Groz 9" Vise -- First Impressions

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  • Tom Miller
    Veteran Member
    • Mar 2003
    • 2507
    • Twin Cities, MN
    • BT3000 - Cuttin' it old school

    Groz 9" Vise -- First Impressions

    I just received this vise last week, and installed it on Saturday. Since it's still on sale at Woodcraft for $89.99 ($25 off), I thought I would post some first impressions. First, here's the Woodcraft link.

    Thanks again to autiger1 for posting Woodcraft's sale on the Nova midi chuck, which is how I came across this vise sale, the free shipping deal, the $15 coupon code, and the free $10 gift card. [/gloat]

    The item description on the Woodcraft site said this vise is a 9" jaw with a 10" opening. Even the box claims a 10" jaw opening. (I was a little apprehensive about this because I knew I'd chew up 3-4" by sinking the back jaw behind my benchtop edgeband, and installing a thick front jaw face.) So, imagine my surprise when I pull the vise out of the box and measure a 14" opening!

    Fit/finish:

    ...fully met expectation. The front jaw is a painted rough-cast finish; the jaw faces, while not machined, are a smoother finish, and flat. The sides and tops of the jaws are machined, however, which gives it a nice look. The quick-release handle is also the painted rough-cast finish. The front jaw is toed-in, and meets uniformly from side to side.

    The slide-up plastic dog was really cheese, though, and begged for replacement (which says a lot since I don't intend to use it!). A chunk of hard maple quickly took its place, drilled and tapped for the 3/8"-16 bolt. A good mineral spirits wash-down was required, as expected, to clean off the rust-inhibitor.



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    Installation:

    Since I had already fitted a smaller vise to my bench, with its rear jaw sunk behind the edgebanding, installation only required widening the slot for the rear jaw. Oh, and adding ~1" of shim material, as this vise assumes a thicker benchtop than the old vise. (Current benchtop is 3 layers of mdf for 2.25", and I think I've added ~1.5" of plywood shim, total.) Unlike the smaller vise with its two mounting bolt holes, this one has four sized for 1/2" lag bolts. This portion of the story would read a lot differently if I didn't have the ability to remove my benchtop and flip it upside down for vise mounting. Then again, one false move while flipping that top would make for an interesting story, too.



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    First use:

    At first, the in/out sliding movement of the front jaw was a little sticky. A little paste wax on the rods, and a little use loosened it up so that it now slides nice and easily. The true test, though, was to see how much the vise would toe out when tightening on a piece held high up in the jaws (i.e. a piece that doesn't extend down to the rods and screw). This is something that annoyed me with my Jorgensen pony vise. I was very happy to see that, after tightening with plenty force, there was no noticeable toe-out; the piece was still very firmly held, with even pressure across the full surface area.

    Overall impression: This vise definitely meets my needs for functionality, especially given its bonus capacity. It operates very smoothly and solidly; the QR functionality is great. Apart from the cheesy dog, it looks good, too.

    Regards,
    Tom
  • ChrisD
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2004
    • 881
    • CHICAGO, IL, USA.

    #2
    Great review, Tom, and nice setup!

    However, I am a little bit hurt that you gave up a good ol' fashioned piece of Chicago toolmaking for an import! (I try to buy Jorgensen and Pony as much as I can to support the local economy. )

    That's a real handsome vise, man. Something I'll definitely consider when the time comes to upgrade my bench. For now, I'm happy with my two little Columbian face vises (which are definitely cheesier than your cheese dog).
    The war against inferior and overpriced furniture continues!

    Chris

    Comment

    • BrazosJake
      Veteran Member
      • Nov 2003
      • 1148
      • Benbrook, TX.
      • Emerson-built Craftsman

      #3
      Thanks for the review, Tom.

      Nice-looking bench, too!

      Comment

      • Gabreilriley
        Handtools only
        • Jul 2021
        • 2

        #4
        Most woodworking vices are designed to be permanently bolted onto a workbench, similarly to a metalworking vice. However, a woodworking vice differs from a metalworking vice as it is usually attached underneath the workbench, instead of on top, with the upper edge of the jaws level with the surface of the workbench. A threaded screw, which is connected to the jaws, runs through the body of the vice, and its movement is controlled by a handle, which is located on the outer end of a vice. Pressure is exerted by the handle, through the screw which then moves the sliding jaw.

        I want to mention good name brand bench wise which also has good router table fence design like as-
        1. Yost vises 445 4.5’’ utility combination pipe and bench vise
        2. Yost vises FSV-44’’ Heavy duty forged steel bench vise
        3. Wilton 11104 Wilton bench, jaw width 4-inch
        4. Olympia tool 38-604 4-inch bench vise
        5. Yost 750-E rotating bench vise

        Comment

        • LCHIEN
          Internet Fact Checker
          • Dec 2002
          • 20920
          • Katy, TX, USA.
          • BT3000 vintage 1999

          #5
          I have a smaller Groz-like vice; the pop-up dog is metal, but is proud of the top of the vise by about 3/8"
          I mounted the vise so the jaw top is level with the bench top.
          So I had a drill a new set screw hole for the dog and (I think I recall) saw off a bit of the top so that the dog would retract completely below the top of the jaw.
          I made some wooden 3/4" jaw faces with counter sunk magnets to provide a wooden face to the jaws which takes away 1.5" of the opening. But I can remove the jaws in an instant due to the magnets.
          Last edited by LCHIEN; 07-14-2021, 12:58 PM.
          Loring in Katy, TX USA
          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

          Comment

          • Carlos
            Veteran Member
            • Jan 2004
            • 1893
            • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

            #6
            I bought an Eclipse 9" a few years ago, and am very pleased with it. I've abused it for metalwork and built a few AR-15s in it, does great. I have a few flip-up dogs that also help with flat work.

            Comment

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