Ok I finally got me a nice Disston 3D saw vise. I noticed the jaws did not quite close completely in the center, but it was tight and would hold a saw, although it would wiggle a little in the center. So I took it apart and used my 6" belt sander to try and close the gap....it worked and the gap was all but gone! The next night I thought I could do even better and post my success here for all to learn from ......instead, I goofed and the edges got champered some, so there is a kind of groove on the top edge and the saw is now held about 1/16" down in the jaws. Not the best for trying to keep the teeth close to the clamping action to reduce vibration. Not only that in an effort to correct this, the jaws are no longer as tight.
Here's the millon dollar question...at least the 71 dollar one: Is this thing made of steel or cast iron? If it's steel, I can have more metal welded to the jaws then grind them back to the correct thickness...I hope.