The VISES of Garage Journal

[Shiftless]

Another A+ job from Vice Roy. That makes 2 in 2 days…you’re in a roll

 

[Fierljeppen]

Finished this one today. (Decal from Autopts). According to Nick it's a very early 745. The label doesn't match its age (it doesnt sound like they immediately made them for Snap-On, I could be wrong) but I liked the color scheme.

The vise looks great! Can't go wrong with Snap-On red and their decal.

If you look on top of the slide, there may be a date-stamp.

 

[CRSINMICH]

STANLEY No.707 and LAKESIDE No. 6845 (?)​

These both came from the same shelf of an antique store. I've been looking for a Lakeside with flowing script for some time, but I didn't know that I had one until I got it home and looked it over closely. I bought it because it was a swiveling clamp-on. I grabbed the Stanley because it is so small. The cut from a Wards catalog shows a non-swiveling version, but at the bottom of the item it describes the swiveler. If you look closely at the cut from a Stanley catalog you'll see that the Stanley 710 looks exactly like the Lakeside. Wards did sell Stanley vises at that time,

 

[ViceRoy2030]

The vise looks great! Can't go wrong with Snap-On red and their decal.

If you look on top of the slide, there may be a date-stamp.

10 74

 

[rckymtnab]

Cleaned up a post Vise yesterday, unsure of maker. Post was in excellent shape all the way to the bottom.

 

[Smitty]

Was this for in a factory that made food or something like that?

It’s quite possible that this was in the food service industry There’s a large no.17 stamped on the keyway which tells me it was part of a production run. I think they would have ground the Wilton logo off if it was for a more sensitive type of clean room.

 

[PghJKB]

anybody remember these?

Smitty...It appears Wilton did offer chrome plating as an option. I found a couple of Google snippets and this 2010 GJ post.

A handful of Wilton bullet vises were chrome plated at the factory for special customers. For example,

Rare Chrome Wilton Vise

I was picking up a woodworking vise and when I arrived the seller had a stack of other items for me to consider. Most all were Wilton brand, so I commented that he must have worked there, and it turned out that he was a product manager at Wilton for decades. When I asked if he had a bullet vise...

www.garagejournal.com

Maui

I bought a few sets of Wilton F-clamps a few years ago directly from the retired Product Manager of Wilton. I thought they were USA but indeed they were imported. I'm attaching a pic of the guy along with his very cool chrome-plated vise he

I met an ex-product manager from Wilton a few years ago and he had the same model chrome-plated 450S. He said it was made for Kraft Foods, and they only made about a dozen of them. He wanted $1500 for his, so I took his pic and never saw him again.

Apparently Wilton gave chromed vises to many of their retiring executives. Several years ago I ran into a retired Product Manager, "Jim", that offered to sell me his chromed vise but I declined (too much $$) and forgot his address. And yes, I regret not buying it when I had the chance....

JKB

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I FINALLY got a graffiti Prentiss bull dog!!! I don’t care that it has a poor braze job. The price was absolutely right and I couldn’t be happier. Well maybe if it didn’t have two cans of spray paint covering it.

 

[Smitty]

anybody remember these?










JKB

Wow, thanks for all of the info, I’ll definitely be reading up on it in the morning.

 

[Smitty]

I found a huge Columbian 608 last week and it really put a smile on my face. The vise has 8” jaws and it’s in great condition. There’s not a hammer mark on it and the jaws look like they’ve barely been used. It’s clearly spent some time in the great outdoors but I can make that go away with some PB Blaster and a cup brush on an angle grinder. This one is going to look great with a BLO finish.

 

[Jayman17]

Is that one of those 8oz. Coke cans in the picture?

 

[mgmlvks]

Back in the Game (sorta). Found a nice American Scale & Vise 35M locally at a good price. Will be cleaned up and added to my collection of "Things Made in Kansas City". Missing pipe jaws, but only a couple of small hammer smacks, and like four file marks. Best of all - no grinder marks!

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Picked up a very nice Hollands 13H.

 

[Willy Wilson]

Pretty slick PVC #27 I recently got ready for the shelf. I was really surprised to find the swivel pin was wood! I think it looks good so its going to stay.

 

[Shiftless]

I’ve been working on that rusty 4 inch bullet.
The swivel base that came with it has me stumped. I think it is shop made but not sure. It is 8 inches across and has quite well cut slots with a 5 inch span to perfectly fit the Wilton 4 inch vise body. When I got the vise, the hold down clamps were simply two bolts with nuts on the top.
It‘s not cast iron, it’s half inch thick steel plate.
What do you guys think? Ever seen something like this?
I derusted it and coated it with Rustoleum primer.

 

[RTM]

Sure looks built to purpose. My Simplex is set up to use carriage bolts. Don’t own a Wilton, so no help there.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks RTM
I bet some guy fabbed this up after his cast iron swivel base broke. As we all know, that is a weak point on the bullets. Half inch steel plate should hold up to anything the rest of the vise can handle.
Maybe some ebay User wants a custom low profile base for his bullet. I’d be happy to trade for a stock cast iron base.

 

[KMScott]

Shift, just a simple way to create a swivel base using a rotary table or a CNC. Lockdowns would work if you had any, that one set I mailed you is to big. Should be 1/2:13 thread bolt they used.

 

[RedVise]

I've previously posted this pic of my mess of vises at various sites over the years.
A neighbor gifted me a metal garage door and installing that led me to decide to finally straighten out my vise display.
Came out pretty nice 90% Made in USA, nice variety.

The wood vises dont display very well, but one of my favorites is the 3rd from left. It's a Columbian quick release, first I have seen on a small vise. Same with the Wards vise in the right rear in second pic, small bench vise with a quick release.

Just to keep the record straight, the rest of the garage is a mess!
Edit: added pic of previous mess for reference!

 

[va.grouseman]

Very nice collection RED.---Good stuff.

 

[ViceRoy2030]

Picked this beauty up yesterday. Long trip but worth it. 7-11-1977

 

[Shiftless]

Sweet!
We are all looking at a C3 right?

 

[btrnuthatch]

I've cleaned this beast a bit after these initial "as was" images. I don't see 4A anywhere on it, just 101. After reading Oregon Rock Crusher and and Crsinmich's posts about reassembly challenges (and beautiful results), I am NOT going to take it apart. I don't see any damage beyond the chip in one of the jaws. One of the 4" jaws has two tapped holes and missing what was attached so that there is a gap when fully closed. It's missing the swivel wrench and the pegged jaw pieces. It came with these heavy duty (unused? and slightly magnetic?) jaw protectors. The main screw looks good, at least what I could see when I extended it fully. I thought I'd pull the whole thing out but it seems to be attached. I have a DIY stand for the stalwart Athol that I've used for 10+ years; it might not be stout enough.

 

[va.grouseman]

Btrnuthatch, I want one of those.

 

[Outlawmws]

Think how I feel... He's in my area!

 

[Shiftless]

btrnuthatch:
Great find. Just like va and outlaw, that one has been on my want list for years. Do you want to set up a trade?

 

[FourthQuarter]

Yikes. Reminds me of animals of Chernobyl pix

 

[CRSINMICH]

btrnuthatch: Congratulations! That's a fairly rare find. Mine was is terrible condition and in pieces inside a 5 gallon bucket when I got it. It took lots of time and major assistance from a machinist to get it working. I'd say if you don't have to take it apart then don't. The different models didn't have a model number on the vise. You have to go by jaw size. Here's a 1911 Emmert ad that has a chart.

 

[AreBeeBee]

I have a question that I have never seen an answer to. Why do some vises have a lead screw that's fully exposed to sawdust, metal bits, and other debris? Is it just a matter of economy, that it's cheaper to build a vise without a covering over the screw?

 

[CRSINMICH]

AreBeeBee: I think it's mostly a matter of economy. Both covered and uncovered screw vises have been made since at least 1869 as shown by this Union Vise ad. It could also be that not everyone needs a covered screw, homeowners who only use their vise once in a while for instance. In a shop or production situation having the screw covered would save time and money. It's just a guess though.

 

[Shiftless]

CRS:
Thanks for posting that catalog page. Looking closely, I saw the weights. This can’t possibly be right can it?

 

[Shiftless]

CRS:
Thanks for posting that catalog page. Looking closely, I saw the weights. This can’t possibly be right can it?

 

[SkyPuncher]

I think that is the weights for the milling machines.

 

[Shiftless]

I think that is the weights for the milling machines.

You’re right. I shouldn’t post anything until I finish at least one cup of coffee.

 

[ctandc72]

Fairly new here.
Read the thread title as 'VICES".
Mildly disappointed.

 

[Shiftless]

Hopefully having a large collection of vises and spending lots of time working on them is not a serious vice. If so, a few of us here are in BIG trouble.

 

[btrnuthatch]

btrnuthatch:
Great find. Just like va and outlaw, that one has been on my want list for years. Do you want to set up a trade?

I see from previous older posts that others are on the look out for this type of Emmert. My vise vice has been cured but this was an exception. I may be dumb but I'm not stupid.

For the foreseeable future I'm going to ponder what to do .... as in look for a proper stand ... But even then, I'm being exhorted by you-know-who to start disposing of my "valuables" before I kick the bucket and leave my "mess" for someone else to clean up. I do have a Reed 3C to trade for Cman Long C combos.

CRSINMICH -- Thanks for the ad. Are there any clues to look for to determine a mfg date?

btr

Tapped jaw I mentioned only on this one side which I cleaned out and inserted a set screw (1/4-20) as a placeholder. Dark gunk is some kind of adhesive I scraped off.

 

[RTM]

For the foreseeable future I'm going to ponder what to do .... as in look for a proper stand ... But even then, I'm being exhorted by you-know-who to start disposing of my "valuables" before I kick the bucket and leave my "mess" for someone else to clean up. I do have a Reed 3C to trade for Cman Long C combos.

I think several other Bay Area denizens could help with the first half of that statement. For a Reed 3c I’m not sure all my CMan combos would be enough, but am willing to look.

 

[Shiftless]

btr:

(Bay area denizen here)

I have quite a few Craftsman USA combo wrenches but no long C’s

May I inquire about the current conversion rate between that model combination wrench and Reed 3C vises?

I’m curious about why you’re unloading your 3C
Is it just too big and heavy? That’s why I sold off my 4C

I’d be happy to work out a deal involving my extra Reed 1C

The dark gunk on that jaw face might be old adhesive that long ago held a leather pad.

 

[CRSINMICH]

butrnuthatch: I don't know of a way to date Universal Machinists' vises. They were only manufactured until about 1940. So yours is at least 80+ years old. Here is the May 1903 patent drawing. Notice that the vise is shown with through-the-bench mounting. Catalogs from 1906 or so show it with bolt-to-the-bench mounting.

SPECIAL NOTE: Look at the middle drawing of the patent. Look for m'. That's the stop collar you'd have to loosen in order to remove the main spindle. You'd only have to back the set screw off - if you can get to it!