The VISES of Garage Journal

[jon619]

Great looking vise. What shade of grey is that? Also, I like the paint on the Snap On box. Good stuff.

 

[Catalyze]

Very nice looking Wilton! Good effort for getting it off of CL, too.
In an effort to keep the vises coming, here is the baby of Charles Parker.
It is a Model 30 with 2 5/8" jaws and the sliding lead screw cover. It is
referred to in advertising as an Oval Slide vise. I paid $9.00 for the poor beast.
However, it is looking much better now. LOL
Craig

Before....it was so covered in peeling paint.
View media item 8977
Clamped in its big brother's jaws. A pair of old Parkers....gots to love it.
View media item 8978

 

[Tool Maker]

Kbiets. what is that little machine that you have two of. Mac

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Picked this up last night for $75. Not a "you ****" score I don't think, but these bigger Columbians are scarce around here. This one is a 504 1/2, has 4.5" jaws and weighs about 60 lbs (guessing on that one).

With it's new little brother...

Apart and ready for cleaning and paint (also note the UMD).

The pics kinda ****, but this thing is CLEAN. The jaws look pretty much new and close very tightly.

 

[autopts]

Picked this up last night for $75. Not a "you ****" score I don't think, but these bigger Columbians are scarce around here. This one is a 504 1/2, has 4.5" jaws and weighs about 60 lbs (guessing on that one).

If thats going to be bolted onto your bench, its a very good score. Its 40 years old if a day.

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Yup, after a full resto it's going to replace my POS 5" chinese wilton. I don't really like the fact that there's no anvil surface, but I'll take the higher tensile strength and precision jaws of a machinist vise any day. Now to keep an eye out for an anvil...

What do you mean by "40 years old if a day"?

 

[Tool Maker]

The hamer is a body hamer. The curved chisile thing is a led tamper for tamping lead in cast iron sewer pipes. Mac

 

[Catalyze]

The hamer is a body hamer. The curved chisile thing is a led tamper for tamping lead in cast iron sewer pipes. Mac

I think that I missed something....however I did learn about a hammer somewhere.

Columbian Vise - Great score on that vise! It will outlast most of us in history. I also like the smaller vise that has a hardy holes in it. Sometimes you can get lucky and pick one up that still has the small chisel point that fits. Make sure to post up some photos of the finished Columbian when you get done.
Craig

 

[autopts]

Yup, after a full resto it's going to replace my POS 5" chinese wilton. I don't really like the fact that there's no anvil surface, but I'll take the higher tensile strength and precision jaws of a machinist vise any day. Now to keep an eye out for an anvil...

What do you mean by "40 years old if a day"?

Its means "positively" We are as sure its as 40 years as we are sure its one day. If it wasn't one day old it would mean it hasn't been made yet. Don't confuse me, I;m old! lol!

 

[jeepntxj]

So heres a few of mine. 3 of which have absolutely no names, but one says Made In China.

All together:

Large Reed No. 3C (any info on this? year maybe?)

This one just says "Littlestown" and Howe & Fory Co. on it:

The red 3 1/2" that says Made In China on it:

Cool little clamp on vise that my grandfather had. This thing is spotless and is at least as old as I am. You can see how small it really is in the first picture:

And a no-name drill press vise:

 

[demoman]

Very nice reed 3c. They are hard to find. I have only found one that was for salw in the last 4 years. The 4c is much more common. The Reed 3c has replaceable jaws so it was a later version I would guess to be in the 60's from the literature I have. The earlier ones were identical but had the jaws cast in place. If I remember they weigh around 125#.

 

[Catalyze]

Very nice Reed....indeed! Couldn't resist the poetry.....sorry.
The Littlestown vise is from Littlestown Hardware and Foundry in
Littlestown, Pa. They made tons of smaller vises and are still in
business today making mostly aluminum (aluminium for our friends overseas)
castings. The Reed is a very solid looking vise and will still be around when
the Mothership comes to take those left alive back to the old planet. Wait...
I said too much. Never mind.
Craig

 

[NeilH]

here is my vice ive only just made it and have not bolted it to the floor yet.

 

[Catalyze]

Neil - Fantastic Record vise! What jaw width is it? Great results on the stand too. However, it would appear that you have to stand in the pit to use it. Looking at the size of the stand and the size of the vise, I don't think much is going to move them.
Craig

 

[NeilH]

hi Catalyze, glad you like it.

i dont know where im going to put it yet. its just placed there to take some pics as i had literally only just bolted it all up.

it has 8" jaws.

im really sorry for the crappy pics, i would go take some more, but they wont get much better from me.

the floor plate is a 10mm thick plate with a 16mm hole drilled in all 4 corners to bolt it to the floor.

the top plate is 15mm thick and has the vice bolted to it with 3 x 24mm bolts. (8.8 grade steel, which is high tensile over here)

the post is 8" H section girder. not sure what the american terminology is. but they are also called RSJ or I beam?





Neil.

 

[mjozefow]

That 3c is one of the nicest vises ever made. Reed durability with replaceable jaws! Nice score.

 

[mjozefow]

Nice stand NeilH! I dig those big Record vises er... vices!

 

[NeilH]

thanks mjozefow.

i didnt pick up ion the vise/vice spelling or i would have used the "S"

i speak the queens english lol.

 

[demographic]

thanks mjozefow.

i didnt pick up ion the vise/vice spelling or i would have used the "S"

i speak the queens english lol.

The word Vice is correct for an Englishman as its the English spelling, the word Vise is correct for an American because that's the American English spelling.

Both sides of the Atlantic and both right.

 

[NeilH]

yes thats what i was getting at

where are you from. there are a few british on here. we need to start a .co.uk forum lol

 

[onelochevy]

here is my vice ive only just made it and have not bolted it to the floor yet.

Thats a nice stand. I built one similar for mine. I used a 1/4" top plate, a piece of 2x4x0.25 rec. tubing for the upright and an old steel 18-wheeler rim for the base. I will post some pics after work.

 

[NeilH]

onelochevy, it will be interesting to see the design you come up with.

you dont really see a vice post over here that often.

but i was looking at my vice one day that was bolted to my workbench and taking up space and i realised that having a vice on the bench does nothing a vice on a stand cant do.

 

[onelochevy]

onelochevy, it will be interesting to see the design you come up with.

you dont really see a vice post over here that often.

but i was looking at my vice one day that was bolted to my workbench and taking up space and i realised that having a vice on the bench does nothing a vice on a stand cant do.

thats exactly why I put mine on a stand. Plus I can drag it outside of the garage for any grinding that has to be done. My vise is just a normal 5", so its no where near as big or heavy as the one you have. I'd hate to have to drag that thing around, lol.

 

[NeilH]

i did not specifically go out looking for a vice that size, i came accross it at a very low price.

i got it for £60, which at todays rate is $97.45............is that a good deal over there? its almost unheard of here.

the one i upgraded from was a 5"

 

[onelochevy]

$97 for a vise like that is a really good deal IMO. I dont blame you for upgrading.

 

[demographic]

yes thats what i was getting at

where are you from. there are a few british on here. we need to start a .co.uk forum lol

Sunny Carlisle.

You did pretty well getting a vice that would cost a grand to sixteen hundred for sixty quid.

They come up on Ebay every once in a while but it seems that nobody in the UK has ever heard of couriers and won't post things with them so its a bit of a pain if its all the way down the country or whatever as its a day off work plus all the fuel to get it.

 

[onelochevy]

Here is my vise stand.

My little 110v MIG machine really had to work to weld that 1/4" plate but it did a pretty good job.

 

[ZRX61]

thats exactly why I put mine on a stand. Plus I can drag it outside of the garage for any grinding that has to be done.

Top man You just gave me an excuse to mount one of the vises I have to a stand. My neighbor has an "outdoor" Wilton Bullet.

 

[Catalyze]

Neil - that Record is a monster of a vise. The head on shot from the handle end really brings its size into focus.
Craig

 

[mtkst19]

pictures finally of my rock island 577 which is my big vise at home. I stil need to true the jaws and adapt new inserts.

 

[NeilH]

onelochevy. thanks for shareing the pictures.

i didnt think of taking close ups like that. ill get some more pics today as mine are terrible.

 

[DocsMachine]

I've lost count, but I believe this is vise number 14:

Just picked it up today from the local secondhand shop- it'd probably been there less than an hour.

Wilton 8400, dated 12-31-63, and cherry. Smooth, tight, no damage, only very mild wear to the jaw serrations. Can't really call it a "gloat" because I had to trade a $100 bill for it, but still. Worth every penny.

Doc.

 

[Gary Indiana]

Wilton 8400, dated 12-31-63, and cherry. Smooth, tight, no damage, only very mild wear to the jaw serrations. Can't really call it a "gloat" because I had to trade a $100 bill for it, but still. Worth every penny.

Doc.

That's a worthy trade. I'm seeing one like that in worse shape than yours already reach $200 on ebay after 10th bid, and a small 3" just sold for $150

 

[thatcoder]

I scored this Made in Japan Craftsman 4" vise earlier today. It was acquired for $20.

also my trusty Wilton. Thanks autopts.

 

[autopts]

I scored this Made in Japan Craftsman 4" vise earlier today. It was acquired for $20.

JB, That Craftsman was a great score. Thats alot of vise for $20
bucks

 

[DocsMachine]

That's a worthy trade. I'm seeing one like that in worse shape than yours already reach $200 on ebay after 10th bid[...]

-I didn't say I regretted it, I just said I can't gloat about it.

Doc.

 

[Catalyze]

Mtkst19 - Very imposing vise there Jedi. Do not dial New Mexico when it's time to pick it up to dust under it.
Doc - Nothing says love like a great Wilton on the bench when it's U Joint changing time....unless it's someone else changing them for you on their bench.
Craig

 

[CRTDI]

pictures finally of my rock island 577 which is my big vise at home. I stil need to true the jaws and adapt new inserts.

mtkst19,

Thanks for posting these pics. Hopefully I'll be getting my 577 restoration underway shortly.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71487&highlight=rock+island+577

 

[CRTDI]

Rock Island 577. Was in my grandfather's shop. One of the many tools from there which I very much enjoy to use and preserve. This thing is big. I will get a better picture of it with something to compare the size to, that is, if anyone is interested..

Great looking vise!! I would be very interested to see some more detailed pics of your vise, especially the lock lever assembly and the I.D. tag.

Thanks

 

[48James]

Here's one more I just restored:

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Here it is in primer:

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