My old post vise gave out while I was twisting some 1/2 inch square stock

It happened yesterday afternoon, right in the middle of a project. The main screw just snapped clean off, and the jaw dropped. I had to clamp the piece in my leg vise to finish the twist, which was a real pain. Has anyone else had a vise fail like that, and what did you replace it with?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.hugo2mo ago

Mine did the same thing on some round stock. I ended up finding a heavy duty Columbian vise at a flea market that's held up for years now. No issues since the swap.

ray_king2mo ago

Actually, that old vise probably failed because it was being used wrong. Twisting thick stock like that puts a crazy side load on the screw, which it was never meant to handle. A leg vise is the right tool for that job from the start. Replacing a broken post vise with another one just sets you up for the same problem later. You need the right tool for the work, not just a heavier version of the wrong tool.