Damn Import Vise!

[MrWhoopee]

I really shouldn't complain, it was free and has done a lot of good work for me. It's a 6 in., no name (well it has a name plate but I can't make it out). It has the stepped jaws, which seem to be the source of all my complaints. Up until now, my biggest gripe was that the steps were too wide (1/4") and not even precisely that. Ideally, they would be .100 wide (like a parallel) or .200 exactly, so that zero on the main jaw surface would also be zero on the step. Mine are .253 wide, which means I am constantly having to pick up the edge as I move back and forth. That is mostly just an inconvenience and irritation.

Now we come to my real *****. Over the years, some funny things have happened while using the vise. I've generally dismissed them as carelessness on my part. In the past few days I was squaring up some blocks and was getting some weird out-of-square results when working on the steps. I finally grabbed an indicator and checked the top surface of the steps. They were out .005"! I assumed it must be my carelessness again. I removed the jaws, stoned them off and took them over to the surface plate. No, it wasn't me, they are off by .005. Makes me wonder how much scrap this vise produced when it was used in a job shop.

Hey Jeff, I need some time on your surface grinder.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

sounds like it would be worth making a couple of sets of steel soft jaws. Then you can cut the step yourself with the vise trammed in on the mill.

 

[Batmanacw]

I have an import vise with jaws 0.0025" out. Thank God I have a surface grinder. It's very accurate now. I checked it every way I could.

 

[Parlo]

sounds like it would be worth making a couple of sets of steel soft jaws. Then you can cut the step yourself with the vise trammed in on the mill.

Make the fixed jaw quite thick and machine a couple of different depth vertical vees on one face, they are ideal for squaring up stock and round parts.