The VISES of Garage Journal

[Oregon rock crusher]

Here is a Parker No. 34 I picked up recently. This one had the bench wrapping slide support missing (broken off) so I made a plate to mount it to and provide the missing support. It works fine this way and the vise was pretty nice otherwise. Plate was just cut out of 1/4" with a bit of 5/16" added up front for the slide support. As this oval slide Parker has reached retirement age it is mostly a shelf queen now. Ed

 

[Outlawmws]

Estate sale ($5). Victor Jersey no. 776.

yeah, that's a USUCK

Parker No. 34

Nice one! I'm noticing the bronze screw keeper. was it MIA? or was that factory?

 

[ChefRex]

I will second that!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Nice one! I'm noticing the bronze screw keeper. was it MIA? or was that factory?

Thanks Outlaw. Well, the spindle keeper was there but it is just cast steel or iron....I had a bit of bronze spray paint handy so that's what it got as it was pretty bare and needed something. The vise itself had most of the original black finish remaining so it just got a light swipe of BLO.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Here is another vise I picked up this week while on a day trip to the coast. I had seen it the last few visits to an antique mall there but with the standard discount in play I decided to bring it home this time. This is the first FPU I've gotten a good look at. Well built but I can see where the dovetail design could be vulnerable if abused. This one is marked FPU PJDb-80 on the tag. Nothing on the jaw towers or anywhere else.

It may have original paint but I'm not sure. Some kind of fragile speckled paint over a gray base coat. The jaws and anvil pad are nearly pristine. For a small 80mm or 3-1/8" vise it is pretty solid. I like the swivel lock too. I see several different model numbers on these but nothing helping estimate age. A few pics. Ed.

 

[antman213]

Yes, Central Jersey.

So it is indeed a No. 76? I know it was listed as a No. 16 and I had a hard time finding any info on a Amercian Scale no 16.

 

[F-22]

Here is another vise I picked up this week while on a day trip to the coast. I had seen it the last few visits to an antique mall there but with the standard discount in play I decided to bring it home this time. This is the first FPU I've gotten a good look at. Well built but I can see where the dovetail design could be vulnerable if abused. This one is marked FPU PJDb-80 on the tag. Nothing on the jaw towers or anywhere else.

It may have original paint but I'm not sure. Some kind of fragile speckled paint over a gray base coat. The jaws and anvil pad are nearly pristine. For a small 80mm or 3-1/8" vise it is pretty solid. I like the swivel lock too. I see several different model numbers on these but nothing helping estimate age. A few pics. Ed.

That style always interested me, it looks like eastern Europe saw the west german vises (leinen, schlegel....) and decided to copy them but invert the dovetail. Does seem to cover up the dovetail a bit better but I think it also makes it a little weaker.

 

[diman]

So it is indeed a No. 76? I know it was listed as a No. 16 and I had a hard time finding any info on a Amercian Scale no 16.

I tried to find it in catalogs too as No 16 when I took it home and only during the disassembly I realized it's "7" and not "1".
After disassembling everything and cleaning it turned out to be in a very good condition for its age.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

That style always interested me, it looks like eastern Europe saw the west german vises (leinen, schlegel....) and decided to copy them but invert the dovetail. Does seem to cover up the dovetail a bit better but I think it also makes it a little weaker.

Here are a couple more pics of the dovetail design of this FPU and the copied German designs. I do like how FPU covered the spindle screw and better protect the ways from **** intrusion. The few pics I looked at for Leinen and Schlegel are open screw. One pic of the Leinen shows a weld indicating their dovetail design is vulnerable to excessive force as well. I too find them all interesting. Ed.

 

[banditbigdog]

2.375” G. Boley
Installed it on two 1” thick pieces of stainless steel.
Currently used as a third hand for holding small electrical stuff / soldering.

 

[Smitty]

This should shake things up a bit.

 

[Shiftless]

This should shake things up a bit.

INDEED !

 

[454ragtop]

Picked up this sad ******* Paker today, it's a 104, and terminal I'm afraid. I'll list it in the vise parts thread if anyone needs parts, everything but the main body is pretty nice. Had an old repair, straps on either side and a piece of 1/4" plate screwed to the bottom to try to hold it together, unsuccessfully.

Also found this little Millers Falls clamp on with a swivel base.

Last 2 pics show a vise type tool I found a while back. No markings, does anyone recognize it or know anything about it?

 

[Outlawmws]

Maybe you can make a bookend out of the body remnant?

 

[Smitty]

I got to cross off the top spot on my vise wish list today. This big logo Reed 108 came up today for cheap and it was only 20 minutes away. the vise has 8” jaws and weighs in at 282 lbs. I’ve been searching for one of these for quite a while and I’m proud to add it to my collection.
The vise is in A+ condition, it spent it’s life in a refinery and was responsibly used.

 

[Outlawmws]

Awesome Find Smitty!

 

[Smitty]

Thanks Outlaw, I’m pretty happy to have finally found one.

 

[Shiftless]

Smitty:
Great find
How the hell did you lift that big boy into the back of your truck?

 

[M635_Guy]

Seems like this belongs here, though lots more anvils than vises...

 

[F-22]

Here are a couple more pics of the dovetail design of this FPU and the copied German designs. I do like how FPU covered the spindle screw and better protect the ways from **** intrusion. The few pics I looked at for Leinen and Schlegel are open screw. One pic of the Leinen shows a weld indicating their dovetail design is vulnerable to excessive force as well. I too find them all interesting. Ed.

The broken Leinen is really tiny, those are easy to overload with a hammer by ignorant people... The big ones are very solid.
Haven't noticed the dovetail is adjustable on the FPU. I think that's quite unique.

The lead screw is never exposed on these style of vises. It is reversed, with the lead screw being fixed in the rear of the vise and the "spindle" you spin with the handle is a steel tube with a nut on the end. Any grinding dust or weld splatter just falls on the outer part of the tube and is completely irrelevant to the functionality of the vise. I think it's a very smart and smart solution to this issue.

 

[Patrickm82]

I got to cross off the top spot on my vise wish list today. This big logo Reed 108 came up today for cheap and it was only 20 minutes away. the vise has 8” jaws and weighs in at 282 lbs. I’ve been searching for one of these for quite a while and I’m proud to add it to my collection.
The vise is in A+ condition, it spent it’s life in a refinery and was responsibly used.

You **** Smitty! That is my white whale large logo Reed. Awesome find congrats.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

The broken Leinen is really tiny, those are easy to overload with a hammer by ignorant people... The big ones are very solid.
Haven't noticed the dovetail is adjustable on the FPU. I think that's quite unique.

The lead screw is never exposed on these style of vises. It is reversed, with the lead screw being fixed in the rear of the vise and the "spindle" you spin with the handle is a steel tube with a nut on the end. Any grinding dust or weld splatter just falls on the outer part of the tube and is completely irrelevant to the functionality of the vise. I think it's a very smart and smart solution to this issue.

I don't doubt that Leinen broke through abuse. Most anything can be torn up if stressed hard enough. I would like to pick up a Leinen or Schlegel vise one of these days. I'm sure one will turn up. Thank you F-22 for explaining the operation. I didn't realize they had reversed the spindle operation by spinning the nut and fixing the screw. That is an interesting solution. Makes me want one....or both even more.

Ohhh Yaaa! Hardly an afterthought.... Nice find on that monster Reed Smitty. She's a beaute. Ed.

 

[Smitty]

Smitty:
Great find
How the hell did you lift that big boy into the back of your truck?

Luckily the seller had an engine hoist, this thing is a beast.

 

[Smitty]

You **** Smitty! That is my white whale large logo Reed. Awesome find congrats.

Thanks Patrick. I’m living proof that they do pop up for reasonable prices on occasion.

 

[Shiftless]

Luckily the seller had an engine hoist, this thing is a beast.

Engine hoist is the perfect tool for that. I borrowed an engine hoist once. To lift an engine…imagine that! A buddy and I lifted the 352 out of my ‘62 Galaxie Sunliner.

 

[Outlawmws]

Luckily the seller had an engine hoist, this thing is a beast.

I guess I'm a bit surprised you don;t have one of those corner Hosts on the bed of your truck, as many heavy things you buy!

TBH I want one on the corner of my samurai, if only for deer...

 

[dannyr]

Here are a couple more pics of the dovetail design of this FPU and the copied German designs. I do like how FPU covered the spindle screw and better protect the ways from **** intrusion. The few pics I looked at for Leinen and Schlegel are open screw. One pic of the Leinen shows a weld indicating their dovetail design is vulnerable to excessive force as well. I too find them all interesting. Ed.

Maker unknown, but there was a 'Made in England' vise like these from early 1900s to WWII sizes 1in to 2.25in, direct mount and clamp-on - but not made later and never seemed to make big versions.

 

[neophyte]

Maker unknown, but there was a 'Made in England' vise like these from early 1900s to WWII sizes 1in to 2.25in, direct mount and clamp-on - but not made later and never seemed to make big versions.

Other than simply being cheap,
Does anyone know why the major US vise makers didn’t put separate hardened steel anvils or blocks on top of cast iron vises ?
Steel accessory blocks still seem to be standard on Watchmaking anvils like this English made one, but also on Bergeon and Horotec vises.
English made Record vises, such as the Imp, Auto, and model 75 also had separate hardened steel anvils mounted on the top.
Even expensive vises like USA made Wilton machinist vises simple have a flat “anvil” surface, that is just the ductile iron alloy the vise is made from.
How much extra would it cost to mount a round hardened steel plug on top of the vise body ?
You can buy hardened steel bench blocks around the same size as the “anvil” surface for $20 retail.

( Sorry for the rant )

 

[Shiftless]

Cast iron is brittle. A few light taps to straighten out a kink on a piece of wire is not a lot of force so I may have used a vise ”anvil” surface for that a few times. But there are too many guys who pull out their 3 pound hammer and wail away on a chunk of cold steel using their vise and do serious damage or even destroy a nice vise.
Personally, I keep a short length of train rail nearby to use for pounding jobs like straightening out a vise handle. (I don’t have a press).
A hardened surface might encourage bad behavior just like a longer handle might encourage overzealous tightening which risks damaging the screw or the nut or both. Most manufacturers size the handle proportionately to the strength of the components.

 

[ctuai]

Garage Sale ($2.00) Stanley Sweetheart no. 741 -1 1/2. Got it clamped to my desk so I can enjoy it while at work.

 

[PierceA]

Neophyte: A hardened piece atop the rear area of a bench vise sounds 'good'. BUT that is what a typical good blacksmith's anvil has..
A steel plate that size would encourage using the vise as an anvil, and almost guarantee warrantee issues as well as greatly increase the costs of making each vise..
Blacksmith anvils are a solid hunk of iron.. only on a few are there 'mouse-holes' through the base.. And still anvils get damaged, the hardened steel top plate becomes chipped or detached from the iron base.. [it is sort of 'furnace-welded' onto the iron base].
A vise has a large opening under the 'anvil' location and is NOT intended for use as a real anvil.. But still many, many vises and the slide of the dynamic are cracked, damaged or destroyed by overly enthusiastic pounding on these surfaces.. or foolish hammering on them..

It is possibly 'excusable'... no, nix that. it is 'understandable' that if you are bending a piece of light metal in a vise, and need to square up the bend, make it tighter, that you use the very convenient sharp cornered rectangular slide right behind the jaws !! But this leads to commonly thinking of this as an anvil surface and soon a person is straightening 1/2" bolts on this surface with the resulting dents, divots and mushroomed over corners.. And eventually ruining the slide's surface and smooth operation.

I'm like Shiftless: I use either a chunk of RR rail, or an actual anvil for serious hammering and straightening. I most often use a 140# Peter Wright anvil, that I inherited from my little brother, now deceased for 40 years.. Using the Anvil always brings memories and thoughts about my brother.. a good thing for me..
Sorry about that diversion.. It just popped up and came out my fingers..

Ok: the small dedicated anvils on jewelry vises are meant for working on Silver and Gold.. both soft metals will work fine on a small anvil and they must have worked well, since so many survive without much if any apparent damage..

PierceA

 

[master Zoda]

Garage Sale ($2.00) Stanley Sweetheart no. 741 - 1/2. Got it clamped to my desk so I can enjoy it while at work.

$2.00 Nice.

 

[Smitty]

I guess I'm a bit surprised you don;t have one of those corner Hosts on the bed of your truck, as many heavy things you buy!

TBH I want one on the corner of my samurai, if only for deer...

It’s funny that you mention that. I just saw some pics of one that mounts in the trailer hitch and it will lift quite a bit. The problem is that it’s not cheap. I investigated further and there are models that sit on the ground but use the hitch as leverage. I like that idea and it seems stronger. I like the bed mounted models but I don’t think my neighbors or wife would.

 

[454ragtop]

It’s funny that you mention that. I just saw some pics of one that mounts in the trailer hitch and it will lift quite a bit. The problem is that it’s not cheap. I investigated further and there are models that sit on the ground but use the hitch as leverage. I like that idea and it seems stronger. I like the bed mounted models but I don’t think my neighbors or wife would.

Smitty, love that 8" Reed! Is that Columbian sourced (tee jaws)?
As far as a lift, look for a used Hoyer lift. I have a couple I picked up for $10.00. They look like mini cherry pickers, and the upright lifts right out of the base for easy transport/storage.

Boyer Lift manual - general for sale - by owner - craigslist

Used manual hoyer lift. Pick up only

worcester.craigslist.org

 

[Outlawmws]

I have a wheel chair hoist I plan to setup on the old Sami once its operational again. I think it has about a 500# capacity? not huge but the sami is only rated for 1/4 ton anyway.

I agree, the swing away with hitch mount is a better option

 

[PierceA]

For most vise purchases, I have been able to slide the vise up a 2x12 board I keep in the van, pickup or even the Prius.. One end on the bumper or trunk lid threshold, and the other on the ground.. the slowly walk or slide the vise up the board to the vehicle..
I always take advantage of separating the dynamic from the static.. And even on a big 8" 300# vise, that makes each piece a safer and more manageable ~150#. I'm careful to take my time.. if the hunk of iron falls off the edge of the ramp, it can do serious damage to a shin or foot.. and even if there are not injuries, I still have to move it to the bottom of the ramp again and start sliding and walking it up the board..
I like the engine lifts. but every truck I've had that had the mounted lift, well for the few times the lift was used, there were hundreds of times the lift was in the way of some other thing that needed room in the bed of the truck.

PierceA.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Smitty, love that 8" Reed! Is that Columbian sourced (tee jaws)?
As far as a lift, look for a used Hoyer lift. I have a couple I picked up for $10.00. They look like mini cherry pickers, and the upright lifts right out of the base for easy transport/storage.

Boyer Lift manual - general for sale - by owner - craigslist

Used manual hoyer lift. Pick up only

worcester.craigslist.org

For lifting stuff, I used the heck out of a manual Hoyer patient lift. 400 lb capacity, light weight, leg spacing is lever adjustable, and very easy to maneuver. It also greats down into two pieces for storage or easy fitting in the pickup truck bed. I like the original version with the straight lifting arm as they seem to lift higher. Can be cheap on the used market. Electric versions are also available but they weigh/cost more. I sold my engine hoist after getting the Hoyer lift. The Hoyer took up a lost less space and was high enough to lift stuff out of a truck bed

 

[tool_scrounge]

It’s funny that you mention that. I just saw some pics of one that mounts in the trailer hitch and it will lift quite a bit. The problem is that it’s not cheap. I investigated further and there are models that sit on the ground but use the hitch as leverage. I like that idea and it seems stronger. I like the bed mounted models but I don’t think my neighbors or wife would.

Consider a fold away bumper crane. Hides in the bumper when not in use.

https://westernmule.com/bumper_cranes.html

 

[PierceA]

Purchased a smallish Reed today, A 103-1/2A. My only 'A' suffix Reed to date.
This vise was in a dirty grubby environment, but the vise itself was not abused nor used much.
The entire static and Dynamic had a thick hard layer of hard grit.. Almost as if there was a mist of
BLO or paint in the air and lots of grinding dust that adhered to the vise and was 'fixed' to the surface as the
BLO or paint dried.
The grunge resisted coming off in the room temperature Purple Power solution.. So I put it on the propane heater.
It will soak for the night..
The jaws are in very good condition, and the vise has only a few hammer marks..

I have yet to find the date stamping on the vise.
I really like the 4 bolt mounting of the later fixed base Reeds.

PierceA.

 

[PierceA]

Andy F. commented about the surprisingly light weight of my recently acquired 9" Mystery Vise.
We exchanged thoughts and ideas and compared verbally a 'typical' 8" bench vise that weighs around 300#
And the Mystery Vise is about 175#.
So I made some measurements.
The dynamic on the Mystery Vise is 20.5" without the mainscrew hub. So from the mainscrew thrust surface to the end of the slide.
The dynamic on the Reed 208 is 27.5" long, again from mainscrew thrust surface to the end of the slide.

The depth from the top of a jaw to the top of the slide is an inch shorter on the Mystery Vise. So both the jaw towers on the beefy Reed are an inch taller. The taller jaws mean there is more leverage to bend and possibly break the jaw tower off of the slide, so more metal is needed to provide strength.
The width of the static and the dynamic jaw tower are both the same at 6", and the Mystery vise is also 6" wide.

The comparision of the mainscrews, hubs and retainers is interesting. Both have hubs [meatball] that are 3.25" diameter.
Both mainscrews are 1.355" diameter. [slightly less than 1-3/8" diameter]
The retaining collar for the reed is 1.25" long and uses one set screw to anchor the collar to the mainscrew.
The Mystery Vise's retaining collar is 2.5" long, and uses THREE set screws to anchor the collar to the mainscrew.
The outside diameter of the Reed retaining collar is 3/8" larger in diameter than the Mystery vise's collar.

The casting of the slide on the Reed is able to allow the retaining collar to easily be dropped down over the mainscrew, there is plenty of room around the collar.
On the Mystery vise, the collar can barely fit through the opening for the mainscrew in the slide. So the sides of the slide are noticably thicker than the Reed's.

The machined surfaces that support the dynamic jaw and slide are 12.5" long, with some gaps in the Reed, The Mystery vise's supports are full length in contact with the slide and are 14" long..

The mainscrew nut on the Reed is 4" long [threaded part]. On the Mystery Vise the threaded portion of the nut is 6" long..

So some 'conclusions': The Mystery vise while it does have 8.75" wide jaws, it was made for a different type of work than the massive Reed. Yet the Mystery vise has several very heavy duty features that exceed the Reed's.
The very beefy mainscrew and it's extra long threaded nut and long slide support suggest a job application requiring a lot of opening and closing the vise, So the extra meat at the high wear points.
The depth from the jaw to the slide being shorter on the Mystery vise suggests that a *********** was not needed, and this allowed using less supporting iron in the jaw towers.
The Reed opens much wider, around 16". The Mystery Vise opens 10". Again, it seems that the Mystery vise was made for a job needing a wide jaw, but not as deep a throat or as wide an opening.

There is no doubt that the three mounting ears on the static base are the largest I've ever seen.
I still have not found a single number, letter, or stamping on the Mystery vise..

I'm putting together a plan for repairing the jaw supports and making new jaws. More later.

Pierce A