Wilton Cross-Slide Drill Press Vise, 6" Jaw Width & Max Opening, 2" Jaw Depth (Model CS6)

Quality was very good. Much better than cheaper vises on amazon. If you want to hold something completely still in an X-Y axis vise the drive nut that the drive screw pushes against when adjusting the position of the vise must have no play in it. If the drive nut allows the drive screw to move after you clamp something in it the vise still moves and is therefore useless for the intended purpose and every hole you drill will look like you did it by hand.

I can echo others' comments about the flimsy plastic bag holding the nuts, but that's a pretty small concern for a vise that will likely last a lifetime. The box arrived surprisingly intact and unbeaten compared to other deliveries in this weight range. Note that the photos on Amazon seem to all show the 3- or 4-inch models. This one, the 8-inch, is a monster by comparison, in both size and weight. However...am I the only one who noticed they shipped it put together backwards? that is, as it arrived, the fixed vise jaw could not be moved over the centerline of the vise, which means I can't drill a hole right next to the edge of the stock, without some other thing there. In any event, I removed the two bolts holding the upper unpainted steel plate the handle spins against. Then I removed the lead screw from the assembly, and lifted up the top half, turned it around, and put it back in. Then I just replaced the lead screw and aligned the plate and secured it back again. Now the left-to-right spinner is on the right, and the vise-jaw screw is on the left, and the (now) right-hand fixed jaw moves all the way under the spindle. Yay! I decided that since Amazon was so kind as to deliver this 78# monster on a Saturday in the pouring Seattle rain, I'd install it right. I cleaned and greased the bottom surface, and secured it to the drill press surface. Then, starting with the bottom-most, I disassembled it, cleaned off their almost watery lubrication and put a medium film of thick oil on the bearing surfaces and the lead screw. I adjusted the bearing-slide set screws to it all moved silky-smooth, and then repeated that for the upper slide, and then for the movable vise jaw. Now it works so smoooooth! I think that's a key factor in making this work well for the long term future ahead: getting it thoroughly cleaned, lubricated and adjusted before trying to use it. So far so good, though I've only had it in use for a day now. Very sturdy, very LARGE and very smooth. Things I wish were better: 1) The knobs and their mating to the shaft. "Precision mating" is not an idea that crossed dear Wilton's mind that day, sadly. 2) The sliding surfaces of the inserts. When you take them out to clean and lubricate, you'll see what I mean: pitted and definitely now what you'd expect when trying to achieve a precision fit. 3) The only surfaces that are "precision machined" is the floor of the vise part. The sliding surfaces are only "machined". You can definitely tell the difference. Again, the vise would be much more accurate if the same level of finish were applied to the slide surfaces. 3) Handle-end of lead screws have NO bearing except steel against the hole in the steel plates. Atrocious choice on a vise of this quality. Just having those two joints improved with an oil-filled bronze or ball bearing would improve the action of this vise 100%. But noooo.....! In any event, despite the suggested changes, this is one very large, very sturdy and very capable vise. It's far smoother than the imported el-cheapo one I had been using.

It's foreign made which was a little disappointing coming from a brand like Wilton but overall it's a good vice and works well. Can't really beat it for the price.

After reading many negative reviews, I took a chance purchasing this vise anyway. I was amazed the shipping was free (excellent), arrived in 3 days (amazing). I received the vice today. It was packed very well, no damage to the vise. Very little clean up. Very impressed with after very little tuning up, no play or slack in the vise. Only one small inconvenience, one of the adjuster set screw head was stripped out. I give 5 stars because I used to own a 4" Grizzly cross slide vise and it was very sloppy with a lot of play. Also I like the bolt pattern configuration better on the Wilton and the Palmgren

I have just received my new Wilton 4" cross slide drill press vise, and I was a little disapointed in it right out of the box. First off it had been handled roughly and the box was damaged and left on my back porch long before I found it was there. So I could not just tell the UPS driver to take it back, as it was obvious the shipping container was torn up. I opened it and found that it all appeared to be there and then after closer examination found that one of the cross slide cast iron cranks was broken and laying in the bottom of the box with a couple of small nuts and washers for mounting the cranks. They had all fallen out of the plastic reclosable bag and one of them that holds the crank handle in the cast iron ball, had broken off cleanly. I considered just boxing it back up and sending it back, when I looked at the warranty card and decided to just call Wilton as the Amazon website suggested, to get a replacement part if availabale. No luck the lady in Wiltons customer service department informed me that it was a pretty "Low cost Item" and they did not show any repair parts for it, even though it is 100% lifetime guarenteed. This Low cost drill press vise cost me $119.00 and change, not too cheap in my book. I took a look at the broken part and because I have some skills as a machinist and mechanic, I will build a new crank assmbly for it myself from some scrap metal I have in my garage shop. I would not have ordered it if I didn't need to use it soon and waiting for a return was out of the question. I adjusted the gibbs and it will work for most anything I need but it will force me to use my Milling machine for more accurate and precise drilling, that I was trying to get away from. Wilton used to be a really well made vise, now I am not real sure it isn't just another cheap knock off from China. I don't think I would recommend it to any of my friends, as it is just an OK tool at best. If I had wanted a cheaply made Harbor Freight vise I would have bought one there.

I have owned this vise for about a year now. The cross slide works ok, I guess, although the ways are far from flat, making the travel across each direction alternately too loose and then too tight. I tried every adjustment. Oh, and the adjustments are almost impossible to reach in some cases. But my main complaint is the opening of the jaws. The jaw runs on 3 slides that are so poor that the jaw gets jammed. And if you are not really careful, the single hex set screw holding the jaw to the acme screw end, just cuts itself a way out. Less trouble with closing the jaw, but you still have to open it to get your work out. Oh, and the "verniers" on the x and y axes are useless, because the acme screws have so much slack in their nuts, that if you change directions you completely lose your zero point. Extremely poor purchase for me.

So many reviews up and down about these things.. This one is great. There is a requirement before use, though. Its coated in rather dirty grease. Do NOT use it like that or you'll be writing a bad review like the others. You need to completely disassemble this and clean every screw & corner with degreaser (wd40 works too). Pay attention to how the pieces come apart cuz they need to go back correctly and on the correct sides. Then inspect your alignment rails. They will be cut roughly. SAND THEM DOWN. Don't overdo this, or you'll mess with tolerance too much, but all edges contact the track, so even out those rail edges, and then gloss them up with some 800 & 1000 grit wet sanding. I also glossed the main tracks. (Mine moves like butter drippin off a hot biscuit with the tracks oiled) The turn knobs can be tightened and loosened. There's not a ton of "in between" tight & loose, but I was able to find a good spot. If they're too loose, the axis you're not turning will have a tendency to fall back because of the heavy threading. This can mess your project a bit, so be attentive or you may gouge your work. It's not as annoying as it sounds, once you've spent time with it and figured out how it should feel. I cut some lower thingy-ma-bobs, and they all turned out great. With a good bit, at a high enough speed, you'll put out good pieces. Feel free to get to me with questions, I'll answer as soon as i can.

Yes, this is another inexpensive vise. However, I knew that when I purchased it as everyone who buys this and does proper research should know. If you want excellent quality, you have to pay for it or find a much older USA one. I only wanted a vise to hold and maneuver my parts on my drill press without having to clamp and reclamp them several times. Well, my spindle was bent on the end and didnt turn as smooth when I got to the very end of one side. I didnt care to much because I know its a cheap vise and it was going to served its purpose. But for the hell of it I called the company that makes Wilton vices- WALTER MEIER- and they were very helpfull on the phone. All they wanted was a copy of my purchase order off the Amazon purchase screen. So I printed it out, scanned it and e-mailed it to them. Two hours later the woman e-mailed me back and told me that they dont have replacement spindles in stock (my guess is that they are china made) and that they will ship me a new vise out in the morning. They told me to keep the old one. So I now have an extra vise that I can keep at home for my home drill press. I got the new vise 3 days later. Im keeping the old one because Im not looking for precision machining. Anyone knows that you will have to spend at least $350-400 for a precision 4" cross slide vise unless you can find an older used one that was made in the USA years ago. And if you want it for precision machining you should go with a x-y table anyway. And like all cheap vises, when you get it you should take it apart, use PB Blaster or WD40, wash it down to get all the metal filings and corosive sealers off of it, clean it up and lightly relube it. Down the road, it will get filings all over it anyway like any open vise, so this isnt something you will only have to do once(another reason for a x-y table). Mine wasnt that bad, but I did it anyway and it improved the smoothness quite a bit. If you do have any problems contact the company directly that makes these "Walter Meier", ask for customer service and you should have no problem getting what you need. The only complaint I have is that these vices do not come with directions. If it did I would of gave it 5 stars only because "what you are getting for the price", not for the "overall quality." If you want precision, my advice is to find a used older cross slide vise or break down and spend some more money. I will not use this vise but three times a month so it fit my budget and purpose. Its jaws are grooved to hold flat pieces of stock, and that turned out to be a big plus. I dont need vise-grips and wood anymore to hold pieces down and I can adjust my pieces with a simple turn of the crank. Im glad I got one, I could and should of got one of these years ago. I even picked up some end mills incase I need them. I havent needed anything larger than the 4" yet as it seems to hold everything Iv needed to drill into or through. Maybe in the future an x-y table and a 6" vise will fit in my budget. Im not a machinist, only an auto-body guy. But this thing sure makes drilling so much easier. Good Luck with your purchase or any purchases these days. Quality seems to be a thing of the past. No thanks to the greedy unions and overpaid executives for price increases and forcing manufacturers to make everything overseas for competitive prices. This is the "New America"....Like they say, "Live it or Leave it"...I chose to "just deal with it..."

Was exactly what I wanted. Fast delivery and service. Very sturdy product. I new addition to my little shop. Thank you very much. Looking forward to more of your products come my way or test or whatever I do both.