Steve Vaughn
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Does anyone here use a Zyliss vise?
What are your opinions of this vise?
Thanks,
Steve
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Royce Meritt
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I've had one for about 20 years and in certain situations it is very useful. Over the years it seems they have added about a million accessories for it. I bought mine before all of these accessories were available. A few years ago I came across a box of the accessories at an auction. No one else there even knew what they were so I bought them cheap. Haven't used the accessories much.
If fishing is a sport I MUST be an athlete!"
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Bruce Page
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I have one that my FIL gave me. Ive never really used it but it looks well made for what it is a light duty vise.
Please help support the Creek.
"The older I get, the better I used to be."
Lee Trevino
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Jim Dailey
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Steve,
The Zyliss has its "place".
The "place" for mine is in the back of my truck.
I feel the greatest feature of the Zyliss is it's portability. In the boating season I am clamping it to railings, boat cradles, benches, etc.
I agree with Royce about the accessories. I never used any except the jaw covers which have from time to time come in handy.
The Zyliss will never be my only vise...
However if I was moving on a boat to go cruising it would be a tool I would make room for, and have recommended to several fellow boaters who have left for the "wild blue".
jim
Life is just a series of projects.........
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george wilson
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I've never had a Zyliss,but it could be handy for holding things between centers like wagon spokes,hammer handles,and the like for drawknife or spokeshave work.
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Dave Lehnert
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A few years ago there use to be a knock-off of the Zyliss. As seen on TV. Harbor Freight use to have there model. It was like $45. Wish I had picked one up.
Anyone have a knock-off?
"Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
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Pete Bova
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I have an original unit that I found on my shelf while cleaning out the workshop this week. I forgot I had it. Must be 15 + years old and the box has never been opened.
I bought it at a woodworkers show up at the Big E in Mass. The demo had me convinced it would do everything but cook my dinner.
Here we are 15+ years later and still never been out of the box.
Maybe its time to see what I can use it for. Or.... maybe its time to put it up for sale.
I'll decide this weekend when I can finally find my workbench again. :>)Last edited by Pete Bova; 03-09-2010 at 6:59 PM.
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David DeCristoforo
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I used to work with a Swedish carpenter and he had a Zyliss vice. He used it extensively when we were doing finish work but it seemed very light weight to me. But it seemed to hold up OK and he never missed an opportunity to haul it out and clamp it to a saw horse. That was the first time I ever saw one and I have to admit that I was tempted to buy one for myself. Ended up with a huge workbench with end and side vices and dog holes instead. I think the bench was much better than the Zyliss vice but then again, I never tried to haul the workbench to a job site.
David DeCristoforo
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Tony Strupulis
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Our local woodworking club is trying to outfit ourselves with a fleet of woodworking benches that we can drag around to different events. We are looking for portability and all of the performance you would expect from a woodworking bench. There has to be a compromise in there someplace.
We have had some discussion about using Zyliss vises instead of traditional woodworking vises. I've only seen these things at the state fair, right next to the Sham-Wow guy's booth. What do you guys think? Can you use one of those vises in a class/workshop setting to build some kind of dovetailed box??? I have my doubts...
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Bob Metzger
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I have owned one for a long time. I recall using it once to hold a gun stock for my dad
while I used a miter saw to change the angle of the butt pad. It was such an odd shape
to hold on that saw. The Zyliss worked great. If I recall correctly that was the one and only time I used it.I would rather use something more substantial 98% of the time.
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george wilson
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If I wanted to hold things between centers on a bench with dog holes,I'd just make some maple dogs that were extended above the surface of the bench about 4". Then,I'd add center points,and use the tail vise to close the dogs on the work. I just don't have a lot of confidence in die cast alloy. I could be wrong,but if I broke a wooden dog,it would be quick to make a new one.
I did the same thing when the treadle lathe we made got its heavy wheel out of alignment.
The oak wheel was about 24" dia.X 5" thick. It had a square hole in the center,with wooden wedges to adjust the true running. This wheel was heavy,too.
I made a pair of wooden dogs that stuck up over a foot above the top of the bench,drilled out female centers,and clamped the flywheel,mounted on its crankshaft,between the dogs. They proved strong enough,and with the wheel's center at that height,I was able to quickly adjust the wedges till it ran true enough.
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Doug Carpenter
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The funny thing about them is that many people have them still in the box like the above poster.
I used mine for the first time today. I was drilling a hole in a gunstock. I bought it because it looked portable and sometimes I bring some of my detail work on gunstocks right in the office.
I got lucky and got mine from a guy off of CL. I got it for $75. I was really happy because I had lost on ebay a few times for a whole lot more. Mine was still in the box with a ton of attachments. Honestly I don't thing the guy had any idea what it was.
Certainly it isn't going to be your only vise. I don't have very many tools that I don't have doubles for. Who does?
Even though it is light it is plenty strong. If you can get one for a price you are happy with then by all means. And do something crazy like take it out of the box and use it before you have had it for 20 years.
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Randal Stevenson
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Originally Posted by Tony Strupulis
Our local woodworking club is trying to outfit ourselves with a fleet of woodworking benches that we can drag around to different events. We are looking for portability and all of the performance you would expect from a woodworking bench. There has to be a compromise in there someplace.
We have had some discussion about using Zyliss vises instead of traditional woodworking vises. I've only seen these things at the state fair, right next to the Sham-Wow guy's booth. What do you guys think? Can you use one of those vises in a class/workshop setting to build some kind of dovetailed box??? I have my doubts...
Harry Strasil (spelling?) has a bench you might want to look at, in the Neander section.As to the vise, I don't remember if there was another name prior to, or after, but I have seen them for sale on occasion, and if the price was right, I would love to buy one, for use in the bed of the pickup truck.
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Nick Mastropietro
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I don't have enough room in my garage woodworking shop to have a traditional woodworkers bench, so I purposely looked for a Zyliss vise and I use it whenever a woodworking vise is needed. I know it doesn't compare to the typical woodworkers vises but for me it is a useful alternative.
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Rick Vincent
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pens
I use mine all the time as a pen press. To press my pen parts together... I like it better than the presses they sell for pens.
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FAQs
What is Zyliss vise history? ›
The company also began creating the Zyliss vise (a home improvement tool) in the 1970s and has sold a slicing mandoline. The company has worked with IDEO on projects including the salad spinner, specifically on the aesthetic and visual components.
What is a zyliss vise? ›The Z-VISE (formerly Zyliss Vice) is a multi-purpose portable clamping system. The Z- VISE is a unique Swiss designed tool that can hold virtually any shape, any size material anywhere you work.
What size woodworking vise do I need? ›For general household DIY, a 4- to 5-inch vise is large enough to handle most tasks. (This measurement is the length of the jaws from end to end and is maximum amount of contact your vise has with the workpiece.)
Are Zyliss products made in China? ›Where are your items made? Our Zyliss products are made in China.
Who makes Zyliss? ›Zyliss is part of DKB Brands, who own Cole & Mason, Swissmar, AdHoc and Ken Hom Woks. We take great pride in providing exceptional quality kitchenware. To visit our brand partners sites please scroll down.
What vise does Paul Sellers use? ›Which vise do you recommend and where do you get them? We usually get our vises on eBay as they are no longer made. That may be restrictive if you are outside the UK as shipping can be quite high. The model is the Record 52 1/2E, but we would not recommend the Record Irwin alternative.
Do I need a tail vise? ›Is a tail vise absolutely necessary? That will depend on who you ask and the kind of work you do, but in my opinion, the more options you have for clamping workpieces securely and easily to your workbench, the better.
How do you use a machine vice? ›The handle of the vise is fitted at the outer end of the vise. It is used to control the screw movement. When turned, the pressure is applied by this handle with the help of the main screw that either closes or opens the vice jaws based on the rotation direction.
What size vice is best? ›Jaw opening
Most hobbyists can get by with a vise that has 4-5 inches of opening, but having the option for larger pieces or using the vise as a small press is nice and that means scaling up.
When choosing a vise, it is important to check its throat depth. You should check its depth from the top of the jaw to the bottom of the jaw. If throat depth is large enough that means it can hold bigger workpieces. With the best bench vise, you can work more quickly and precisely.
What is the best lubricant for a vice? ›
You may just want to use WD40, CRC, or anything similar. If you plan to use your vise mainly for wood working projects, you may want to go with something less likely to stain your project such as a dry wax type lubricant or just try using the same Johnson's Wax we all use on our Shop smiths.
What is the history of the vice tool? ›In 1830 in England the first cast iron vice was produced. Liquid iron could be transformed into any shape easily. When pouring, air pockets often occurred within the cast, so-called cavities. The structure was therefore porous and brittle.
What is the history of Wilton vise? ›Holding Strong Since 1941. The legend of Wilton begins in 1941, when Hugh W. Vogl, a Czech immigrant, founded the vise manufacturing company naming it after the cross street where the original company building was located: Wilton Avenue and Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago, IL.
What is the origin of vise? ›The word vise is also used figuratively to refer to something that is like a vise in the strength of its hold, such as "a vise of debt." Vise is a little younger; it dates to the early 16th century. It too traces back to Latin (to the word vitis, meaning "vine"), and entered the language by way of Anglo-French.
What is the history of the Versa vise? ›The Versa Vise was invented by John R. Long of Springfield, Ohio, and was granted Patent #667,151 in 1901.