Craftsman 6" vice

C Craft

C Craft

Well-Known Member
Let's make this about all about your shop vices and the Craftsman 6" vice

I UPDATED THE TITLE ON THIS THREAD TO INCLUDE WHAT ALL OF WANT TO SAY ABOUT OUT VICES :what!:.............UH ABOUT BENCH STYLE VICES NOT THE OTHER KIND!:biggrin:

Not sure this is the place to post this but it is shop related, so here goes.

I have a 6" Sears Craftsman vice. http://www.sears.com/craftsman-6-in-bench-vise/p-00951856000P I will not say that I was overly impressed with the quality. I had to shim one of the jaws to get them to close completely flat but, I got around that and for the price it was not extremely bad!

I broke one of the jaws a few years back. I welded it and reused it then I broke both jaws in one day!
Basically I have my vice mounted at the end of the bench so if such a turning operation was needed I could use continuous motion without contacting the bench, and travel upward or downward never really crossed my mind.
The jaws were broken each time by the same type of force. I was clamping a piece into them parallel to the jaws and then turning it in an upward motion. However that day I broke one jaw broke when I was taking a coupling off of a piece of galvanized pipe and it broke the second jaw when I reversed to the other end to avoid the broken jaw, and tighten a new coupling onto the pipe!
Neither if the times was the stress all that great, the jaws just could not stand any upward torque I finally figured out. They snapped at the screw hole! I know before anyone says anything if I had reversed the process I would not having been torquing the jaw upward away from the ledge it sits on! However I am not sure that would have kept these jaws from breaking as that seems to be a very common complaint!After each time after breaking the jaws, I checked to see if Sears carried a replacement and the answer was no. So after welding the jaws already twice, I kind of figured the vice was nearly useless, and kind of used it sparingly.

I finally found a site that sells replacement jaw inserts for the Sears 6" vice. However after reviewing there site, http://www.ereplacementparts.com/jaw-faces-p-1016743.html
I decided I could almost buy a new vice for that price once shipping was included and if I wanted to upgrade. I could go to a Wilton vice, which is a better product, and looks eerily like a Craftsman.

As we all know that have ever done the research Sears has never built a tool, appliance or anything else in that category for themselves. At least not in the last 40 years. They have always got other companies to build them as a different quality of tool or at least there was some one thing that makes it unique so it can be marketed as a Craftsman tool!

Well once again that put my mind back to Wilton. That is when I goggled replacement jaws for a Wilton 6" vice and low and behold this is what I got. http://www.zorotools.com/g/Jaw Inserts/00037035/
Notice the Zoro tools site and their # G0463452 for the replacement jaws for a Wilton 6" vice. The measurement for the screw holes are the same as the Sears Craftsman 6" vice. And I will tell you since I have bought them and installed them in my Craftsman 6" vice they will work exactly as a replacement for the Sears jaws. At half the price of what the other site wanted for them.

Now if I had the money I would have sold the Sears for scrap and went with the Wilton but for the investment I got a new set of jaw that is identical to the Sears, (except that they don't have the vertical cross cuts that the Sears jaw did). But if you really want them I don't think it would be that hard to file/cut them in!

I would be willing to bet money that no matter the size of your Sears Craftsman vice if you will measure the screw holes the Wilton jaws on the Zoro site will fit it. But since I can't guarantee that it will have to be on your back if you take a chance like I did to get the replacements!


One note on installation I had to use the screws that were in the Sears Craftsman vice. The ones that come with the Wilton replacement jaws are exactly the same in size and head size. However they are only about 5/8" and only allow for a couple of threads to catch. The original screws are about3/4 - 7/8 inch in length and allow for a much better thread contact! Other than that I found nothing that didn't work for me on the replacement!

Well maybe this will give someone else out there in the same position I was a functional vice again and if this is the wrong place moderators feel free to move it!

Another update on Zoro tools they sent the vice replacement jaws in 3 days and less than a week I got a book in the mail with two cupons in it. One for $15.00 off on a $75.00 purchase and another for $25.00 off of a $125.00 purchase! So I may have stumbled onto a good company here!
 
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Good info. I have a "Pony" vise that was under $45. The swivel lock is junk, the alignment is worse. Haven't broken the inserts yet and it appears on mine that they're better supported than on the Sears unit. It's an import piece as well. I am flat out amazed at the level of crap that's being marketed anymore, they must have done a comically bad job at the material selection or heat treatment of the jaw inserts on your piece. If they can save a single penny on an item being sold by the millions, it will happen.
 
Frank the swivel feature on this vice allow for the entire vice to rotate 360*. But that puts the handle in a bad spot. I have loosened it only about twice as it took a hammer to tighten it back both times so can't brag too much on that. I keep looking for a decent post vice to come up. I saw one for $200.00 the other day on Craigslist but when I took a close look at the pics the jaws were broken and the handle looked like a pretzel. Other than that, well if the jaws are broke ............. I would consider that scrap metal pretty much. I mean it could be repaired but it looked to be one of the lighter ones. I wish I had the one my father had in his shop. It was sold while I was in service but that's a long story.

It was one of the heaviest I have ever seen the handle on it was 1" steel. you couldn't bend it and he had done a couple of mounting options and you couldn't move it or the bench it was mounted too. One of the blacksmith companies sells a new post vice but it is over $700.00 if I am remembering correctly!


UPDATE: I was right on with the price, shipping will push this brand new one over $700.00 delivered to you. I went back through my bookmarks and found the site. Slobber all over this thing! :whistling: :wub: :jawdrop:

http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/products/anvils-vices/post-leg-vice.html
 
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It's getting increasingly hard to find a good vise these days. Not without paying an arm and a leg for it anyhow.
I've been debating getting a masterforce brand vise from Menards, as they have a lifetime replacement warranty, but I'm kind of keeping my eye out for an old Wilton as well.
 
Wilton as a bench vice is hard to beat, the quality is built into the vice.

I would love to lay my hands on a good used post vice but so far everything I have run across has been to high for the shape it's in or like the last one I referenced with broken jaws and a bent handle, basically just a big pile of scrap metal!
If you did repair it you couldn't afford the $200.00 plus they are asking for them, with all the work you would have to do to make them right again. I mean you could cut the old jaws back to get around the broken and then once you got them cut back right, make jaw inserts and driil and tap the old jaws to except them. Any way you look at it, to fix one in that bad a shape would take a lot of TLC and just down right work!

Alas though, ! I haven't given up! I try to catch every farm sell and estate auction and Craigslist listing I can look at. Every once in a while you catch someone on Craigslist that don't know what they got, they are just trying to get rid of Grandpa's so called junk!:what!: But those are getting harder to find as well!:biggrin:
 
Craigslist has been a great source of older vises for me, but you have to be patient. I currently have a 6" Pre-WW2 Columbian that I restored on my bench that weighs just shy of 100 pounds. I also have a 6" Parker that is around 84 pounds along with other miscellaneous 3-4"ers that are awaiting restoration. I even have a small 1.5" cutie that I restored and use for small detail work.

The older vises made pre-70's were simply made better than those you can purchase now. I've talked with more than a few people who can't fathom spending the money on a Wilton but complain when their Harbor Freight or equivalent quality snap in two with mild use. There is a reason Wilton's are so $$$$$. How many of us know of anyone who actually broke one? (I know of one, but it was when it dropped off their truck on the highway and even then, only the end cap was broken...it still worked!)

I'm brand new to knife making and yet I can't help but think of the knifemaker slogan 'Only cry once!'

A list of high quality vise manufacturers (in case anyone wants to look out for them) are....
Wilton (but usually everyone KNOWS they are worth more so fewer bargains here)
Yost
Columbian
Parker (or Chas Parker depending on when it was made)
Reed
Rock Island
Record (these are made in England)
Athol
Craftsman (which have USA on them since they are older models)

Just watch out for broken mounting tabs, too many dings on the slide where someone was missing the mark in hammering and also the anvil really shouldn't be used for pounding...it can damage the vise and weaken it.

If there is interest I can show the whole process of how I restored my columbian, it was seized up tight and the seller said he thought I could use it as a collectible and not a user!
 
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