Record 52-1/2ED Quick Release Woodworker's Vise (with "Dog"), 9" Jaw Width

by Record

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Featuring a quick-release system, these vises reduce fatigue and speed up operation. They can be opened and closed without using the main screw, so large and small workpieces can be interchanged quickly. The adjustable front stop or "dog" gives additional clamping facility when used in conjunction with a bench stop. The toe-in provides maximum grip along the top edge; this feature must be retained when fitting wooden cheeks. Other features include a square body seating for an easy fit to the workbench, robust castings, and an accurately machined housing for smooth sliding movement. Jaw width: 9 inches. Jaw opening: 13 inches.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 37.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 39 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000223R5
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 52-1/2ED
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,772 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stands up to use OR abuse, September 7, 2001

By 

Jack Lewis, Jr. (Seattle, WA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Record 52-1/2ED Quick Release Woodworker's Vise (with "Dog"), 9" Jaw Width (Tools & Home Improvement)

Buy this one, quickly, while you still can get a gen-yoo-wine, made-by-Brits-in-Sheffield vise for a Taiwanese price. The Record 52-1/2 is a far better device than expected for a little over a hundred bucks. It has tremendous capacity, is heckforstrong, and is fast-acting without mystical half-turn gymnastics. It has a nice, long-lasting blue paint finish, and decent metal finishes as well. You can tighten it up with a whomping mallet mash if you care to, and it will take it and smile back at you. The quick-release lever is a pure gem in operation.

This champion of a vise deserves a big, heavy bench to support it in the fashion in which it would like to become accustomed. Be aware that mounting procedures will affect your long-term enjoyment greatly. If your bench is edged, mounting Big Blue behind the edging gives you a seamless inside face; this is superior to recessing it into the bench side. You also should fabricate an outside jaw pad of hardwood. Magnetic pads are available for this vise, but they look crummy on a nice bench, can't be made from scraps and won't last as long as maple ones. A useful, plain-English installation guide is included.

Waxing the screw and guides is recommended. Don't use oil, grease or WD40, all of which will accumulate crud rapidly.

Drawbacks are few: you won't get the full jaw width after facing the jaws (you don't need it anyway); it weighs about an Imperial ton (only a disadvantage if your bench is lightish); and it will torque its works a bit if you rachet down hard with a piece of stock held vertically in one side. This last peccadillo is curable by the expedient of shimming the opposite side with a board of equal thickness. Final drawback is the dog, which is good hard steel -- just the thing to punch divots in your workpieces. Make a new one out of hardwood (takes 15 minutes or so if you're slow like me), and your troubles are over. Alternatively, you can use cauls between the dog and your workpieces.

The ONLY reason I'll never buy another Record 52-1/2 is that a guy really only needs one -- and I'll never wear this one out. Nice to see well-made gear out there.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Record 52-1/2 woodworking vise, July 15, 2000

By 

Donald R. McKelvey (Indiana, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Record 52-1/2ED Quick Release Woodworker's Vise (with "Dog"), 9" Jaw Width (Tools & Home Improvement)

The Record 52-1/2 ED woodworking vise is a massive and very sturdy piece of equipment and requires an equally sturdy work bench in order to be used to its fullest potential. If the vise is mounted with the jaws about a half inch below the work surface (as is recommended) then the space 7 1/2 inches below the work surface must be open to allow for free movement of the guide bars and the torsion bar. The metal jaws need to have hardwood face plates add to protect your work. I used 3/4 inch hardwood for the face plates and held them in place with 1 inch wood screws. The Tool Crib catalog description says that the jaws are tapped to receive 8 mm countersink screws. This was not true with my vise. It had two 6.5 mm holes drilled in each jaw but the holes were not tapped nor were they countersunk. This being the case it is necessary to add the face plates before mounting the vise. I mounted the vise, positioned the face plates, clamped them in position, unmounted the vise, inserted the 4 one inch wood screws and remounted the vise. The vise is well made, works great and I'm quite happy with it.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Woodworkers Vice, June 5, 2001

By 

Andy W. (Loganville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Record 52-1/2ED Quick Release Woodworker's Vise (with "Dog"), 9" Jaw Width (Tools & Home Improvement)

As with the majority of equipment manufactured by Record, you will find attention to detail and excellent quality. The 52-1/2 does not disappoint. The thread design on the clamp is very beefy and will withstand as much pressure as you can muster without the possibility of striping out. This is something you want find on the Taiwanese copycats. The ratio of handle turn to clamp movement is excellent allowing for incremental adjustment of clamping pressure without the fear of "over doing it". The adjustable top "dog" is great when used in conjunction with bench "dogs" resulting in even great clamping width capacities. The quick release feature is very helpful in quickly adjusting the jaw width without having to crank your arm off.

As mentioned in an earlier review, careful attention should be paid to adequately mount the vice. I anchored the vise in a 2" x 4" laminated workbench by rabbiting the rear vice clamp into the bottom of the workbench and then secured it with ¼" x 2 ½" lag bolts. I also attached a 12" long 2" x 4" to the front vice clamp. This gives me a wood-on-wood clamping surface to protect the surface of my projects.

This should be the first (and it will probably be the last) vise you consider or purchase.