Recommend a Drill Press Vise?

[Bibliophile 13]

I'm in the market for a decent vise for my drill press.  I pretty regularly need to bore accurate holes in small-ish workpieces (both wood and plastic), and I'm getting tired of clamping makeshift fences to my wobbly drill press table.  I need a dedicated drill press vise that allows for accurate positioning on both the X- and Y-axes.  The ability to add non-marring jaws would be a big plus.

I'm looking for something that adjusts easily in both directions, but I'm seeing prices all over the map, from $50 to over $500.  I'm guessing you get what you pay for, but it's not like I'm using this thing every day.  I just need something that's functional and more stable than my makeshift clamp-ups.  

What do you folks recommend?

[barryvabeach]

I have one of the cheap ones.  It has a slop in the x and y axis.  I have read that they can be modded to reduce the slop, but never tried it.  I don't use mine often.

[Hank Knight]

Palmgren makes a great XY vise, but they're expensive. No slop.

[Carl10]

I just bought the WEN 4" from Home Depot online (free delivery) $70.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-4-25-in-...9sQAvD_BwE

I read all about the ~$40-50 versions (same vise different name) or the HF $75 version, with too many complaining about slop, or it works OK after you take it apart, clean and oil the vise and adjust all the gib screws. So I tried this one which I could return to HD if it was junk. To my surprise it was well built and looks and feels smoother than the other versions. I am sure higher on your budget would afford a much finer piece of equipment but this suits my occasional need for such a tool.

Hope this helps. Let us know what you do.

Carl

[daddo]

I like the one from HF. You'll have to set it up and adjust it, but I like that once you have it where you want it, you can lock it in place. The softer pads keep from marking things up.  I made the top that clamps onto the vise that also turns 360 degrees.





I like that one Carl shows at HD's too. It looks like a good, if not a better deal as well.

Neither one, even if they are called a milling vise, are not strong enough or accurate enough to be actual milling vises, but with a drill press, it wouldn't matter if they were.

[Lynden]

Check out the Wilton 2-axis vises. I have a Wilton low-profile drill press vise which I'm happy with. 

http://www.wiltontools.com/us/en/view-se...sSldDPVise

https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-11694-4-In...rill+press

[Stwood_]

Grizzly has several to choose from.

[Arlin Eastman]

Go to Grizzly and they have a few good ones for less then $200.

It also depends on how big you want one or I should say travel on it.

http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(cross+A...agesize=48


I like this one pretty well

http://www.grizzly.com/products/3-1-8-Vi...rizzly.com

Here is a self centering vice

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Precisio...rizzly.com


Here is one just $10 less and not as wide jaws but is nicer if you ask me

http://www.grizzly.com/products/2-Precis...rizzly.com

Or angle vice

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Angle-Vi...rizzly.com

[BloomingtonMike]

Check the Shars website out too.

[Bibliophile 13]

Thanks, folks! This is really helpful. You've pointed me to several that I hadn't run across in my internet searches.

I'm not pulling the trigger on one just yet, so any other suggestions are very much welcome.