The VISES of Garage Journal

[CRSINMICH]

Soleinmyhead: That was an interesting vise find. Here is an item from a 1959 issue of POPULAR SCIENCE. An interesting fact is the vise wasn't patented until 1960.

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[TheRealZeus]

That would be somewhere around +$400 bucks today.

 

[dannyr]

Soleinmyhead: That was an interesting vise find. Here is an item from a 1959 issue of POPULAR SCIENCE. An interesting fact is the vise wasn't patented until 1960.

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Fortis Engineering of Coventry, England made this type (2 swivels just the same on the dynamic, but without the anvil) from about 1930s (Patent Jerrim 1923) - also v similar ('modern' design) later 'patented' (brevete) by French company and sold in UK -- these are heavier, bench-mounted, all-steel vices, not clamp-ons.

 

[CRSINMICH]

dannyr: Do you have any advertisements, patents, or catalogue entries you could share? (In my head I gave these words a short i and a long a sound so you wouldn't have trouble understanding my question .) In the meantime, here's a bit of Fortis information for you.

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[PghJKB]

Soleinmyhead: That was an interesting vise find. Here is an item from a 1959 issue of POPULAR SCIENCE. An interesting fact is the vise wasn't patented until 1960.

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Kinda, sorta, like a Sevo

 

[dannyr]

dannyr: Do you have any advertisements, patents, or catalogue entries you could share? (In my head I gave these words a short i and a long a sound so you wouldn't have trouble understanding my question .) In the meantime, here's a bit of Fortis information for you.

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here's a Fortis, steel, with the swivel jaws, and the later French Noveto, with same ---- I did have some link to Jerrim patent, but can't find just now ----------- I realise a distinguishing feature of the small Wilder is that the 2 swivelling jaws are themselves held in a swivelling turret - this could be the usp of the patent ps, thanks -- I say patent either (or eyether) way but ads with the short i

 

[Andy FitzGibbon]

Last weekend, I picked up an older Reed 104 4” vise (pre-R version.) It has two sets of (mmyy date) stamped “628” (June 1928) on the non-logo’d/ non-named side of each jaw.

It has the 3-hole fixed base, a (center drilled) round, “meatball”-style nose on the spindle and It uses the older collar inside the slide rather than the split nut retainer.

As opposed to being too short (as some others have seen,) the spindle length was a generous 1-1/4” too long for the dynamic jaw slide. Surely it wasn’t initially sold this way. We’ve assumed the original spindle with handle was replaced with this longer (too long) spindle early in the vise’s life (still before the transitionary period to R’s). I used a small cut-off saw to trim the spindle to the appropriate length. The spindle is long enough to still extend beyond the nut when the slide is fully opened.

As some others had found, the retainer pin for the main nut screw was missing. The main nut screw was marked Reed on one side and 2306-4-4 1/2 on the other.

For the paint color, this is my first experiment with a matte black that I had seen used on a pair of Holland vises (16H and 13H) that I had seen on FB. It is Kimball Midwest Rustmaster Plus Black.

I have a Columbian 204 1/2 with the exact same issue. Always assumed somebody replaced the screw, and maybe the one for the 205 was what was in stock that day.

 

[CRSINMICH]

dannyr: Thanks for the photos (with two long O sounds). Here's a Noveto item from a 1935 Buck & Hickman catalogue. There is a small notice that it was "Foreign".

Note to KMScott: Two models with specs to add to the Spreadsheet.

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BTW, I say eether but my wife says eyether so we should call the whole thing off. "Two peoples divided by a common language" indeed.

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[micahd1997]

Only one, a Prentiss #20. Also it looks like I did not add a center drill on most of my other Prentiss restorations. I did have access to a large lathe in Colorado.

It's not hard to add a 1/4" ball backed up by a spring and a 5/16 set screw to add a friction break for the handle, tap drill sie for a 5/16:18 thread is .257 diameter.

I worked on a Prentiss that had a flat spring in the meatball that acted like a break. I looked for pics while going thru my Prentiss restorations but could not find one. They machined a pocket in side the meatball where a flat spring was set and bent like a banana. If that makes sense.

Kevin, thank you. That is incredibly helpful! Do you happen to recall what era the Prentiss #20 was from or remember whether it bore any markings?

And to clarify - was the spring mechanism on both the #20 and on the other Prentiss that you mentioned the flat spring? Your "banana" description makes complete sense. Wrapping my head around the installation of the spring - would I be correct that, if a small hole was drilled and a screw extractor was used on the meatball, it would reveal a plug or grub screw behind which the spring can be accessed?

 

[frosty77]

I recently acquired this vise off Marketplace. I am very new to all this and have done A LOT of web searches and image searches and am very confused by this vise. It doesn't have a manufacturer stamp anywhere. It has an aluminum Wilton sticker. Says 51871 on the bottom like it's a Craftsman. But, it's shaped and contoured like a Columbian. Anyway, please be gentle. But, if anyone can help with who the actual manufacturer of this vise is, I'd be very grateful. Thank you! (first time posting in this forum. In case it isn't absurdly obvious already.) I will gladly provide more pics if that is helpful. Thanks! EDIT: Awkwardly added a close-up of the 5 1/2 Made In USA.

 

[Beerhippie]

It's a dead ringer for my Columbian D44:



Mine claims to be made in Cleveland, USA, but I have my doubts....

 

[CRSINMICH]

micah: Prentiss #20 (along with 18 ,19, 191/2, 21, 22, and 23) was in an 1896 catalog and in 1904, 1905, 1909, 1922. The newest one I found was 1925.

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[pfbz]

$12 estate sale pickup over the weekend. I know, I know... I ****.
2.5", original jaws replaced with custom copper soft jaw, which is fine for me as I already have some big Wilton bullets with nice sharp steel jaws.

 

[frosty77]

It's a dead ringer for my Columbian D44:



Mine claims to be made in Cleveland, USA, but I have my doubts....

It's so close!! But it has zero manufacturer embossment anywhere in the metal. It's a solid 39 lbs. It's 5 1/2 jaws and the bottom states 51871-03 which is mostly thought to be Craftsman but it has all the shapings and contours of a Columbian! That's why I'm so confused! lol

 

[micahd1997]

micah: Prentiss #20 (along with 18 ,19, 191/2, 21, 22, and 23) was in an 1896 catalog and in 1904, 1905, 1909, 1922. The newest one I found was 1925.

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Thanks for pulling those together, CRS! Here's a picture of Prentiss' #20 included in their 1891 catalog as well as the same vise (though with no serial numbers at that time) on their March, 1882 price list. I've owned and seen a handful of virtually NOS Prentiss vises from the teens, and given their excellent condition but the absence of the spring in the meatball, I'm thinking Prentiss probably did away with the spring in the early 1900s at the latest

 

[INSP380]

Started on this Columbian 604-1/2 I got over the weekend. Pulled it apart and hit it with some Totally Awesome. It’s now ready for the glass bead cabinet. Came apart very easy. Can’t decide if I want to push my luck and remove the jaws…..Time will tell. This thing is in pretty decent shape. I will have to massage the top of each jaw to clean up the casting, someone liked to cut on it. I’ll post more as I go…

Steve

 

[KMScott]

Kevin, thank you. That is incredibly helpful! Do you happen to recall what era the Prentiss #20 was from or remember whether it bore any markings?

And to clarify - was the spring mechanism on both the #20 and on the other Prentiss that you mentioned the flat spring? Your "banana" description makes complete sense. Wrapping my head around the installation of the spring - would I be correct that, if a small hole was drilled and a screw extractor was used on the meatball, it would reveal a plug or grub screw behind which the spring can be accessed?

Micah. I wish I can remember what Prentiss or vise the shim imbedded handle break. I drew up two drawings one showing a coil spring break like what Parker uses and the other drawing shows the inside pocket machined and the banana style flat spring pressing against the handle.

My memory is going and I can’t remember what Prentiss or vise the shim design came out of. Hope this makes sense to others.

 

[micahd1997]

Micah. I wish I can remember what Prentiss or vise the shim imbedded handle break. I drew up two drawings one showing a coil spring break like what Parker uses and the other drawing shows the inside pocket machined and the banana style flat spring pressing against the handle.

My memory is going and I can’t remember what Prentiss or vise the shim design came out of. Hope this makes sense to others.

Those drawings make alot of sense, thank you, Kevin! I have yet to see any literature that even hints at the presence of such a mechanism inside Prentiss' meatballs, so it's rather a unicorn to me.

 

[micahd1997]

I can confidently say that today is the first time this man’s face has ever been seen on the internet.

From the camera of New York native Herbert Heusted and the archives of the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown, NY, I present Charles F Blake – foreman of the vise department at Bagley & Sewall from 1905-1939 and patentor of Prentiss’ shaft collar design #1586959, placed on the market in 1925.

Charles was born October 4, 1872 to John A Blake and Elizabeth Skinner Blake. His father, John, also worked for Bagley & Sewall as foreman of the vise department before him from roughly 1882-1905 when he passed away and Charles succeeded him. John also issued several patents that the Prentiss Vise Company produced, namely #396066 (Prentiss’ “Rapid Transit” vise) and #590385 (Prentiss’ bicycle vise).

The lives of father and son (John and Charles Blake) span nearly 57 of Prentiss’ 70 years of incorporated history. As foremen of the department who oversaw nearly all production of Prentiss’ vises over the course of those 57 years, history owes the beauty, quality, and variety of Prentiss vises largely to these two men.

Hopefully one day, a picture of Charles’ father, John, will surface too.

 

[Outlawmws]

I know, I know... I ****.

C'mon you know the rules: "You cannot **** yourself on GJ. I't's just not done."

 

[INSP380]

Cleaned up the hardware tonight, still working on straightening out the lock nut bar. It’s close, but I can do better. Took a lot of the sharp edges off the vise nut.

Steve

 

[ChefRex]

C'mon you know the rules: "You cannot **** yourself on GJ. I't's just not done."

Depends on how flexible you are.

 

[pfbz]

I've had this Monster Wilton C2 for quite some time, I really wish I had a great place to mount it. But I make do with a few other smaller Wilton bullets...

 

[jopy]

Hi everyone,

As some of you may know, I’ve been working on building what could end up being the world’s largest cast-iron bench vise. It’s based on a classic English Woden 186/E vise to 12-inch jaws, and when finished, it should weigh around 400 kg. I’m making it as a one-off learning project, casting the bodies in ductile iron 500/7, and using a 60 mm 4140 steel screw with a bronze half-nut.


Right now, I’m getting ready for the casting stage and have started a small GoFundMe to help cover the foundry and material costs. If you’re curious about the process or want to follow along, you can check it out here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jeremy-build-the-worlds-largest-castiron-bench-vise


No pressure to donate — I mostly wanted to share the build with others who appreciate old-school engineering and heavy vises. I’d also love to hear any feedback or opinions on whether this will be the biggest bench vise ever made.


Thanks for taking a look!

 

[Outlawmws]

Depends on how flexible you are.

Not very on that topic...

 

[neophyte]

I've had this Monster Wilton C2 for quite some time, I really wish I had a great place to mount it. But I make do with a few other smaller Wilton bullets...

I like the fact that the 115lb.? vise is sitting on a Black & Decker workmate, which seems to support the vise just fine.

 

[Outlawmws]

I like the fact that the 115lb.? vise is sitting on a Black & Decker workmate, which seems to support the vise just fine.

The workmate 200, one of the smallest, can carry 350 lbs. the 225 - its replacement, will go to 450... others are bigger with more capacity...

 

[fishwatcher]

My Wilton C0 came with a swivel base inner ring with no teeth. The base has teeth that are in good condition. Because of this, I have been able to make the vise slip while working on a stubborn bike wheel and cassette.

I can get just new cleats with teeth or a new inner ring with teeth. The inner ring would have the centering post which my vise has a hole for.

For the best, non-slip solution.. what would GJ’s vise experts recommend?

Also.. why does my inner ring not have teeth when the bottom swivel base has teeth? Did the inner ring maybe get swapped in here at some point before I owned it?

 

[SkyPuncher]

In my recent down time I decided to spruce up an old Cadet. Date stamp is kinda neat, 12/31/59. Was a mess when I first picked it up.
Broken jaw, screws broke off in the static side etc...

 

[neophyte]

The workmate 200, one of the smallest, can carry 350 lbs. the 225 - its replacement, will go to 450... others are bigger with more capacity...

Yes I’ve seen the listed weight capacity specs for the different models of Workmate.
Weirdly, the Festool MFT has a lower listed weight capacity than both the older Workmates, and the current models.

 

[geomagno]

Looks like an M1917 bayonet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_bayonet

Not specific to any particular gun.

It's the 1903 made for the Springfield.

 

[Beerhippie]

It's the 1903 made for the Springfield.

Great tang stamp! Flaming bomb proof mark AND Rock Island Armory stamp!

 

[fishwatcher]

In my recent down time I decided to spruce up an old Cadet. Date stamp is kinda neat, 12/31/59. Was a mess when I first picked it up.
Broken jaw, screws broke off in the static side etc...

Nice job! A 4.5” Cadet was my first real vise and I still think it’s a classic looking, solid tool. It’s great that the jaw shelf on yours is intact.

I didn’t realize the jaw shelf on mine was cracked until many months later.

 

[pfbz]

I like the fact that the 115lb.? vise is sitting on a Black & Decker workmate, which seems to support the vise just fine.

The workmate 200, one of the smallest, can carry 350 lbs. the 225 - its replacement, will go to 450... others are bigger with more capacity...

Yeah, I put the C2 on the workmate to re-lube it and take some pictures... It's not really ideal as a platform for that monster. For a static load, probably fine, but even just winding the jaws in and out creates some flex in the workmate boards.

 

[SkyPuncher]

Nice job! A 4.5” Cadet was my first real vise and I still think it’s a classic looking, solid tool. It’s great that the jaw shelf on yours is intact.

I didn’t realize the jaw shelf on mine was cracked until many months later.

Not sure why, but I also like the looks of the Cadet. I think they just look good.

 

[2001ZR2]

Probably should add this beauty to this thread:
My new to me Athol 624 1/2






A very heavy 4 1/2" jaw vise at something like 87 lbs. It pretty dirty and a mud dubber nest fell out when I opened it.

Deciding what to do but will clean it before choosing a path.

 

[micahd1997]

A 68lb Lewis I cleaned up over the weekend. I just love the swivel lock mechanism on these.

 

[CRSINMICH]

micahd: The swivel lock was Mortimer Lewis' own design.

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[Beerhippie]

micahd: The swivel lock was Mortimer Lewis' own design.

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Just how many Lewis' designed and patented vises?

 

[micahd1997]

The swivel lock was Mortimer Lewis' own design

Thanks for the visual, CRS!

Just how many Lewis' designed and patented vises?

Last year, I combed the USPTO publications and their advanced database, and these are the ones I've found. 21 patents in total over 23 years. 17 were bench vise patents (several of which I don't believe were every ultimately produced by the Lewis Tool Co or by the Prentiss Vise Co), and four others were unrelated to bench vises (see descriptions of those below)

#231,181 - August 17th, 1880
#279,260 - June 12, 1883
#294,137 - February 26, 1884
#303,299 - August 12, 1884
#466,466 - January 5, 1892
#472,674 - April 12, 1892
#493,364 - March 14, 1893
#514,012 - February 6, 1894
#596,661 - January 4, 1898
#597,681 - January 18, 1898
#605,106 - June 7, 1898
#605,107 - June 7, 1898
#637,879 - November 28, 1898
#675,097 - May 28, 1901
#675,098 - May 28, 1901
#686,857 - November 19, 1901 - Patent for Steam Boiler
#687,841 - December 3, 1901
#690,071 - December 31, 1901 - Patent for Liquid Fuel Heater Burner
#695,463 - March 18, 1902 - Patent for Pipe Wrench
#742,460 - October 27, 1903 Patent for Liquid Fuel Heater Burner
#768,810 - August 30, 1904