Alternative to Lindsay Vise?

[teroon]

Hi,
I'm currently working on cheap vise and I was thinking about upgrading to a better vise.
I was thinking about Steve PalmControl TrueCenter CamLock but from what I can see, it next to imposible to buy one.
Are there any good alternatives to it? Other vises that have that centre by lever option? I know that GRS does something like that but it does not appel to me.
Any tips?


Marcin

 

[monk]

easy:ut yer predjudice to sleep and go with grs. lindsay is quality, but if you cant get it, duh

 

[oniemarc]

All I can think of right now...are the GRS and RingGenie vises. They both sell a version you can centre by lever

Marc

 

[Mike576]

Hi,
I'm currently working on cheap vise and I was thinking about upgrading to a better vise.
I was thinking about Steve PalmControl TrueCenter CamLock but from what I can see, it next to imposible to buy one.
Are there any good alternatives to it? Other vises that have that centre by lever option? I know that GRS does something like that but it does not appel to me.
Any tips?


Marcin

I had the grs centering vise…don’t bother it’s a pile of junk in my opinion. I have owned both a trucenter Goliath and the grs positioning vise and they are in completely different leagues. Like a formula one car compared to a Honda civic. The jaws didn’t line up perfect, when you would tighten an object in the vise with the accessory pins the jaws would tilt causing the object to lift off the face.

I have never tired the ring gene vises but they seem nice from the videos I have looked at.

I would keep your eyes peeled for a Lindsay vise. Second option maybe look into the ring gene or just keep using your cheap vise. Going to the grs vise isn’t much of an upgrade. I also started on a cheap Chinese ball vise. When I got my grs I used it for a few months then sold it to buy the Lindsay palm control and low profile. If I wasn’t able to get the Lindsay vises I would have sold the grs and kept the cheap vise.

Just my 2 cents. Plenty of people use the grs vises and do amazing work. But im sure a lot of those people also haven’t had the option to try a Lindsay.

 

[allan621]

Well, to me the GRS vises are good quality, but maybe not for the work everyone does. I have a Lindsay palm control and it has amazingly high quality, like Mike 576 says, like a forumla One machine. But they are hard to come by.

Monk is right. The GRS vise may not be perfect but if its steps above what your're using, it makes sense to think more about them.

Allan

 

[DaveatWeirs]

If you can afford it I'd recommend the satellite/turntable set from grs (its a little over a grand) but even just the turntable bit of it would make a world of difference. With it you can change to any vice you like afterwards and even change between vices while you work without having to worry about centering anything. I find it particularly handy when doing real big things like dishes and trays or the like cuz I can just put down a cloth and sandbags on the turntable and sit the dish directly onto it. Same would go for any wooden holding fixtures for gun barrels or whatever that would be too big to hold in a ballvice.

As for the ballvice itself Id recommend the low profile one from grs (about 800 quid). You can get it and the turntable set up for about 2 grand. Spring for the extra attachments too but just the one with the extra pins (another 150-ish), no need for any of the the special thermolock fixtures or fancy claming fixtures but do grab some thermolock (another 50) and stick it to wooden bases if you need a very custom fixture. With that setup you can do everything from stud earrings and small coins to swords and large trays and it'll handle them all no problem.
For 2200-ish you'll be ready to go and will only need to add specialized stuff like ring holder and whatnot as you go

(When they arrive you should fully clean and degrease everything, deburr and round any sharp edges, do a bit of finishing on the tops of the vice jaws. Then, when you're done, clean it again and re-oil and re-grease the whole thing as you re-assemble it. You won't have to give it a second thought for years and years.)

 

[jamiefeinstein]

I too, own several vises. Being a metalsmith / jeweler I could probably consolidate or in retrospect only have gone with my Lindsay Truecenter PalmControl. It is extremely versatile, and literally the benchmark in engraving tools. If you will be working on mostly wearable items / jewelry. Then a smaller vice such as the ring genie, palmcontrol, or GRS Microblock are solid. Steve Lindsay and Ringenie are very focused on precision manufacturing. GRS makes amazing tools at a reasonable price and I’d argue that there isn’t a jeweler / engraver that doesn’t own something from that manufacturer. If you are focused mainly on engraving and ornamental embellishments on firearms and gifts like picture frames , baby cups, spoons etc, then I’d absolutely recommend sizing up to a 20 plus pound vice. Everyone’s circumstances are different so only you can make those decisions. BUT…… Having over two decades of experience and unfortunately being in the red most of that time I can easily speak for everyone in saying that practicing cuts and learning your craft is far more important than the tools you use. Bonus tip**** if you practice and or spend your time and and money on proper education than everything else will follow. I’d spend that 2K on a few weeks at the GRS training center long before I’d buy a vice from anyone. Keep in mind that you can modify and make your own improvements to the tools you already own to make them better suit your needs and abilities. I have made my own top jaws for both my smaller vices out of 316 stainless and that completely transformed them….. Good luck, work hard and have humility and maybe it’ll work out for you. Cheers! Jamie.

 

[teroon]

Hi,
Thank you all for the input. I think the best way for me will be to try and buy Steve vise. I'm in no hurry.

 

[mtlctr]

Hi,
I'm currently working on cheap vise and I was thinking about upgrading to a better vise.
I was thinking about Steve PalmControl TrueCenter CamLock but from what I can see, it next to imposible to buy one.
Are there any good alternatives to it? Other vises that have that centre by lever option? I know that GRS does something like that but it does not appel to me.
Any tips?


Marcin

Marvin, wondering what your beef is with the cheap vise? I believe I have a cheap vise, bought it 20 yrs. ago.it has no markings I can see on it . I took the top part & cleaned & lubed it. It’s pretty smooth.
most of my h & c cutting was done on a southbend lathe Chuck with a potter wheel on ball bearings. only used the engravers ball for some small stuff.
now I have a pulse graver & use it quite a bit with good results if I execute properly. what’s the difference between the top quality & knockoffs? I don’t think mine is Chinese the because the machine work is fairly good, no visible tool marks or sharp edges & the jaws line up. Turns smoothly.
kent

 

[teroon]

I have no beef with the vise per se. I use microscope, and for the turntable I use shimpo. The whole thing is a bit unstable and many times the vise has turned to the side with the pressure of the graver.
So:
1) I want to switch to a heavier vise
2) I want to get rid of the shimpo
So both of those thing can be acomplise with Lindsay vise, that was the way of my thoughts.

 

[mtlctr]

I have no beef with the vise per se. I use microscope, and for the turntable I use shimpo. The whole thing is a bit unstable and many times the vise has turned to the side with the pressure of the graver.
So:
1) I want to switch to a heavier vise
2) I want to get rid of the shimpo
So both of those thing can be acomplise with Lindsay vise, that was the way of my thoughts.

Yeah, gotta have confidence in your equipment, good luck.
kent

 

[KevinCunningham]

I have no beef with the vise per se. I use microscope, and for the turntable I use shimpo. The whole thing is a bit unstable and many times the vise has turned to the side with the pressure of the graver.
So:
1) I want to switch to a heavier vise
2) I want to get rid of the shimpo
So both of those thing can be acomplise with Lindsay vise, that was the way of my thoughts.

Here’s what I did- works amazing

 

[KevinCunningham]

Please note that the lindsay vice sitting on my DIY turntable would be optimal- my vice is small at times. Plans for the above:

 

[KevinCunningham]

Deviations from the plans when I built it:

-base was a larger flat 3/16” plate. With decent width it’s proved very stable.

-three ‘ears’ on flat disc are tapped for screws, I only had longer screws and they would catch my clothes while spinning. I pulled them with plans to shorten them or use headless allen grub screws (or home-made flathead slotted). Turned out that I had welded (bead only on chamfered outside fillet) the ears with such a snug fit that the disc doesn’t slip ever when turning. Your results my vary.

 

[Kensfla]

Nice ideas, Kevin. Thanks for sharing.

 

[gcmeleak]

Buy or build what you want, just make sure it's more than you think you could ever need. As that sooner or later you won't have enough vise.