Whoa!

[Andrew Barss]

[e-mail] wrote: : Hi Andy,

: I have a 6" Kurt and a bunch of 6" clones. The Kurt is definitely more : accurate and operates much more smoothly. They all hold parts tightly, : but the real key to a milling machine vise is its ability to hold parts : in a very exact location. From part to part, the Kurt can repeat the : location to within a few tenthousandths.

That's the bit I was unaware of -- I have no metalworking or milling experience, and didn't know the vise is used to locate parts. Thanks for the info!

-- Andy

[Prometheus]

Yep, but not in the case of the Wilton bench vise that started the tread- those are a different beast.

I'd imagine the big cost difference comes with the quality of the casting- most bench vises have an anvil surface for pounding on, and a cheap one is liable to have voids that could break the whole thing the first time you use it.

But a cast-iron *anything* that size for $120 is a pretty good price, IMO.

[George Shouse]