PhaseII Vise - this can't be normal, right?

"Chunks of Mystery Metal", very nice.
Sounds dangerous for the tooling.
Or the operator.

tcweb said:

I picked up this 5" mill vise - very solid. But I'm wondering if the jaws have been replaced or ground down, as the casting is NOT machined directly in front of the fixed jaw. See the pictures below. It makes it tricky if not impossible to use parallels. What am I missing? (or what did PhaseII miss?) Can I machine and surface grind an extension for the jaw? Should I just lay a parallel flat inside the jaws? (may not be possible for very small parts)

Anyone else own one of these for comparison?

Thanks,

-Tom
View attachment 275857View attachment 275854View attachment 275856View attachment 275855

Click to expand...

I have the same type of vice and want to fix that problem. Don't know why I didn't do it when I refurbished it.

I just spent an hour aligning the vise and taking some test cuts. It looks as if the fixed jaw isn't ground all that well (off by .002 near one end).
It's definitely not going to work as is. I like being able to put a parallel up against that fixed jaw.
I think I may have to clean up a few other spots as well. I may try again without the swivel base. I'm told that they introduce a crap ton of error.

If I decide I need a new chinesium vise (no way I can affort a Kurt, it would cost more than my mill), any advice on something that is not to bad?
I'm always hoping to score a garage sale find on a Bridgeport or Kurt, but I may need something to get me up and running in the mean time.

-Tom

Put a spacer the width of the groove or a bit more behind the fixed jaw, may require longer jaw hold down bolts. A piece of cold rolled, maybe 1/4" thick or a bit more and slightly less wide than the fixed jaw in width and height.

tcweb said:

I knew that Phase2 did make some decent quality Chinese tooling

Click to expand...

I knew that too until I bought some of their products and they were pretty typical Chinese stuff. Lots of reviews out there that say the same. They certainly do not live up to the reputation some buyers give them, don't pay more...

It is time for hobbyists to rise against the people that run the machining industry.

I am mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, would be an excellent slogan. (do not know who actually wrote this line but Albert Finney made it well used)

I demand a $1500.00 mill vice for $159.95 shipped that is not made in China.
I demand a 12 X 30 lathe that is very accurate, has a good deal of power, a gearbox, a QCTP, a 3 jaw scroll chuck and a 4 jaw independent, a collet chuck and closer, weighs less then 1000 Lbs and runs on 110 V house current, variable speed spindle and a DRO for less then $10000.00, also not made in China.

If all buy hard enough the wish will be granted.
I do not see this market expanding anytime soon however.

Good Luck everyone

I demand a vise that looks like the picture in the advertisement, not like one of the sorry looking examples that show up on calls for help posted in machinist forums. If you search suppliers for pictures of this vise, they don't look like the above. They have nice, smooth, flat rails that look fine for a parallel. By the way, I have a vise that has this problem. I'm not complaining, however, since it was thrown in with a drill press which came from Craigslist, and it was well worth the price with or without the stupid vise. I would post a picture from one of the advertisers, but most of them are disabled from copying or watermarked, so anyone interested can search them up. I suppose that you cannot complain if the item does not match the picture. I bought and oxygen and acetylene regulator on Ebay, and only received the oxygen regulator. When I complained to the seller, I was told, "you only get what is in the picture, not what is in the description." Plus, I got nailed with negative feedback. All that is asked is to receive the item and not be intentionally deceived.

I know from experience Phase 2 can sell some real garbage. I have been very unhappy with a wedge tool post from them along with a rotary table. Rotary table leaks like a sieve and wedge tool post is sloppy compared to a no name Chinese tool post of same design. Phase 2 is also about worthless for service or info IMO. I stay away now. I have seen their tools at shows and in my opinion they take well checked out pieces to shows, their stuff definitely looked good at the shows. You can buy the same quality or better from CDCO or Shars, or bout any tool house, sometimes at way better prices. Low dollar Chinese stuff is a crap shoot, you take your chances, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes its a struggle to get your money back and you are usually out shipping both directions.

Uh ... fellas, discussing problems is one thing, bashing vendors is something we don't want to do. 'Nuf Said?

T Bredehoft said:

Uh ... fellas, discussing problems is one thing, bashing vendors is something we don't want to do. 'Nuf Said?

Click to expand...

I appreciate all reviews, good or bad or neutral. This forum is an excellent place to find out the real world results that buyers get with a company's offerings, to help us all find better quality for our money, and to avoid poor results. If a manufacturer or seller is doing a good job, I want to know about it. Same with negative feedback. Tell it like it is...

Sorry you're having this experience, Tom. My suggestion is to return it and buy a Vertex screwless vise. The cost will be about the same but you will have far better accuracy and rigidity compared to a Chinese milling vise. I own three screwless vises and a Kurt milling vise. All are good but if I want the best accuracy and rigidity, I pull out the Wilton screwless vise.

One of many videos on such vises: