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I've pretty much convinced myself I need one of these, or something similar. The old zyliss viSe setup I inherited from my father is handy for some things, but it really falls short trying to hold unusual shapes... like guitar necks, and such...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_su ... _Vise.html

Before I plunk down $140 plus shipping for this, I thought I'd inquire with you guys and gals to see what your experiences are? I don't mind paying good money for good tools, I just want a little reassurance

Anyone have any feedback on this? Experiences good or bad? General comments? Alternatives?

Thanks!

Jim

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Jim Hansen

Well, you can buy one of these:

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/577167 ... akers-vise

Which I see is discontinued. I'm not surprised. I have one of those, and it's a piece of junk. It's basically unusable, not just because it's a mechanical nightmare but because the mechanism is constantly grinding on itself and leaving a messy combination of shavings and rust all over the place. I have to carefully clean every time I touch it. It's a lot cheaper, but still overpriced IMHO

Or you can buy one of these from Woodcraft

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200351 ... -Vise.aspx

I have one of these too and it's my main vice...it's a very nice vice and I would buy another in heartbeat. I would want to see it before I bought it, though, to make sure it function properly. If you have a local Woodcraft, this may not be an awful choice

Or you can buy the Stewmac one for a couple of bucks more which is a bit nicer. The nicest feature they added was the locking nuts for the jaws. Without that, you're forever adjusting the jaw bolts as they loosen/tighten as the jaws swivel. With the locking nut, you snug them to exactly where you want it, and they stay. The bearing is nice (though the Woodcraft vice is pretty smooth on it's own.....mine is, anyway) and the handcrank wheel is a very nice feature too.

I need a second vice to replace the junky Wheeler and will probably get the StewMac one. Whatever you do, stay away from the cheap ones. The machining/casting on them is absolutely awful, they wobble, the jaws have too much play, etc. You won't be happy...well, maybe you will until you use a nice one and see how much better life can be

I have the stewmac vice and use it nearly every day in the shop. It is really a nice tool.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Or if you have the time and can weld, and are cheap like me ....you can build your own with ball bearings front and rear and lock nuts on the jaw swivel. Still need to put leather on the jaws.

But after the time spent,,the SM vise isn't a bad deal.

Chuck

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I have the SM vise as well, and use it for a variety of things, but mainly to do with making the neck.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I've gone with the parrot vice using various jaw (like for holding tapers) inserts like here http://www.frets.com/fretspages/luthier/ProductReviews/Tools/ParrotVise/parrotvise.html
That way I can afford 3 dedicated vices for the price of the SM. ($43 at Grizzly via https://www.facebook.com/notes/Toolshomeimprovement9/Order-Now-Shop-Fox-D3125-Parrot-Vise/201543229909243)
Handy if you have the space, more versatile in some ways, but but a bit smaller/lighter- depends on what you need/want of course.








Edit - Previous post reminds me - Time to change my signature!!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I have the one from Japan woodworker http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product. ... t_id=13149 and like it very much! It's certainly my main vice although I do have a small metal workers vice on another bench. When I got mine, it was on sale for $89 if I recall right. Having never used one of the Stew Mac carvers vices I can't say that it's any better but the swivel handle might be nice to have...

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Guys.... it's a VISE..... not a vice (immoral or criminal habit).


(thanks to Todd and other correct spellers)

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

HAHAHA! No wonder my google and forum searches have been failing me! :p

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Jim Hansen

I have two of em, and would be lost without them...

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
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The Zyliss is not that bad indeed...



(If you are in a hurry jump to 0:46)


But hey, if you want one of "these", get one! I only heard good things about it, and it's much sturdier than my solution!

Well crap ! there goes MY interest !

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Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
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The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
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Vice or vise depends, I suspect, on where you live. In the U.K., and here in Australia, it is usually "vice". The Oxford English Dictionary shows "vice" as the primary spelling, but with "vise" as the alternative.

My iPhone's spell checker must be set for British English....

Sorry to have to say this, but I bought one of the Stew-Mac Ultimate (ultimately expense) vises. For years I had 2 of the guitar repair vises, which I had previously thought were great. After getting the Ultimsate vise. I immediately sold both of the old ones and bought a second Ultimate Vise. Very expensive, but ultimately amazing, though I had to make a slight modification to them as is common with many tools you buy from China. I highly recommend them if you can swing it.

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

I have one.
I do like it.
But no vise does it all.
I have a Parrot,Zyliss,VersaVise & the Stewmac one.
They all work well for certain operations.

But I do like the Stewmac one very much.

Mike

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Mike Collins

Thanks for the inputs everyone.

I ordered the Guitar Repair ViSe this morning.

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Jim Hansen

I think this is too late...

Before anyone in or around Taiwan plonks down 140 USD plus 200 USD shipping to buy the Stewmac guitar repair vise, I found someone who sells the exact same vise in Taiwan:

http://tw.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/e55925699?u=Y5048622186

It's half the price of Stewmac and it's the exact same thing except for the handle. I suspect it's made by the same factory. If you're in the US the shipping would cancel out the savings but for those in Europe, this is a good deal because the stuff can be sent by economy which is cheap but slow.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

That's not the same vise. It doesn't have the locking nuts for the jaws, and it probably doesn't have the bearings either. It could be made very cheaply too. I've seen examples of these vices that are so bad as to be almost unusable. The one I have from Woodcraft isn't bad at all. The StewMac one is the Cadillac of this style vice.

Anyhow, that may not be a bad vice, but it's not exactly the same and it may be junk. It would be good to see it in person before buying it.

Um, not in the UK. We like vice.

I'll get my coat.