Kurt vise reversed jaws?

[slow-poke]

Well, Glacern lists 3.125" between holes for their 5" if you measured 3.1" something that seems to confirm. https://www.glacern.com/gsv_550
Same for the Shars 550V - they list 3.125" between the holes https://www.shars.com/5-550v-cnc-milling-machine-vise-0-0004-1 (pretty sure this is a copy of the Glacern who copied someone else...)
but - Shars also has some vises that look alot more like the one you show and they have a far less definitive statement that the holes are 2.99" apart (probably a conversion from 76mm)
If you want hard jaws, most available sets will cost you more than that vise cost new (Glacern are $119 US). I recommend just using some aluminum jaws on it. Make them yourself and be done.

Definitely more than 3", 3.125" is in all likelihood what it is. Well looks like I have another project to add to the list. I will also keep my eye on eBay.

Thanks.

 

[djberta]

Most Kurt-Style vises have this feature. I made slightly wider (3-1/2" vs. 3-1/8"), taller ( 3" vs. 7/8") jaws for my 3" Kurt-ish vice, and leave them in place on the outside unless I need them on the "normal" location for some reason (that way I always know there they are):

View attachment 57531

Chaz that is really cool. So much neat stuff in that picture, love the power feed. Vise handle. The index plate. Very cool.

 

[kstrauss]

Making your own Talon Grips is interesting but seems a poor use of shop time. I've made hundreds of parts using only one set of grips (still in good shape) so four is apt to be a lifetime supply in the typical home shop.

I skipped through his first video so probably missed a lot but how could anyone make a 35 minute video about turning round stock into small, rectangular, pieces of flat stock?

 

[fixerup]

"Does anyone recognize this brand and suggestions for replacement jaw source?"

I have what looks to be the same vise and it's an older Busy Bee purchase. Mine has the holes to mount the reverse jaws. Thanks for starting this post, I may of never found out this option.
Do you have the base to rotate the vise? If you don't, I have a spare one you are welcome to have.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I made my own Talon grips about 10 or so years ago. IMO they're not that bad to make, and for the price of them, I think it's actually a wash vs buying them if you have some downtime and feel like a fun project. I don't know what the price is now, but back then they were sure proud of them. I'll have to dig through my box later and see if I still have the angle fixture I made for them. I made them from 0.25"x0.5" O1 flat ground, and milled them in strips, the sliced them off. You need a bullnose endmill with I think a 0.03-0.05" corner radius if I remember, it's been a while....

I used them in aluminum jaws. Always wanted to make a hardened steel jaw, but just never got around to it. The aluminum held up well, and I was only using them for 1st op stuff anyway, so it didn't really matter. Never had a part rip out of them, nor one break, and we abused them...

 

[ChazzC]

Chaz that is really cool. So much neat stuff in that picture, love the power feed. Vise handle. The index plate. Very cool.

Thanks; can't claim a lot of credit, other than careful shopping: the power feed is from LMS (although I did make the clutch knob - easier to grab than the stock knurled knob - see The Home Shop Machinist Jul-Aug 2023); the vise handle is one of two from Osteg Texas (made to order by Richard - V1 was a little long so he made V2 which fits my 3" LMS vise perfectly; he did them as a test of his CNC programing skills); and the fixture plate was purchased on eBay as a "Stainless Steel Fixture Plate," but it turned out it was a tinned Copper grounding bar: it's flat, has 10-32 tapped holes is a handy size and it was reasonably priced so I'm happy with it.

I did put the V1 Osteg handle to good use on a 4" self-centering vise that I "tuned-up" (and the post following - #8472):

This was before I joined this Group, and I didn't post past projects (I did post it on H-M, but they're having some issues with older posts, so I linked HSM).

 

[slow-poke]

I have what looks to be the same vise and it's an older Busy Bee purchase. Mine has the holes to mount the reverse jaws. Thanks for starting this post, I may of never found out this option.
Do you have the base to rotate the vise? If you don't, I have a spare one you are welcome to have.

I had and sold a BusyBee 6" version, This one although old seems a bit better than the one I sold. I don't recall seeing 5" at BB but they probably do or did sell them. I also have the rotating base that I'm not using, I haven't even taken the time to clean it, not particularly useful for me when you can simply program any angle via the keyboard.