Mini-gloat and two questions

Someone gave me a Record 3VS vice yesterday -- threw it in with some woodworking tools that I was buying. That's the mini-gloat. Now here are the questions:

1) What is one of these worth? This one is just a little beat up, but mostly in very good condition.

2) When I run it in and out, it is very smooth except for the last 1/4" or so. Suddenly it gets much stiffer. I can tighten it all the way up, but I'm wondering what is causing that extra difficulty at the end. I haven't had a chance to disassemble and inspect it yet, but does anybody have any ideas what I should look for?

Thanks!

Andy

Reply to
Andrew H. Wakefield
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More than you paid for it. ;) What size? IAC, good gloat.

New, they're £102.68 to £151.75 Incl VAT (EU) £87.39 Excl VAT (Outside EU) $159.09USD

Used, anywhere from half that on down.

Dirty globs of gummed-up grease, of course. Secondary might be a bent shaft and/or hammered threads. Flip it over and find out.

I use regular moly wheel bearing grease on my mechanic's vise (6" HFT) every decade or so. That was a good $25 purchase 3 lubes ago.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Hmm, I wondered if I should have specified the size. I thought maybe the "3VS" would be specific to one particular size. This one has 4" wide jaws. Actually, I was surprised that the jaws were only 4" wide -- the thing is so massive, I expected the jaws to be a little wider. (It seems like it is twice the height of the old/cheap 3-1/2" vice I've been using.) I haven't measured its maximum opening, but I'm guessing at least 6", if not more.

I'll look for, and hope for, dirt or grease in the threads ...

Thanks,

Andy

Reply to
Andrew H. Wakefield

Record makes a better bench vice than most. As to the binding problem - I would suspect dirt - probably sawdust.

Ken.

Reply to
Ken Davey

Andy

Score! A Record vice is a good addition to a woodworking shop. Though I use mine mostly as a fixed base for powered hand tools. Put a wood lining in the jaws and you can hold a belt sander, drill, pad sander etc. upside down and use it as a small fixed tool. Very handy when finishing small parts (a pad sander with 320 grit paper does a great job of putting a matte finish on the edges of parts and rounding sharp edges).

The sticking is probably glue in the threads. Take a scraper (blade style screwdriver is traditional) and carefully clean out the corners of the threads. You may also need to clean the nut out. Run the vise all the way out, take the lead screw out and clean the inside of the nut.

If you're planning to use the vise for woodworking ever, don't use grease on the lead screw, it gets on the wood, soaks in and you'll never get it out. Bees wax works nearly as well and doesn't make a dark stain if it transfers to the wood. There are also some high tech spray on lubes that they use on commercial woodworking tools. If you know a professional, ask if they'll shoot a bit on the lead screw.

Jim

Reply to
Jim McGill

Thanks, all, for the help. I haven't had a chance to turn it over and clean it up, but hopefully this weekend ...

Andy

Reply to
Andrew H. Wakefield

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