Quick Release Vise Recommendation

[Jack Norfleet]

I am starting to collect the SYP I need to make a 6' long French Workbench using Christopher Schwartz's plans. I intend to install a wagon vise and a quick release face vise.

Since the Woodcraft March madness sale is coming soon, I have been looking at the Jorgensen, the Wilton, and the Woodcraft brands. Is there much difference between the brands, or is there another brand I am missing?

I am mainly looking for resistance to racking, a decent price and overall quality.

[Bruce Page]

I put a 10" Jorgensen on my bench when I built it several years ago. I have been happy with it.

[Gary Miller]

I have been using 2 quick release Jorgensons for over 25 years. Quite pleased. Just upgraded them by putting thick leather on the wood faces--wish I'd done that years ago.
Gary

[Todd Hyman]

I am starting to collect the SYP I need to make a 6' long French Workbench using Christopher Schwartz's plans. I intend to install a wagon vise and a quick release face vise.

Since the Woodcraft March madness sale is coming soon, I have been looking at the Jorgensen, the Wilton, and the Woodcraft brands. Is there much difference between the brands, or is there another brand I am missing?

I am mainly looking for resistance to racking, a decent price and overall quality.

Woodcraft also carries a groz 9" quick release vise that I have and it works great.

[Don Dorn]

Seems as though there are many good options. I picked up the 9" Jet and have been very happy with it. It has a seperate lever to activate the quick release and I've learned to really appreciate that as opposed to a friends Wilton that doesn't sport that feature.

[Alex Yeilding]

Seems as though there are many good options. I picked up the 9" Jet and have been very happy with it. It has a seperate lever to activate the quick release and I've learned to really appreciate that as opposed to a friends Wilton that doesn't sport that feature.

What's the advantage of a separate lever for activating the quick release? I've liked my Wilton's quick release (Counter-clockwise to disengage screw, clockwise to engage, then tighten) since it leaves the other had free to hold the work being set in the vise.

[Don Dorn]

The Wilton is what my friend has too. It's just a matter of opinion, but running it closed isn't the issue. Then, you have to turn it a couple of times in order for it to "click" into engagement. Based on your post, I'm apparantly doing it wrong (as is my friend). Can you elaborate a little?

With the seperate lever, you just drape your thumb over the entrance of the main handle and pull the lever up with your finger and close the vice on the work at the same time. Then, when you start turning the handle, it's already engauged and tightens up immediately. Again, personal preference.

[John Powers]

I have that Jorgensen. works fine. got a green chinese one and the quick release promptly broke.

[Bruce Page]

With the seperate lever, you just drape your thumb over the entrance of the main handle and pull the lever up with your finger and close the vice on the work at the same time. Then, when you start turning the handle, it's already engauged and tightens up immediately. Again, personal preference.
I have never seen the quick release as an issue with my Jorgensen but I haven't tried the Jet either.

[Lee Koepke]

well, i just bought a Wilton. I just installed it about an hour ago, and it works pretty good for me.

it is my first wood workers vise and i am new to their use so maybe not a good judge :D

it has the pivoting jaw, but this one is removable. It also has magnetic wood inserts. We shall see how it goes.

[Kevin Groenke]

Half of the 8 chinese imports that we installed at work 5 years or so ago have been slipping for more than a year. The Record on my own bench at home has been slipping lately.

Look closely at the screw on any vise you buy. All of the vises that I've seen slip have < shaped threads rather the [ shaped acme threads.

I've replaced the worst offenders at work with Rockler vises which are very sturdy, well made and have not slipped to date. These vises have the Wilton-style 1/4 turn CCW disengage feature which takes a bit to transition to from the Record/Jorgenson style lever, but is fine once you get used to it.


Rockler sells these in a 7", 9" and 12" versions.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17247


http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/33487-01-200.jpghttp://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/37180-01-200.jpg

[Jack Norfleet]

Thanks for the input. I will look for acme threads and see which type of quick release system I like.

[Alex Yeilding]

The Wilton is what my friend has too. It's just a matter of opinion, but running it closed isn't the issue. Then, you have to turn it a couple of times in order for it to "click" into engagement. Based on your post, I'm apparantly doing it wrong (as is my friend). Can you elaborate a little?Well, I don't think you are doing anything wrong. I don't think I have ever had to turn mine a couple of times to get it to engage, so there ight be some adjustment problem with your friend's But there certainly is some "Play" before it engages, feeling like backlash in a screw. My main dissatisfaction with mine is going the other direction. It releases relatively quickly, so you can't just loosen a half turn to reposition your work-piece. It might be holding too tight when it disengages, in which case you have to pull the vise open, which can't be done with a fine touch like with the screw.


With the seperate lever, you just drape your thumb over the entrance of the main handle and pull the lever up with your finger and close the vice on the work at the same time. Then, when you start turning the handle, it's already engauged and tightens up immediately. Again, personal preference.Is that lever springloaded to return to the engaged postion? If so, that might be preferable to the type on my wilton, and would tempt me to change out vises if I used that one enough.

[Don Dorn]

Is that lever springloaded to return to the engaged postion? If so, that might be preferable to the type on my wilton, and would tempt me to change out vises if I used that one enough.

Oddly enough, you have got me re-considering. Next time I'm at my friends, I'm going to look much closer at the Wilton. I do like the fact that the screw is encased and doesn't take the dust that is natural to hand work. I'm not going to replace the Jet, but am considering the Wilton for a front vice when the new bench is built.

The Jet works like many of the other lever models I suspect in that when you pull the lever, you can move the jaw back and forth. The spring simply allows the jaws to bypass the screw as long as it is pulled. I simply close it on the work, let go of the lever and then turn the handle. Within a quarter turn, it's fully engagued. To loosen it, I admit that I loosen the handle just a tad, then pull the lever in the manner I described and it pulls open easily. I really like it when using dogs on the benchtop because it's so easy to adjust and there is very little play between the jaws during adjustment.