexible. Until recently they were forged and built in Taiwan but I can't verify that today.

https://www.amazon.com/WOODRIVER-WoodRiver-Pattern-Makers-Vise/dp/B0035Y9FYU

[Ed Mitchell]

The Lee Valley Record clone is made in Europe:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/workbenches/vises/49980-quick-release-steel-bench-vises?item=10G0413

and their front vise is made in Canada:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/workbenches/vises/67755-veritas-quick-release-front-vise?item=05G3401

A more interesting option would be Andy Klein's vise, although I'm not sure where it's manufactured:

https://www.in-kleind.com/store/Twin-Turbo-Vise-c34750217

[Patrick Kane]

Depends on the budget, but I think the 18” emmert’s is top of the heap. I feel so strongly that I have two of them. I always wanted to give the twin screw veritas a go. The 24” model looked especially convenient for dovetailing wide drawer sides or carcass sides.

[Bob Andre]

I guess I'm fortunate to have an Emmert, real Record, and the 24" Lee Valley. All serve different tasks. Emmerts show up on Craigslist fairly often, so start looking. They are complicated to mount but are so very versatile. I'd also look for one of the Records, may take awhile, but for me it is the one most often used. The Lee Valley in 24" version is the only way I can hold wide drawer and carcase sides for dovetailing and a host of other tasks.

[Jack Frederick]

Check out the Lie Nielsen vises.

[Jim Becker]

Honestly, I bought a very nice Yost brand off Amazon earlier this year for a project and was very pleased with it. It's easily a match for the one I bought from Lee Valley many years ago that's on my main bench.

[Paul Saffold]

Leslie Webb at heartwoodtools dot com (Texas) carries Australian toolmaker HNT Gordon products including their pattern maker’s vise and front vise. Worth a look.

[Todd Trebuna]

Honestly, I bought a very nice Yost brand off Amazon earlier this year for a project and was very pleased with it. It's easily a match for the one I bought from Lee Valley many years ago that's on my main bench.


I also have a Yost brand (that I got from Amazon) and a Wilton 79A "Rapid Action" that I love. I've got a huge Chop on the Yost, and it racks quite a bit (as you would expect). It's easily remedied by clamping an item on the other side the same thickness. The yost is mounted to the underside of my laminated construction lumber bench. the racking top to bottom improved quite a bit, when I added a piece to support the guide rails (between the underside of the bench and the top of the guide rails).
The Wilton works great, is very beefy and has a sliding jaw that can be raised to act as a bench dog.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

If you're keen on a US product, the Wilton is excellent.

https://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/view-series/heavy-duty-woodworking-vises/HDWoodVise

The Veritas front vise requires construction if jaws, but sets the standard for operation, size and quality. It's made in Canada.

http://www.veritastools.com/Products/Page.aspx?p=542

The Accura patternmaker's vise is a complicated variant of the venerable Emmert vise. They're finicky to mount but amazingly flexible. Until recently they were forged and built in Taiwan but I can't verify that today.

https://www.amazon.com/WOODRIVER-WoodRiver-Pattern-Makers-Vise/dp/B0035Y9FYU


I have that Wilton on my bench, it's a darn decent vise. I did modify mine a little, I tapped a bolt in on each side of the swivel jaw to act as an adjustable limit to how much the jaw pivots. I had some issues getting it to grab some odd ball part I was making once, it kept sliding off to the side like a watermelon seed. I like the mod, I'd do it again. I'd also buy the vise again.

[Jim Becker]

I also have a Yost brand (that I got from Amazon) and a Wilton 79A "Rapid Action" that I love. I've got a huge Chop on the Yost, and it racks quite a bit (as you would expect). It's easily remedied by clamping an item on the other side the same thickness. The yost is mounted to the underside of my laminated construction lumber bench. the racking top to bottom improved quite a bit, when I added a piece to support the guide rails (between the underside of the bench and the top of the guide rails).
The Wilton works great, is very beefy and has a sliding jaw that can be raised to act as a bench dog.

Single screw units are unfortunately going to be prone to racking for off-center holding and I do the same as you...a shim of similar thickness on the other side of the jaws. A piece of masking tape can serve as a "third hand" to hold that shim in place while steading the workpiece with one real hand and closing the jaws with the other real hand. :)

[John C Bush]

Check out the Kline Swiveling Twin Turbo vise

[michael langman]

Quick release vises are prone to slipping because acme threads have a slight thread angle.
The Yost quick release vises have solved this problem by using a buttress thread instead of an acme thread. Buttress threads have a 90 degree shoulder on one side of thread, thus giving a more positive lockup of the quick release mechanism. Their vise will last for many more years of use because of this.

[Patrick Kane]

Single screw units are unfortunately going to be prone to racking for off-center holding and I do the same as you...a shim of similar thickness on the other side of the jaws. A piece of masking tape can serve as a "third hand" to hold that shim in place while steading the workpiece with one real hand and closing the jaws with the other real hand. :)


I dont know how, but the Emmert's is a single screw and it doesnt rack. It also has the ability to pre-emptively counteract racking by changing the camber of the outside vise jaw.

My lee valley front vise racks as bad as the worst of them, and its stupid trying to position a shim and your workpiece while tightening the vise. I should have made one of those stepped thickness stops to register on top of the vise and not require a third hand. Instead, i mounted an Emmerts.

[Jim Becker]

Patrick, I didn't mean my comment to be "universal"...I should have worded it better. I do think this is where you get what you pay for for sure.

[Curt Putnam]

Look also at the HNT Gordon vise - non-wracking and apparently super solid.

[Ole Anderson]

it's a darn decent vise.

That got a chuckle out of me...

[Dave Burson]

I guess I'm fortunate to have an Emmert, real Record, and the 24" Lee Valley. All serve different tasks. Emmerts show up on Craigslist fairly often, so start looking. They are complicated to mount but are so very versatile. I'd also look for one of the Records, may take awhile, but for me it is the one most often used. The Lee Valley in 24" version is the only way I can hold wide drawer and carcase sides for dovetailing and a host of other tasks.


Thanks Bob. On this assembly table I don't have room beneath to mount a patternmakers (plan that for the workbench which is next project) , so was focusing on a quick release ww vise that I can attach some heavy duty large wood jaws to it. Was going to go with the Veritas, but sounds like maybe that too has racking issues? Can someone verify this? Looking at the VERITAS quick release front vise. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/workbenches/vises/67755-veritas-quick-release-front-vise?item=05G3401

Does the Record Vise you have racking issues if clamping on one side? My bench top is going to be 7" thick, so will be making some substantial sized wooden faces for the jaws, any problem with that on the record? Thanks for input!!!

[Dave Burson]

I dont know how, but the Emmert's is a single screw and it doesnt rack. It also has the ability to pre-emptively counteract racking by changing the camber of the outside vise jaw.

My lee valley front vise racks as bad as the worst of them, and its stupid trying to position a shim and your workpiece while tightening the vise. I should have made one of those stepped thickness stops to register on top of the vise and not require a third hand. Instead, i mounted an Emmerts.


Patrick
stepped thickness stops?? Picture?

[Patrick Kane]

Patrick
stepped thickness stops?? Picture?


Google let me down, i couldnt quickly locate it. I remember it looking like a domino height gauge, if that makes sense. Maybe 3-4 "steps" in it for common thicknesses from 1/4" to 2". This commercially available shim thing looks like it would work just as well. You really need something that will stay in place at the far end of your vise chop. Otherwise, you imprecisely hold your workpiece in position with your knees while your hands hold the anti-racking spacer and tighten the vise.

Also, i have the LEE VALLEY large front vise. It is very very budget conscious. Im sure anything with the Veritas tag will be a dramatic step up in performance and quality. I think i made my bench for a whopping grand total of $110, lumber and hardware included.

[Harvey Miller]

Lee Valley has a shim stack to prevent racking for $20. It's called a 'Vise Rack Stop'

[Mel Fulks]

The Emmerts are good ,and the most known brand. But there are other brands , do searches for "pattern maker's vise".
There are several sizes, all are larger than most "woodworking vises".

[Derek Cohen]

If price does not scare you (here priced in AUD), look at the HNT Gordon vises. These are the best on the market of the type you seek ...

https://hntgordon.com.au/collections/bench-vices-clamps

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mel Fulks]

Just looked at the Gordon vise . Looks like the jaws don't adjust out of parallel ,is that right? Be careful and find out!
I saw the tilting plate ,but in all the old ones I've seen and used ,the plate was needed only for something that needed
tilt in TWO directions. I concede the Gordon vise is probably the shiniest ever made !!

[Tom Bender]

The Wilton looks to have the structure of a machinist's vise with jaws for woodworking. I like the concept. It should not rack.

[Dan Lambert]

I have a NOS Record vise that I've been holding on to for a while, and don't really have a need for. It's a 52 1/2, made in England. PM me if you are interested.