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.

Bought this vise for my 97 year old Dad that makes pens. I thought it would help him drill the blanks. I set it up and then brought him out to show him. He actually giggled with delight. Works great and he said it was actually like the one he use at work over 40 years ago. Tried and true design. After trying it out he said it was very accurate.

Crazy professional unit for my use. I like the precision of it's features.

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.

Not inexpensive but cheap junk. Had this for about a year but used infrequently. Went to use it the other day, gently bumped one of the hand cranks and the handle fell a part. Cast maybe but certainly cast from junk metal. Bad thing, you can’t get just the crank, you have to buy the entire piece, screw and all, about the same price as the whole vise. The only way that the vise can be adjusted I’d to tighten the screws so tightly that they will almost not move. I know this wasn’t a fine slide vice for highly accurate work and but a little care would have been nice. No, I would not purchase again.

I spent a lot of time reviewing cross slide vises and reading a lot of reviews. They all said the vise needed to be disassembled and cleaned. Several talked about quality control issues. Poor castings, bent or missing parts and machining marks left on the ways. NONE of the reviewers on this vise, mentioned quality control issues. That along with the brand name led me to purchase this vise. When I received the vise I looked the shipping box over closely. I found no damage. I opened the container and removed the vise looking for any imperfections. I found NO Casting Imperfections. I disassembled and cleaned the vise reassembled with small amounts of grease. It did take a few minutes to adjust the tension on the ways/tables. This I believe is a personal thing. I have used the vise and is works very smoothly and made drilling duplicate holes in 1/4" steel very easy. Another quality product by WILTON and AMAZON.

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.