The VISES of Garage Journal

[Catalyze]

Great looking Record and nicely done stand! 2 slices of vise pie for you tonight.

Nice to see a couple of Desmonds living and breathing. Good find on them.

All the vise posters can take tomorrow off. It's your day....even if you don't have kids.
Craig

 

[alan camby]

Great looking Record and nicely done stand! 2 slices of vise pie for you tonight.

Nice to see a couple of Desmonds living and breathing. Good find on them.

All the vise posters can take tomorrow off. It's your day....even if you don't have kids.
Craig

It is Sunday here. Does that mean I can take off Monday. Will you call my boss for me

 

[CAOS]

Looks like 3" pipe as the riser, and the vise-base plate fit looks awesome! Nice Job!

Correct, 3" A106 Sch. 40.
-Thanks!

Very nice job . How did you cut out the triangle mounting plate for the vise, torch, plasma??? How thick is this plate? looks around 1/2".

The vise base plate was cut out of 1/2" using a 5" Makita with a zip cut, cleaned up the edges with a 4 1/2" Makita using a 50 grit disc. I did use the plasma table too cut the 18 3/4" plate for under the base.
-Thanks!

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

picked up a blue grass t5-bg5vn vise for $20 at a sale this weekend. made in usa but the handle must have broke or got cut off because its a long bolt now. anybody have any info. phone wouldnt let me post pix

 

[alan camby]

Assuming you are missing the handle from the main draw screw / spindle. seen someone on here weld a ball bearing on both ends of a piece of round bar. they ground the welds smooth to make the ball blend end with the shaft.

Here is how i have repaired a handle. Have a Craftsman vise with a beat up handle. think the shaft was around 9/16" diameter. Cut off the handle and found that 5/8" bar fit better. Used a 5/8" 2 piece shaft collar around the new shaft. I heated up the end of the shaft red hot and hammered it into the shape i wanted. Did a little clean up with a sanding flap wheel. Now I have a handle with ends that can't fall off.
I also included a picture of the free vise that i started out with. It lived a hard factory life

 

[gatewaysysop]

Time to add some additional acquisitions to the all-mighty thread, I suppose.

I let my father do the restoration on these, so I can take no credit there. The Athol and Simplex I found, but he stumbled on the Parker locally ($60!!). He can do a finer job than I'd ever be able to on the restoration, so I traded him vintage drill press for the work. Of course, with the extra room in the shop, he can now restore and sell the drill press and a few others he has since acquired. It's a good system!

Parker 974 1/2 A, Athol 614 1/2 and a Simplex / Gray 41S (and old Woon version at that).

Enjoy!

 

[gatewaysysop]

And of course, I need a whole separate entry for my other "Big'un" vise entry for this weekend.

Scoped this out on eBay some time ago, picture wasn't too clear but the girth impressed me so I inquired. It was indeed a Reed 106, seemingly undamaged. The seller was willing to ship once I suggested a workable option (FedEx ground) and offered to compensate for the hassle. As Randy Pausch says in his now famous 'Last Lecture', sometimes all you have to do is ask.

As luck would have it, no other bidders on this beast evil and I got it for about $280 all said, including the shipping, which I considered an extremely fair deal on such a monster of a vise.

The only issue was, supposedly, the main screw came forward out of the vise rather than pushing the jaw forward. Intuition was a missing collar, which could be easily replaced, but I wondered how that would happen? As luck would have it, the collar wasn't missing or broken, it had just come loose over time but was fully intact, having slid further down the screw. Didn't find this out until the box arrived, but it sure was a pleasant surprise!

Here are the before and after, enjoy the pics of this 135 lb. beauty!

 

[Catalyze]

Your Dad did great work Gate! The Parker jaws.....the shape of an Athol....and just seeing a nice Simplex.....all make me smile. The Reed is a nice purchase also. I remember seeing that one on Ebay. It's nice when fixes are easy. I thought someone had welded the pin in a swivel jaw and ground it flush when I bought a vise. When I smacked the rear of the jaw, the pin popped right up. Good Luck is so much better than bad luck.
Craig

 

[Ken81590]

The big 'ol Wilton we have at work

For size comparison

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Assuming you are missing the handle from the main draw screw / spindle. seen someone on here weld a ball bearing on both ends of a piece of round bar. they ground the welds smooth to make the ball blend end with the shaft.

Here is how i have repaired a handle. Have a Craftsman vise with a beat up handle. think the shaft was around 9/16" diameter. Cut off the handle and found that 5/8" bar fit better. Used a 5/8" 2 piece shaft collar around the new shaft. I heated up the end of the shaft red hot and hammered it into the shape i wanted. Did a little clean up with a sanding flap wheel. Now I have a handle with ends that can't fall off.
I also included a picture of the free vise that i started out with. It lived a hard factory life

yup thats where the bolt is. thats a good idea. i was also thinking of taking it to work and maybe machining something diffrent so the handle looked a little cooler. maybe a thread a bolt in each end and turn them down on the lathe

 

[alan camby]

yup thats where the bolt is. thats a good idea. i was also thinking of taking it to work and maybe machining something diffrent so the handle looked a little cooler. maybe a thread a bolt in each end and turn them down on the lathe

Bunch of ways to go about this.
I thought about threading both ends of the shaft and installing acorn nuts. Found out on my Craftsman that the ends need to be small in diameter or the ends will hit the casting of the vise. If you look at my pictures you will see the vise has a cast hood over the spindle. The ends can easily hit this if they are to large. Something to look at before you spend a bunch of time
Your vise might have more room.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Your Dad did great work Gate! The Parker jaws.....the shape of an Athol....and just seeing a nice Simplex.....all make me smile. The Reed is a nice purchase also. I remember seeing that one on Ebay. It's nice when fixes are easy. I thought someone had welded the pin in a swivel jaw and ground it flush when I bought a vise. When I smacked the rear of the jaw, the pin popped right up. Good Luck is so much better than bad luck.
Craig

Thank you sir, will pass along your comments.

Got a line on another big'un last night, we'll see how it pans out. I'll be running out of room for the big game if this keeps up.

 

[Outlawmws]

Does anyone know of a way to pin down the vintage of Colombian vises? I picked up this C43, which isn't a heavy duty vise by any stretch, but is a good size for mounting on a tool box for third hand/light work. Other than the rust, its in really decent shape with minimal abuse. 3" jaws open 4" or so, and for something with an exposed screw and a cast and pressed dynamic jaw support, seems well built.

I'm thinking pre WWII, but that is mostly from the art decoish styling, and that they weren't afraid to use a little metal in the thing.

Is there a web site or thread that has catalogs for the Columbians?

I got it for near nothing as the PO could not be bothered to put a few drops of oil on the threads and where the screw pushes and pulls on the D. jaw, so it was nearly inoperable. I didn't even bother haggling...

I'm liking the styling of this one, and may even use Evaporust instead of the E tank to preserve the original paint in this case.

 

[Catalyze]

Outlaw - I looked in my 1962 Columbian catalog and it didn't have it listed so it predates the Kennedy administration. LOL
Craig

 

[Outlawmws]

Outlaw - I looked in my 1962 Columbian catalog and it didn't have it listed so it predates the Kennedy administration. LOL
Craig

Thanks Craig, say I also have a No 63 "Red arrow" with 3" jaws, would that one be in your catalog?

 

[Catalyze]

Outlaw - I have a 1942 hardware catalog that lists 3 Red Arrows:
53 - non swivel base 3"
63 - swivel base 3"
63 1/2 - swivel base 3 1/2"

Then somewhere before these, came this little vise.....Model 31 Red Arrow. It has 3" jaws too but I have no catalog that lists it so I would guess that it is earlier(?).
Craig
View media item 9393

 

[WWIIjeep]

I'm thinking pre WWII, but that is mostly from the art decoish styling, and that they weren't afraid to use a little metal in the thing.

Pretty good guess. I found it in a 1941 catalog.

Is there a web site or thread that has catalogs for the Columbians?

Yeah, this web site and this thread.

Well, OK, part of one catalog page.

1938 catalog doesn't show that style, so it was introduced sometime between 1938 and 1941. Not sure how many years it was available, but it was definitely gone before 1956. I can probably give you a better possible ending date, but my 1940s and early 1950s catalogs are in another branch of the library. OK, in a different storeroom or box or pile.

The Columbian Red Arrow vises are listed in 1938, 1941 and 1956 catalogs, but not in a 1932 catalog, in case you were wondering about the range of years when those were available.

 

[Outlawmws]

Outlaw - I have a 1942 hardware catalog that lists 3 Red Arrows:
53 - non swivel base 3"
63 - swivel base 3"
63 1/2 - swivel base 3 1/2"

Then somewhere before these, came this little vise.....Model 31 Red Arrow. It has 3" jaws too but I have no catalog that lists it so I would guess that it is earlier(?).
Craig
View media item 9393

That's the one! thanks Craig!

Pretty good guess. I found it in a 1941 catalog.



Yeah, this web site and this thread.

Well, OK, part of one catalog page.

1938 catalog doesn't show that style, so it was introduced sometime between 1938 and 1941. Not sure how many years it was available, but it was definitely gone before 1956. I can probably give you a better possible ending date, but my 1940s and early 1950s catalogs are in another branch of the library. OK, in a different storeroom or box or pile.

The Columbian Red Arrow vises are listed in 1938, 1941 and 1956 catalogs, but not in a 1932 catalog, in case you were wondering about the range of years when those were available.

Thanks WWIIjeep!

 

[scw1991]

Picked up this Starrett 015 vise today for $80 off of local CL. Don't know vintage, but it's definitely American made. Casting has Athel Mass cast into it. Weighs about 40 lbs.

Steve

 

[3855]

I picked up this 4 1/2" Wilton yesterday for $80. It is a Chicago marked version. The date on the slide is 3-47, which if I have understood correctly from other postings on this thread, translates to a March of 1942 manufacture date. Still has quite a bit of what I assume to be original paint. I will be fitting it with replacement jaws soon. My first Wilton.

I also ran across this huge Rock Island at a local 2nd hand store. It is marked 577 and is well in excess of a hundred pounds. There is a old milk crate on the floor behind it which gives you an idea of size. They are pretty proud of it, asking $350.

I did not look it over closely but it did not appear to have and cracks, welds or other demerits.

 

[zoomieport]

I picked up this 4 1/2" Wilton yesterday for $80. It is a Chicago marked version. The date on the slide is 3-47, which if I have understood correctly from other postings on this thread, translates to a March of 1942 manufacture date. Still has quite a bit of what I assume to be original paint. I will be fitting it with replacement jaws soon. My first Wilton.

No, that one was actually made in '47....
NICE vises!

 

[bigcaddy]

I picked up this 4 1/2" Wilton yesterday for $80. It is a Chicago marked version. The date on the slide is 3-47, which if I have understood correctly from other postings on this thread, translates to a March of 1942 manufacture date. Still has quite a bit of what I assume to be original paint. I will be fitting it with replacement jaws soon. My first Wilton.

I also ran across this huge Rock Island at a local 2nd hand store. It is marked 577 and is well in excess of a hundred pounds. There is a old milk crate on the floor behind it which gives you an idea of size. They are pretty proud of it, asking $350.

I did not look it over closely but it did not appear to have and cracks, welds or other demerits.

The hell with the Rock Island, how much are they asking for the 2 anvils behind it?

SCW1991, I think your Starrett was made sometime around the 1960's or 1970s but possibly into the early 1980s. The newest version of Starrett vises have a different shape then the one you posted. I have a friend that bought that exact vise, brand new, around that time period and its still in his garage today.

 

[nine4gmc]

Grats Nine on the nice haul!
It is hard to make out much from the small photos so be sure to give us some new ones when it all arrives.
Craig

FINALLY got them...

Columbian 604

Reed 104

the big one is a Yost 32

and last the Simplex

thats the vises from my last auction hual!

 

[RivennHewn]

Look at "the one that got away"

Lost this one in the final seconds of an Ebay auction.

Wrecked my whole week.

Which one of you sniped me?

 

[toomanytoyzz]

the big one is a Yost 32

WOW!! How much does the Yost weigh??? Does it have pipe jaws which retract with the screws on the side? That's a REALLY nice looking vise. What's your plans with it?

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Outlaw - I have a 1942 hardware catalog that lists 3 Red Arrows:
53 - non swivel base 3"
63 - swivel base 3"
63 1/2 - swivel base 3 1/2"

Then somewhere before these, came this little vise.....Model 31 Red Arrow. It has 3" jaws too but I have no catalog that lists it so I would guess that it is earlier(?).
Craig
View media item 9393

Cool paint concept! 2 of my vises are red with black letters. I like how the red letters really stand out.

 

[RivennHewn]

Double Whammy!!!!!

Brought this matched pair home today.

Columbia 504-M2

Cleaned them up a bit with the wire wheel.

 

[otis66]

We have seen everyone's toolboxes so let's see the vises! (no, not vices )

I'm sure there are some really cool ones out there.

Large or small, let's see them all!
Here's my Charles Parker 107 and my Wilton 1780:

The Wilton has an 8" jaw and weighs about 110 lbs.
The CP has a 6" jaw and weighs about 140 lbs.




Include COO and DOM if you know it!

That Wilton vice ...I mean Vise is nice.

 

[gatewaysysop]

I also ran across this huge Rock Island at a local 2nd hand store. It is marked 577 and is well in excess of a hundred pounds. There is a old milk crate on the floor behind it which gives you an idea of size. They are pretty proud of it, asking $350.

I did not look it over closely but it did not appear to have and cracks, welds or other demerits.

The elusive 6" Rock Island?

Is it wrong if I would be unable to leave the store without it, even if forced to pay full price?

Good thing none of the second hand stores around here harbor such tempting offerings from the vise gods or I'd be a poor man in short order.

 

[nine4gmc]

Double Whammy!!!!!

Brought this matched pair home today.

Columbia 504-M2

Cleaned them up a bit with the wire wheel.

double the pleasure, twice as nice!!!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

The elusive 6" Rock Island?

Is it wrong if I would be unable to leave the store without it, even if forced to pay full price?

Good thing none of the second hand stores around here harbor such tempting offerings from the vise gods or I'd be a poor man in short order.

My pop's vise is a 6" Rock Island. He's had it for over 45 years and we still use it regularly today. It's the sole reason I have such a fascination with vises. I literally grew up with that goliath being the source to PROPERLY secure things to at his shop. When I'd go to other shops or garages at a young age I knew when they pointed to a 3" Craftsman (15 #'er) as the go-to vise it didn't seem right.

I will get a pic of it over the weekend.

 

[nine4gmc]

WOW!! How much does the Yost weigh??? Does it have pipe jaws which retract with the screws on the side? That's a REALLY nice looking vise. What's your plans with it?

I will weigh it tomorrow, it's still on the pallet out back. I just noticed the screws and possible jaws you mentioned, will that not be cool

My plans are to sell it if it's worth a lot, restore it and keep it if it's not.

 

[Catalyze]

Nine - the Yost is "worth a lot" but not to anyone....so send it to any of us and we won't pay you much. That way we are all happy. On a more somber note....that is one serious beast of a vise! Grats!

Gateway - I would have to pull the fire alarm and run out dragging that vise and my hemorroids. Makes me want to start humming The Rock Island Line song in my head.

Rivenn - twas not I that snagged the vise....I have Yankee and Parker oval slides in the shop.....seems folks don't care much for oval slides but I have the Yankee bolted up and use it (gasp) for light duty

3855- Grats on a nice old Wilton! I love the shape of the Chicago era Wiltons...classic.

Meanwhile, I was out in the shop today working on two Prentiss items that might make a few scratch their heads. One is a simple accessory and the other is an unusual type of Prentiss vise. 99 degree heat and 6% humidity.....yes the paint is dry.
Craig

 

[Catalyze]

Thanks Mark for the compliment on the Red Arrow paint. The catalogs show them as all red but it needed a "kick".
Craig

 

[donmillerx]

Already posted in the Garage Sale thread but here it is again:
Just snagged this wicked vise/anvil for $25!

Only markings are Patent 1912 & 308A.
Even my girlfriend likes it. Haha.

 

[Catalyze]

Grats Don! You have yourself a C E Shields designed bench vise. Who was C E Shields? I don't have a clue, but he patented your item in August of 1912. Your vise was sold at least once under the brand name of Austin and probably a few more. It sold for about $4.00 in 1928 to mostly farmers/ranchers. A good piece of history!
Craig

 

[zoomieport]

Baby Bullet...

 

[barney rubble]

Already posted in the Garage Sale thread but here it is again:
Just snagged this wicked vise/anvil for $25!

Only markings are Patent 1912 & 308A.
Even my girlfriend likes it. Haha.

That thing is sweet. I would of been all over it myself.

 

[donmillerx]

Grats Don! You have yourself a C E Shields designed bench vise. Who was C E Shields? I don't have a clue, but he patented your item in August of 1912. Your vise was sold at least once under the brand name of Austin and probably a few more. It sold for about $4.00 in 1928 to mostly farmers/ranchers. A good piece of history!
Craig

Haha...awesome info, thanks man!
It's very cool to know a little bit more about it.

 

[75R1]

Figured I'd post a couple pics of my parkers after a quick resto... a 974 1/2 and the 954 on my welding table. Still working on the the base for the 974 though.