[widget_maker]

I just sold my Bridgeport, since I don't need two mills and I am quite happy on the occasion I need a quick manual process to spin the pendant on the tormach rather than turning handles on the B-port. I still have my old D60 Kurt, I could sell it on C.L for $200 - $250 I guess, but I am wondering if I should keep hold of it, or maybe retire the Tormach vise to the under cabinet and use the Kurt.

To those using a large vise, do they become a nuisance because of their large footprint? I know the extra jaw opening will come in handy once in a while.

BTW, did anyone ever figure out if indeed the Tormach vise IS made in the USA, or an Asian mini-mag clone?

thank!

[adamvs]

If it's good shape, keep it, it's a great vise; for that one thing that's long or wide, it's cheaper to keep it. I just got a 4" Glacern premium vise - the one thing I really like about, aside from the fact you can clamp it on it's side, is, it weights about 35lbs! For most of the stuff I ever did in a vise, this works, plus you can get three of them on the 1100.

[popspipes]

personally I dont like to sell tools, I would be tempted to keep the vise. I use a 6 inch on my Tormach, and havent found it a drawback, I do all my machining in a vise as I like the extra clearance from the table, Mach 3 made some unprogrammed moves occasionally, and I just liked the extra insurance.

[MichaelHenry]

I believe that the Tormach Magnum Conquest vise is made in the USA, or at least it was 6 or 7 years ago when I bought one. Still seems to be:

Machine Vises, Mini Mag Machine Vise, Machining Vises in California

[tmarks11]

yes they still are.

WRT the OP, I would keep the Kurt. There are plenty of times the Tormach 5" vise isn't big enough. Wish I had a Kurt D688 to work with again, and probably will buy one next time the planets align and they show up on sale at Enco with a 20% coupon.

EDIT: Enco has the D688 on sale now in their monthly hot deals category.... and there is a 15% off coupon!! Except.... the "sale" is $7 off. Guess I will keep waiting. A couple of years ago, the sale + 20% put it below $400. Lately every time they show up on sale, it is just like the current "sale".

[pickled]

Keep it or ship it to me :-)! I love the 6" vise on my Tormach. The 5" vise is nice because it is a little more maneuverable and fits well on my 770. For the 1100 I find a 6" vise to be right. It sure is nice to be able to hold a 12x12 sheet of titanium by mounting the jaws on the outside and run profiling operations/cut outs. Having access to cheap vise stops and plentiful (affordable) jaw options is awesome too. The extra inch of work space is great for when you have to take the softjaw approach to work holding. Fitting more supported parts per cycle is a good thing. The Tormach vises are nice, but they aren't a Kurt IMHO.

[Don Clement]

I use a Kurt D688 on my 1100. Works very well for me. With Kurt vise keys in the middle slot I never have to tram.

[RTP_Burnsville]

Another happy Kurt D688 user here.

Robert

[tbev]

+1

[SomeWhatLost]

I am of the belief that one should never get rid of any tool (unless you REALLY need the space/etc) because the moment you do, you will find some reason that you absolutely need the tool you just got rid of...

[pickled]

I am of the belief that one should never get rid of any tool (unless you REALLY need the space/etc) because the moment you do, you will find some reason that you absolutely need the tool you just got rid of...

Amen! I've had that happen sooo many times in the past. Unfortunately now I am getting close to tool hording status...it's certainly a delicate balance :-).

[Chophead69]

Hi. I have 2 other vises in my shop.one is a shars 5in and a Gibraltar 6in. Well I finally saved and brought a kurt d688. Its by far my favorite toy now. I love this vise. After years of using one in shops and always wanting one I finally got one. When I brought my Gibralter I thought it was going to be like the kurt I used in the shop but it wanst.i would have returned it and spent the extra 200 to buy the kurt but I didn't want to go thru the return crap since I brought it threw work.i use it and its maybe a bit nicer then my shars vise but the kurt is just awesome. So my advice is to message me and I will buy it. Oh... If I were you I would keep it.

[SomeWhatLost]

Unfortunately now I am getting close to tool hording status...it's certainly a delicate balance :-).

not really a balance at all... a Tool Hoarder is looked at with awe and reverence by his fellow man...
much different than say a crazy cat lady for example...

[GLCarlson]

not really a balance at all... a Tool Hoarder is looked at with awe and reverence by his fellow man...
much different than say a crazy cat lady for example...

The two are not mutually exclusive, though I admit I've never met a crazy cat lady who was also a machinist. However, I know one who's an engineer...

At any rate, I don't see the problem. I have tools acquired a half-century ago, well-maintained but never used, and just a few days ago found a use for one of them.

[Steve Seebold]

I made a HUGE mistake about 25 years ago.

I had 2 3 inch Kurt vises and I closed a shop that wasn't doing well and I sold those vises.

I made a decision then that I would never sell another tool.

Now that I have my Tormach, I could definitely make good use of them.

I looked into buying 2 more of them when I got my machine only to learn they were no longer made. BUMMER.

[Don Clement]

not really a balance at all... a Tool Hoarder is looked at with awe and reverence by his fellow man...
much different than say a crazy cat lady for example...

Irena Dubrovna: You're very wise, you know a great deal, yet when you speak of the soul, you mean the mind, and it is not my mind that is troubled.

Dr. Louis Judd: What a clever girl. All the psychologists have tried for years to find that subtle difference between mind and soul, and you've found it.

[pickled]

Irena Dubrovna: You're very wise, you know a great deal, yet when you speak of the soul, you mean the mind, and it is not my mind that is troubled.

Dr. Louis Judd: What a clever girl. All the psychologists have tried for years to find that subtle difference between mind and soul, and you've found it.

After watching that movie I was scared to date the "Cat Ladies" for a while. I mean you gotta feel for her husband in that situation...he didn't know!

[widget_maker]

The D60 is a bit smaller than the D675 so it fits OK on the Tormach - no need to cut a hole in the splash shield for instance.

So, the next question, should I also keep the Kurt swivel base?

It does add a lot of height to the vise, thus detracting from Z travel - but for quick manual operations it would allow cutting angled slots etc.

Maybe I should just get out of the habit of doing quick manual operations and do even the simple stuff with CAD/CAM? That way the swivel base is redundant.

[pickled]

I love having the swivel bases around for simple drill press operations. If you had a PCNC 770 I'd say ditch it because you can run out of Z quickly, but you have the 1100 so you should be good to go. Worse comes to worse spray it down with some metal protector and set it somewhere that you won't break your toe when you trip over it :-). I find that 90% of the work that I do anymore is CAD/CAM based because once I find zero and have everything leveled why keep working when the machine can do it for me. It also doesn't develop late night dyslexia after beer thirty :-)

[DLawrence]

Every tool has its "sweet spots" where it excellsall the others........... and then it has its usually larger grey area........ where its usable, with some time and convenience penalty.

To me Vises are tools like screwdrivers....they are manufactured in an endless variety of capacitys, configurations, and specialized abilitys, and each will at some point , extend your capabilitys and or .....be a wonderful problem solver.

Sometimes its just an advantage to use two vises at once.

Dave Lawrence