Wilton? I just happened to see a couple at Home Depot last night. Wouldn't you know they were made in China! How Exotic!! I think Columbian vises might also be imported now, or at least some of their line is.
Wilton Machinist's Vises are still made in the US. Nor are they sold at Homo Depo.
Wilton, like Ridgid and some others have completely prostituted their once-golden name. Nearly all of their line is now made overseas. But not their machinist's vises.
I found a nice old Columbian 204 1/2 at a second hand store the other night. $29.99
Gunner
Political Correctness
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Did you have the new HAVA (handicap) voting equipment in your polling place? We had to have two at ours. What a waste. Two elections now (primary and General) and two machines broke down. Its too user unfriendly for the handicapped voters to use. Not one single handicapped voter that the machine was built for actually used it. Our county only spent $350,000 for these units. 87 counties in Minnesota, I think they went into nearly all 50 states.
Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member
I'm holding out for their Tradesman model. It has the basic construction of the machinest model but with higher jaws for more clearance. I also like their 45 degree model but those are _really_ expensive.
The 204 1/2 model is the one with the pipe jaws under the main jaws. It puts the main jaws way up in the air, with about 4" of clearance under the main jaws. My big 5" Simplex is the same way, though Im missing one of the pipe jaws.
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Gunner
Political Correctness
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Ive got about 7 or so vices around here, most are mounted, but a few machinists vises Ive mounted on plates of 1.5" steel, that serve pretty well for utility work..I can move em around to where the need is.
Pipe work..is done with chain pipe vises mounted on a big chunk (6') of I-beam mounted on wide straddle legs. I can clamp down a piece of 2 7/8 Range One, put on a 36 with a snipe and not turn it over.
Some of the vises are Chicom..but they are mostly used as welding clamps/holders out in the welding area. One of the handiest is the swiveling head type. I can clamp up the work pieces, turn the head away from horizontal and run beads that are level. And not worry about screwing up a good Starett or Wilton. When you mount a vise like this on a chunk of plate..its really handy and seldom in the way.
Gunner
Political Correctness
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
That's serious plate. How big are they & how much do they weigh? I know where you get them - it's one of those *mythical* scrap yards where you can wander around and pick up what you want. Yeah, right. 8-)
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