Shiftless
Well-known member
Looks like you are right. My mistakeShift: I don't believe Pennypinchers ever had a swivel base, you know, to keep the pennies needed to a low figure.
The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
I picked up this Hollands 52 1/2 yesterday for $40 Canadian Pesos. It looked like the guy dug it out of the yard, but I gave it a bit of a cleanup.
I may give it some paint this week. It's in reasonable shape, and the jaw faces are good. It has had a few wacks on the anvil flat, but compared to the 4" Mastercraft I've wanted to replace for years, it's an absolute doll.
I may give it some paint this week. It's in reasonable shape, and the jaw faces are good. It has had a few wacks on the anvil flat, but compared to the 4" Mastercraft I've wanted to replace for years, it's an absolute doll.
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Shiftless
Well-known member
ottrunner:
Nice find! And welcome to the group after 7 years of no posts. Go ahead and post more pics. We love pics.
Easy question…
Which is a better vise? Hollands or Mastercraft?
Nice find! And welcome to the group after 7 years of no posts. Go ahead and post more pics. We love pics.
Easy question…
Which is a better vise? Hollands or Mastercraft?
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
as far as I have seen, A & B part model number suffixes was a Parker Union only.
Parker Union also used suffixes on new vise model number that it appears Charles Parker never made. One example is the Parker Union 595A.
More details
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/one-of-the-last-of-the-parker-vises.245705/
I'm going to send the mastercraft off to recycling, it did serve its purpose, but barely. It hasn't aged well.
I've been wanting an old vice for years and when I saw this one posted, I had to have it. I likely only use a vise a dozen times a year. This one looks great in the garage.
Will post pictures of the freshly painted vice shortly.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Hollands are great old vises.
I have this one with a swivel jaw that looks almost too nice to use.
I have a Wilton C1 for a user.
I have this one with a swivel jaw that looks almost too nice to use.
I have a Wilton C1 for a user.
Charmed Life
I mentioned this paint awhile back. I had it mixed at Home Depot. I used it today on my 9300. Letting the paint cure overnight and after I reassemble it tomorrow I'll post pictures. I wanted to spray it with the PreVal sprayer I bought but I couldn't get it to work. Probably because I didn't realize the detailed instructions were printed on the inside of the box itself, and they said for latex, or thicker paint that you had to remove the filter in the bottom of the feed tube in addition to mixing the paint at 3 parts paint, one part water. I got the mixture right because that was included in the instructions outside the box, but it just wouldn't come out. So, I brushed three coats of it on after first spraying it with self-etching primer.
The color looks as close to Rustoleum's Verde Green as it possibly could. Looks a tad green inside in my workroom, while outside in the sun it is definitely bluer. Also, I didn't notice before but the can says it gives a hammered finish. It probably would if sprayed, but not readily apparent when applied by brush.
Anyway, pictures to follow, tomorrow. The PPG paint code is MTL108, and is described as "A fresh, metallic aquamarine". Very accurately I might add.
I mentioned this paint awhile back. I had it mixed at Home Depot. I used it today on my 9300. Letting the paint cure overnight and after I reassemble it tomorrow I'll post pictures. I wanted to spray it with the PreVal sprayer I bought but I couldn't get it to work. Probably because I didn't realize the detailed instructions were printed on the inside of the box itself, and they said for latex, or thicker paint that you had to remove the filter in the bottom of the feed tube in addition to mixing the paint at 3 parts paint, one part water. I got the mixture right because that was included in the instructions outside the box, but it just wouldn't come out. So, I brushed three coats of it on after first spraying it with self-etching primer.
The color looks as close to Rustoleum's Verde Green as it possibly could. Looks a tad green inside in my workroom, while outside in the sun it is definitely bluer. Also, I didn't notice before but the can says it gives a hammered finish. It probably would if sprayed, but not readily apparent when applied by brush.
Anyway, pictures to follow, tomorrow. The PPG paint code is MTL108, and is described as "A fresh, metallic aquamarine". Very accurately I might add.
TheRealZeus
Well-known member
Frickin’ tease!
fishwatcher
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- Jan 26, 2023
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- 759
I picked up this Starrett 015 with 5” jaws today for $50. It’s pretty sizable and feels robust for a utility grade vise. Any catalog pages with specs anybody can share? What years were these produced?
I haven’t done a thorough cleaning, but I knocked off the biggest chunks of debris, scraped off sticky old grease, and was able to get all of the screws and bolts loose. There are no major chips or dings. The swivel lock handle is bent, but the main handle is straight. A little Fluid Film on the moving parts and I was able to confirm it operated smoothly.
If I open it REALLY wide, it does start to bind when I close it, as if the weight of the wide open vise is pulling the nut into a weird position.. but there’s no need for me to open it wide enough to do that in normal use.
This will get cleaned up eventually. I still have a Craftsman to paint first.
I haven’t done a thorough cleaning, but I knocked off the biggest chunks of debris, scraped off sticky old grease, and was able to get all of the screws and bolts loose. There are no major chips or dings. The swivel lock handle is bent, but the main handle is straight. A little Fluid Film on the moving parts and I was able to confirm it operated smoothly.
If I open it REALLY wide, it does start to bind when I close it, as if the weight of the wide open vise is pulling the nut into a weird position.. but there’s no need for me to open it wide enough to do that in normal use.
This will get cleaned up eventually. I still have a Craftsman to paint first.
@ranger08 I noticed while doing some research you had a similar one and a query on what it is in another forum -did you find out any more on this ?
looks like a dead ringer to a Marples, does it weight the same ? and makes sense as I've come across a lot of Marples and assuming NZ would be the same.
Yours looks like it's between 1897 - 1909
1897 catalogue -
1909 catalogue,
looks like a dead ringer to a Marples, does it weight the same ? and makes sense as I've come across a lot of Marples and assuming NZ would be the same.
Yours looks like it's between 1897 - 1909
1897 catalogue -
1909 catalogue,
Vices – William Marples and Sons, Ltd.
williammarplesandsons.com
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note the additional bolt hole at the rear, five bolt holes to secure down, suggests victorian era, pre 1890, more than likely an early parkinson.@ranger08 I noticed while doing some research you had a similar one and a query on what it is in another forum -did you find out any more on this ?
looks like a dead ringer to a Marples, does it weight the same ? and makes sense as I've come across a lot of Marples and assuming NZ would be the same.
1909 catalogue,
Vices – William Marples and Sons, Ltd.
williammarplesandsons.com
just updated it, had not quite got my post right, twas a work in progress, you were just too quick
Shiftless
Well-known member
Let me be the first to award you the coveted GJ “you ****”.
A 5 inch Starrett in decent condition for anything near that price is a steal. AFAIK, the red color i see is original paint. I would not consider that vise to be “utility grade” at all.
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
fishwatcher: According to this 1982 catalog, it is a utility vise. Also, you ****!
I don't have a vice yet, but really need/want one. The issue is where to mount it. I just have tool boxes as my work surface for now. Could you also include alternative mounting places for us without a proper workbench? I know I could "google" it, but I value your opinions/thoughts more.
Shiftless
Well-known member
If you have multiple tool boxes as your work surfaces, I assume you have some kind of enclosed area in which to work and store tools. Do you have room to have a work bench at least, let’s say 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep? I built one like that on locking casters.
If you don’t have room for that kind of thing, go ahead and bolt a small lightweight vise to the top of one of your roll around tool boxes. If you don’t want to drill holes in a nice box, you could get a piece of plywood to fit onto the top and then bolt a vise to that. Use carriage bolts with the heads down and recess those a bit into the wood.
Another approach is to make or find somewhere a stand so you can have a free standing vise. Keep your eyes open for a home made one at a low price. Lots of guys start with a steel wheel and weld a heavy pipe with a steel plate on top. With or without some concrete for ballast.
Shiftless
Well-known member
If Starrett calls it a Utility vise, that’s OK with me. But as we all know, Starrett has some pretty high standards so their “utility” vise is probably more precise than lots of other maker’s alleged “machinist” vises. I bet once fishwatcher gets that one tuned up, it will be a great vise.
I can make some room. I think a dedicated workbench like you say is the best bet. I'm just need to stop being lazy/cheapskate and just need to do it right.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
I see it as a transition vise, between the earlier 1897 base an the slightly later D jaw slide with the insets on the slide.
Agree; he *****!
What Shift said ^^^ Another option to the carriage bolts is threaded "Tee" inserts for wood with the three spikes to keep them from spinning. those require a lot less counter bore recess for the "head"
You can also combine the tool box top idea with a mounting plate and get a B&D Workmate for a temporary stand. use an "inverted Tee" on the bottom pf the mounting plate for the WorkMate to grip:
I don't have this Cheney swivel jaw on a Workmate Tee system as I plan on clamping it to a bench, possibly a picnic bench camping - the front lower edge is to help keep it from shifting easily -this one is using the 3 spike Tee inserts for the screws holding it.:
CRSINMICH
Well-known member
Shiftless
Well-known member
I think a home made workbench is almost always more sturdy and less expensive than anything you can buy. Unless you want to show the world your fine woodworking skills with fancy joinery etc., just use 4x4s and 2x4s with deck screws and bolts to fabricate a custom bench to fit into your available space with a height you can most easily be comfortable using. 36 niches is the norm, but if your are shorter or taller than average, just build it to suit. One of my benches is 24 inches deep and the other is 30 inches deep. Build it to fit your space and what you anticipate doing there. For a top, use Masonite or snap together strip flooring or ???
If you’re gonna weld there, use steel.
There are threads on GJ about workbenches.
I have my 5-1/2" Craftsman mounted to a thick aluminum plate which is backed by mdf. I can move it from place to place as needed. It's fairly heavy to begin with and the two mounting surfaces also add some heft. But they're also plenty big to allow for clamps to keep it solid whereever I have it.
fishwatcher
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Thank you @Shiftless! You’re an invaluable resource for me on vise pursuits.
@CRSINMICH Thank you for the catalog page!
fishwatcher
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I agree that a Black and Decker Workmate is a great way to get started with both a small, portable work bench and a vise platform. You can find them used easily for $50 on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace without looking too hard.
You can use a clampable platform like @Outlawmws showed or bolt it directly on the Workmate through its existing dog holes. You may have to augment those holes with an additional hole you drill through the top. It’s easy to bolt and unbolt a vise as needed.
Beerhippie
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ChuckWolfe
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- Apr 7, 2025
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This vice may not look like much, but it was my dad's, and it carries a lifetime of memories. I used it for everything; from building model rockets as a kid to crafting PTFE AN fittings as an adult.
It's mine now, and every time I use it, I feel a connection to the past and the work that shaped who I am.
It's mine now, and every time I use it, I feel a connection to the past and the work that shaped who I am.
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Anyone recognize a possible manufacturer for this combination bench and pipe vise? Advertised in an estate sale listing as "super heavy duty" but with no visible brand markings. The styling is so angular and squared off that I'm thinking maybe a cheap Asian import. Except that it has inverse tee-style jaw inserts fitted (would that be called a u-jaw insert then?) which would normally be associated with something a bit more high-end. Would it be worth checking out?
Thanks, Tom
Somewhere to start looking ?
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Something like that is a definite keeper.
I have my dads small pipe vise, I busted his swivel jaw vise in HS, and I passed on his 1 lb anvil to my jewelry making daughter. I wish I'd kept the busted vise as decades later I know how to repair ****. long gone...
ChuckWolfe
Member
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- Apr 7, 2025
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- 5
Yeah, for sure. Those old tools stick with you. Cool that your daughter's using the anvil, feels like a full-circle kind of thing.
I hear you on the busted vise too… funny how stuff we didn’t think twice about back then means so much now.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Oh, I thought twice about then and was sick I'd busted it - I even tried to get my mom's machinist BF to fix it, but He just lost me the broken D jaw parts...
Nice, I'm going to go that route for sure.
Before, and a couple of outside and one inside after. What do you all think? Is this paint pretty close to Verde Green, with a blue or green tint depending on light and shadow?
Next I'm going to try my hand at making some soft jaws for it. I got brass and aluminum for that this week. Will try the brass first. Waiting on a counterbore.
Next I'm going to try my hand at making some soft jaws for it. I got brass and aluminum for that this week. Will try the brass first. Waiting on a counterbore.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Whatever anybody calls that color, it looks GREAT from where I’m sitting.
Nice work!
Nice work!
76 Caprice
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- Dec 19, 2017
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- 12
Well its been almost a year since I picked up this vice, just been so busy to post it, so here it is...
Columbian machinist vise 605-M2
Here is what the fellow said about the vise:
I do not know the brand. Will take a closer look to see if I can find anything, it’s from a former employer. A number of years ago they downsized and stopped production at that location, became a shipping depot, so my mgr asked if I wanted it.
The plant originally opened in the 70s it was originally called Scot Semiconductor gas ,later bought by Airliquide. It was specialty gas company for high tech electronics industry
Thanx to "Shiftless" for confirming the make/model
Columbian machinist vise 605-M2
Here is what the fellow said about the vise:
I do not know the brand. Will take a closer look to see if I can find anything, it’s from a former employer. A number of years ago they downsized and stopped production at that location, became a shipping depot, so my mgr asked if I wanted it.
The plant originally opened in the 70s it was originally called Scot Semiconductor gas ,later bought by Airliquide. It was specialty gas company for high tech electronics industry
Thanx to "Shiftless" for confirming the make/model
Josh Dekubber
Well-known member
Outlawmws
Well-known member
That type of pipe jaw can be made - generally needs a mill to do it right.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Yes, IIRC, they are flat