Wilton Cross-Slide Drill Press Vise, 3" Jaw Width & Max Opening, 3" Jaw Depth (Model CS3)

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.

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.

Vibration from my drill press causes vise to “travel”. Called customer service and was told there is no way to lock either the X or Y axis in place. Also the adjusting screws are very tight so it’s difficult to move head.$212 paper weight!

Beefy vice ..great for sitting on my drill press.

Impressive. I read several reviews about this particular vice. Most were negative. This particular vice is clean, snug in its clearances and precise. It works very well given its capacity. I will use it a lot on the layout and drilling holes. I like this device. I’ve needed one for several years. Well worth the money

If you're like me and want a cross-slide drill press slide for the occasional work, then this is for you. Quality is OK. Out of the box, looks used (aka. dirty). Spent some time greasing it and that did the trick. As I said, you're not going to get super high precision work, but I was able to put a 5mm hole down a 7 mm rod.

I am not a machinist, and I've never used a mill. But I needed to cut some slots in a bracket I fabricated, and later I needed to mill out a 'trough' in an existing casting. I have attempted slotting before just using a drill press, and I thought there should be something better - and this is it. I bought a cheap assortment of bits to go with it, and I know I will find many uses for it in the future. With nothing to compare it to, I can't really give 4 stars, but I'm happy with it.One thing I've noticed - with my drill press, the table can't firmly resist side-to-side movement. So, it's best if I can arrange for my milling passes to be toward/away from the column.

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