04-18-2014, 07:21 AM
Machines, their tooling and accessories are not cheap in this part of the world and I've been contemplating the purchase of a machine vise ever since I purchased my mill.
I could get Kurt or Glacern out of the US but the shipping is a killer. The weight makes it impractical to try and shove in my suitcase as well. Locally, my best bet was a Vertex 6" Anglock vise and the machine shop had a sale recently. So for $266.00 I bit the bullet and bought one.
I haven't cleaned off the shipping goo yet, as my mill isn't quite back together, so after snapping a couple of pics, it went back into its plastic bag and got sealed up. It is a lot beefier and heavier than I expected (42kg [92.4Lb]). I'm very happy with the finish of the vise - less so with the cast handle, in which the hex is cast off centre. No problem, I can make my own. Like most people, I'll remove the swivel base and mount it directly to the table.
[attachment=8149]
[attachment=8150]
I could get Kurt or Glacern out of the US but the shipping is a killer. The weight makes it impractical to try and shove in my suitcase as well. Locally, my best bet was a Vertex 6" Anglock vise and the machine shop had a sale recently. So for $266.00 I bit the bullet and bought one.
I haven't cleaned off the shipping goo yet, as my mill isn't quite back together, so after snapping a couple of pics, it went back into its plastic bag and got sealed up. It is a lot beefier and heavier than I expected (42kg [92.4Lb]). I'm very happy with the finish of the vise - less so with the cast handle, in which the hex is cast off centre. No problem, I can make my own. Like most people, I'll remove the swivel base and mount it directly to the table.
[attachment=8149]
[attachment=8150]
I'm a bit curious about the sheet metal cover for the area behind the movable jaw, doesn't it interfere with the handle when opening the vise greater than shown in your pic?