Drill Presses - Vice Selection

[T4P]

So i do have a F-clamp but i have been thinking, do i need a drill press vice? I have never used a drill press vice in the past but that made me think
Even so,
3 inches or 6 inches? I know 6 inches is pretty big but i need some input 

[StubbornGreek]

So i do have a F-clamp but i have been thinking, do i need a drill press vice? I have never used a drill press vice in the past but that made me think
Even so,
3 inches or 6 inches? I know 6 inches is pretty big but i need some input 

I hate drill press vices, I prefer to make a clamping table and attach to the table of the drill press. You can get rails and hold-downs at www.rockler.com - great place for woodworkers.

[MikeK]

I have a drill press vise, but I don't use it.  I just clamp things to the table with C-clamps or quick-clamps.

[Short Circuit]

Have a few and use them quite frequently.
I believe they are 3" (old somewhat wiggly thing) and 4" (recent buy, reasonable sturdy).
3" is is a bit small, 4" seems quite right for typical electronics-related drilling.

[poorchava]

whatever you buy, get something of decent quality. If you go for cheap chinese stuff, you will regret it later. Those crappy ones are cast iron and generally droung only on the bottom, on the slides and the jaws, and the ground planes are not parallel/perpendicular to each other. They also have a fair amount of play on the slides which causes the moving jaw to go up when you tighten the vise.

I guess cheapest you can pay for a decent quality would be around $100-120.

[T4P]

Well ... I'll try the cheapies first ( A 6" for 8 USD! )
After all 8 USD isn't much of a loss if it does turn out to be crappy

[codeboy2k]

Well ... I'll try the cheapies first ( A 6" for 8 USD! )
After all 8 USD isn't much of a loss if it does turn out to be crappy

That's just awful looking.
Don't spend 8 dollars on something that might fail  and not actually hold the work pieice, and cause a spinning piece of metal to slice your hand off.

Use C clamps or quik-clamps,  and wood blocks. With a drill press always go for safety first.

[StubbornGreek]

A router (if you already own one, or table saw), some aluminum channel, mdf and homemade hold-downs will run you about $50 and you'll end up with something like this:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10163&site=ROCKLER

[G7PSK]

You using it for wood or Metal, if using it for metal get a really heavy one 8 or 10 inch that way when drilling small items there is no need to bolt it down it's own mass and just holding the handle is all that is needed. I drill up to 13 mm holes in steel this way as it is much quicker than bolting down.

[T4P]

@codeboy2k
Noted

@StubbornGreek
No router but table saw eventually 

You using it for wood or Metal, if using it for metal get a really heavy one 8 or 10 inch that way when drilling small items there is no need to bolt it down it's own mass and just holding the handle is all that is needed. I drill up to 13 mm holes in steel this way as it is much quicker than bolting down.

That's what i do with fat materials 

[MikeK]

@codeboy2k, T4P
It might look scrawny, but that's actually a typical drill press vise.

If you want something beefier, I have one of these: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-3-in-drill-press-vise-cradle-angle/p-00924083000P.  Haven't used it on my 12" tabletop drill press, but used it plenty on my mini-mill.  Works great.