Choosing a vise

[imagineer]

I need to purchase a milling vise (4" or 5", hopefully <$150) to use on a recently acquired Jet JMD-18. I'm finding there are options that include a 360* swivel base, and others that don't. To my untrained eye, the vises on either option look the same, i.e., a regular vise just bolted to a swivel base.

My question, is there any value to getting the swivel base option, or should I just go for a fixed base vise?

 

[NCjeeper]

In my opinion a vise is something you don't want to cheap out on. Buy a good quality one that will last and hold your parts tight. Cheap vises bring nothing but frustration. Do you have pictures or links to the vises you are considering?

 

[DavidR8]

@NCjeeper is spot on; some of the best advice I ever got was to not cheap out on the vise as it is the basis for accurate parts.
I bought a 4" Glacern and have never regretted it.

 

[Aukai]

If you do not have an immediate need for the swivel base it can wait till later, I waited several years before I got the swivel base for my Kurt 6". I have not used it, but I have it.

 

[mmcmdl]

@NCjeeper is spot on; some of the best advice I ever got was to not cheap out on the vise

Good advise on the vice .

 

[GeneT45]

Just to pile on, a vise is one of those things where any 'extra' money spent to buy quality will pay dividends almost every single time you use your mill. I second Glacern as a good option, particularly if you need a vise smaller than 6".

A swivel base is handy once in a very great while. It also reduces the rigidity of your setup ever so slightly and, perhaps most importantly for small machines, it eats into your Z-axis work envelope by another couple precious inches. It can probably wait, and you should / will probably leave it off the vise most of the time if you do get one.

GsT

 

[Damn Yankee]

Sorry, content was not pertinent. Lesson: don't write once out of bed!

John

 

[Alcap]

I have two smaller size mills , Clausing 8520 and an older Jet-15 the 8520 came with the original vise with swivel base that I have never use . The Jet had also had a swivel base that I removed . If I was looking to buy one for a smaller size mill I think one that had ground sides . It gives many mounting options , I would bolt a ground rectangle bar on one side of the vise this way if you had a odd job that you needed to move the vise it would be as simple as loosing and sliding along the ground stock . The options of moving the jaws front and back also would give many more holding available. Being able to turn the vise on its side another . If you ever needed to angle a set of pension angles could be laid against the ground stock to quickly set the angle . Having perimeter mounting makes all this easier then standard type flanges like on my vises . Here’s one that will show what the vise I’m talking about .https://www.glacern.com/gpv_412

 

[Alcap]

 

[Alcap]

Here’s the vise in my link