I was hoping I'd inherit one or something. I did end up with a blacksmith's post vise... in some ways better. meanwhile I'm making do with a chinese swivel header like this:
I've seen desks and workbenches from the 20's, still in use in phone co. buildings, railroad shops, municipal garages, and firehouses.
One of my local live-in firehouses, built in 1898, has a "duty desk" in the garage area that we believe came with the building. It's been measured by historians several times.
Columbian is there "made in who the hell knows were but it's cheap" line. The original heavy Wilton vises are much more expensive and much higher quality.
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> $120 for a good bench vice seems pretty reasonable to me...
I think Kurt held the original patent for the "angle lock" mechanism. Now that the patent has expired, there are dozens of clones. Kurt still sets the standard for milling machine vises. There are some better but they are still based on the Kurt design.
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. The fixed jaw on the clones tends to flex a bit, so they can only repeat to within a few thousandths. The steel and cast iron on the Kurt is also much better and more accurately ground. The beds and jaws on the clones aren't nearly as flat.
The Kurt is worth it if you need the accuracy and reliability. M> Just out of curiosity, what makes this (or doesn't) worth the
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