Have you ever been working with a vise and just can’t the piece to line up in the position you need? It’s happened to all of us. If you’re lucky, you might be able to pivot the base horizontally for a slightly better angle. But sometimes you just need to work in a different orientation or reposition your piece for better stability.
That’s where a double-rotating vise comes in handy. While some vises offer a rotating base, their jaws will still be situated horizontally. A dual swivel-action vise like the Yost 760-DI adds the ability to tilt the angle of the vise head itself. This additional axis opens up a world of possibilities for holding, cutting, drilling, or welding all kinds of projects.
Sounds great, right, but how does everything stay in place when you’re working? That’s a fair question. The best versions of these vises have locking detents every so often to keep the head from slipping. On the 760-DI, Yost has stops every 30 degrees on both the base and the yoke. That’s a total of 12 locking positions on each axis, enough to find the right angle for just about anything.
These features are enhanced by a second set of jaws, another hallmark of a great heavy-duty vise. In the case of the 760-DI, two pairs of pipe jaws – one vertical, the other horizontal – are mounted opposite the main 6-inch straight jaws. When combined, all these features add up to a powerhouse of a shop vise for professionals or serious hobbyists alike.