Thread: I bought a crappy vice

some pics might help

" I bought a crappy vise." Silly boy!!

I think i read it somnewhere

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR



yeah i know smartar%e i've done the same thing myself (maybe not a vice) and yep i kicked myself as well.

Now you have to spend the same as you did on the vice to try and fix the problem then after a couple more weeks/months you go and buy the one you "wanted" in the first place so to get a vice you end up paying double. - just doesnt seem to make sense really.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Paulb6

OK Bunnings is a bit of a distance, I wanted a woodworking vice, they only had one (chinese) yes, I know. It sat on the shed floor for a few weeks, I finally entended my bench, bolted the bloody thing in, made wooden jaws and the piece of #@$!@**! jumps out of gear.

Unbolted it, thought the coil spring might be loose, spent some hours tightening it to the max, still unclutches on very moderate pressure.

Anyone an expert on fixing crap?

Now if I can find my receipt!

Hope they have some thing better this time. wonder if it will fit the bolt holes @#$#@*.

Nah, sorry... pretty good at making crap though

Originally Posted by echnidna

some pics might help

Have been fiddling around with some fixes. Why? I guess I'm stubborn.

The photos show some of the efforts. I first tightened the spring, took a lot of messing around.

No better.

I then made the covering housing that locates the half "nut" over the thread sit deeper into the locating gooves, by filing the grooves deeper and sharper.


I then decided that the mating surface of the half nut that locks against the sliding carriage was too shiney and slippy, so cut grooves and and centre punched roughness into it.

I did the same to the face it mates against.

Success, I can only test by guesstimate, as I don't want to destroy progress by vicious tightening of the vice, but it feels a lot tighter.

I think the basic problem is that screw and the half nut fit poorly together and are poor qualty cast steel.

I do wonder, if I put grinding paste in the thread and wind backwards and forwards for the next year, that the fit would be better??

Don't know what you are complaining about.
You at least got a blue one.
The crappy vise I one purchased, which is currently located at the bottom of a plastic storage bin full of other crappy tools I was stupid enough to purchase over the years, was red.

Not only was it crappy, but also a bl**&y eye-sore as well.

Blue vices rock.

Come to think of it... most of the tools in my crap tool container are red.

More likely cast iron not cast steel.

Reminds me of a set of long 'F' clamps I bought at a wood show several years ago, 2 worked OK, and 2 had the holes for the screw clamp drilled WAY oversized, then the holes had been packed with sawdust, which fell out when I went to tighten them.

Find the receipt before it fades away, and take it back. If you go by car, leave it all in the boot, go inside and test all the vices they have in stock & find one that can be tightened without popping the half nut, mark it, THEN get the dud one out of the boot & ask for an exchange. No point in getting an exchange for another dud - if they all fail or none are left, then get a refund.

Invest the refund in a new vice from Timbecon or Carbatec, and check it out at the shop before you take it home.

Originally Posted by Paulb6

Have been fiddling around with some fixes. Why? I guess I'm stubborn.

The photos show some of the efforts. I first tightened the spring, took a lot of messing around.

No better.

I then made the covering housing that locates the half "nut" over the thread sit deeper into the locating gooves, by filing the grooves deeper and sharper.


I then decided that the mating surface of the half nut that locks against the sliding carriage was too shiney and slippy, so cut grooves and and centre punched roughness into it.

I did the same to the face it mates against.

Success, I can only test by guesstimate, as I don't want to destroy progress by vicious tightening of the vice, but it feels a lot tighter.

I think the basic problem is that screw and the half nut fit poorly together and are poor qualty cast steel.

I do wonder, if I put grinding paste in the thread and wind backwards and forwards for the next year, that the fit would be better??

Yep right on schedule you are up to this part

Originally Posted by Calm Now you have to spend the same as you did on the vice to try and fix the problem

Originally Posted by bsrlee

More likely cast iron not cast steel.

Reminds me of a set of long 'F' clamps I bought at a wood show several years ago, 2 worked OK, and 2 had the holes for the screw clamp drilled WAY oversized, then the holes had been packed with sawdust, which fell out when I went to tighten them.

Find the receipt before it fades away, and take it back. If you go by car, leave it all in the boot, go inside and test all the vices they have in stock & find one that can be tightened without popping the half nut, mark it, THEN get the dud one out of the boot & ask for an exchange. No point in getting an exchange for another dud - if they all fail or none are left, then get a refund.

Invest the refund in a new vice from Timbecon or Carbatec, and check it out at the shop before you take it home.

I took the only one they had when I went last time, interestingly the carbotec catalogue ones, look like kissing cousins to this one, they have unlabelled chinese ones and Groz ones, which are about the same price as the dud I bought. Only problem is the 5 hour drive to carbotec.

I certainly will be swinging hard on the next one., before leaving the shop.

Paul

Hi Paul

No matter how much time you invest, you will probably still end up with a crappy vice. And with any visible efforts showing on the vice could be legitimate grounds for B***'s not to support the warrantee. "You stuffed it up....."

Even if you cannot find your receipt B**'s may still give you a credit.

Alternatively its time to cut your losses. A crap vice is a crap vice..... and its probably the second most important tool after the bench.

Coincidentally one of the Oz woodwork magazines just reviewed woodwork vices and rated the best as Dawn, Groz, Irwin/Record in that order. Worth reading their review.
(Its current issue but cannot remember which magazine.)

Cheers

Graeme

Oh, come on now Graeme. It's not that bad...

• Cheap vice: $25
• Time & materials to make workable: $50
• Lessons learned: PRICELESS

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Oh, come on now Graeme. It's not that bad...

• Cheap vice: $25
• Time & materials to make workable: $50
• Lessons learned: PRICELESS

Now Skew, you have grossly underestimated the value of Paul's time and the hours of labour invested in that vise.

And the PRICELESS lesson learned - it's time to move on.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Now Skew, you have grossly underestimated the value of Paul's time and the hours of labour invested in that vise.

And the PRICELESS lesson learned - it's time to move on.

Cheers

Graeme

But Graeme he needs to learn this lesson because when he needs a stillson wrench for just "one job" or a big shifter to undo the chuck off the lathe he will go to the saturday "market" and get that $15 special and the same thing happens with that, it breaks even before he undoes one pipe - then he says thats it i'm not buying anymore crappy tools again -







until next time

DAMHIKT

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Now Skew, you have grossly underestimated the value of Paul's time and the hours of labour invested in that vise.

And the PRICELESS lesson learned - it's time to move on.

Cheers

Graeme

Main error is that it wasn't that cheap.. NZ$ 105 from memory and the same vice as carba-tec sell... ctv 2010

However I learnt about quick release vices. A great deal of the cheap stuff has been excellent purchases.

The trouble with vices is that they can be expensive, hard to stop, and dangerous to one's physical and mental health and too heavy to buy on ebay or trademe.


Now to find a new vice or two!!!