work bench vices among other "essential" tools?

K

Kimio

New member
So I'm trying to compile a good list of what to start off with for a work bench.

So far the basic hammers (brass, plastic and ball), punches and files are all on the list.

One major pieces to my understanding is a solid Vice to lock things down.

Can anyone here suggest a brand of vice? I'm not as familiar with the various types.

I'll be working with military surplus rifles for the most part as well as my AR15.
 
I'm certainly no gunsmith but I see there being two different types of gun vises with different purposes. One is a "serious" vise - one that will hold a firearm securely enough to put pressure or torque on it. I.E. drilling/tapping, removing barrels, etc. That type is securely mounted to the bench.

The other would be a light duty or portable vise - the kind that holds a firearm for cleaning, scope mounting, etc. I've seen a few of those that were bench mounted but most are portable. I made myself a portable one a few years ago using a large parallel jaw woodworkers clamp as the vise part.

I think that most shooters should have the 2nd (light duty) type as part of their "shooting stuff". The first type - well, I don't see myself doing anything that drastic to a firearm but you might.
 
This would be for the former.

A vise tha would be bolted to my work bench, used for more heavy duty work and all that
 
I would look around at auctions for a large older one. I have broken over 1/2 dozen vises in my time (Not saying I was using them correctly), and anything new and good is really expensive.
 
I like the Wilton Tradesmen vise but I can't afford the Wilton Tradesman vise. :( I can adapt it for metal with copper lining for the jaws, lead jaws or wood w/cork.
 
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