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The VISES of Garage Journal

GETRIDAONE

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May 21, 2013
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Auburn, GA
Clean it up and post pictures when you are done. It will make a good display because it is an older one. It is amazing how many different brands there are of that one basic design.
 
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dlcwent

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Feb 24, 2014
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coastal maine
Clean it up and post pictures when you are done. It will make a good display because it is an older one. It is amazing how many different brands there are of that one basic design.

I will. And will get a clear picture of it. I'm learning a lot about vises. I've spent hours reading this thread. I have just recently found a true appreciation for these underappreciated tools.
 

va.grouseman

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Mar 26, 2011
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Originally posted by AndrewH.

Says the guy who probably has all the ones I want! How about you unchain that 208 of yours and sell it to me!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I'm still looking for that 978 and will probably never find one, and my 4C has a busted slide.---I'm still looking to round out my collection with a Reed 408, 209, 109, Parker 978, Simplex 81s, 350 lb. American Scale, 8'' Record, 300 lb. Sawyer, 8'' Rock Island, 8'' Athol.---How's that for wishful thinking.---I would add a 345 lb. Craftsman, but I don't think they actually made one.---Just a teaser ad.

What kind of logic says (''if you don't pay me x amount of dollars, I'm going to take it to the scrapyard'').---Tell me you didn't get that thing for scrapyard price.---Lie to me Andrew.


B100.---Good eye.---I didn't even see that on that Reed.---That's the first 407 I've ever seen.---But knowing Andrew, he's found one new in the box, never been used, that someone wants to trade him for a weed eater.
 
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Black Bike

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Sep 18, 2013
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Charleston, SC
Black,

Nice restoration on that Craftsman and welcome to the Forum. Unfortunately you posted right before the former "Ever elusive Craftsman 5198" was posted. That definitely drew attention away from your vise. You'll have to read back through this thread, which takes some time, to gain an appreciation of how long some people have been looking for that model number. Maybe you'll find the next one!

Thanks for the compliments and welcome. That 5198 sure is nice. I'm constantly checking the local Craigslist for interesting tools. Maybe I will find one.
 

drivesitfar

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Oct 23, 2013
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36,033
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Pacific Northwest
DX: what are you going to use a vise for after you buy one? at 20 pounds that one is probably pretty light duty. the 4 inch Reed vises and some of the other older ones weigh twice that amount. A 4 or 4.5 inch Reed or other old US company's vise is probably the only vise about 95% of the members will ever need to use. if you are using the Yost you posted for just holding small items then it probably will work well.

Rusty: thanks for posting the method you made your handle over on the Vise Repair 101 thread and especially like you adding to have your favorite beverage after you completed it.

Andrew: nice Parker. good to see they let you out so we can pick up the chatter about 8 inch vises again.

VA: good to know you have a shopping list. i hope to find a few of those in some old barn or warehouse too. I think the key is to gather up a bunch of 2 inch and less size vises so you'll have plenty of bait to reel in those big guys. it seems to be working for you so i'm looking for those for now.
 
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wrenchguy

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Sep 22, 2011
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NW Indiana
Andrew, if you're looking at the 407 on ebay, did you notice that the slide support is broken off?

thanks, i withdrew my offer 10 seconds after ur post about it. went to ebay/ reed b4 i came here. somewhat early 4 me 2b shopping anyway.:lol_hitti
 

Outlawmws

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The Badlands

I think that is a fairly decent vise, particularly for a current model. What in lacks in weight it make up for in materials. 90,000 PSI is 50% higher than the typical ductile iron the better vises use, and FAR AND AWAY better than the grey iron the ChiCom's are made of. It's also forged and that is even better.

For a new vise, you could do a lot worse for the money.

I'd stay off the "anvil" for anything except light work, but for the average homeowner's bench or mechanic's tool box vise, that looks pretty good. Those screws in the upper body; I wonder if they tighten on gibs for making/keeping the slide from being loose?
 

DXN1EL

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Feb 10, 2014
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61
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Texas
Drivesitfar I will be using it to for hobby metal shop and sharpening mower blades.

Outlawmws I bought a one of those Chicom craps at HF. I thought for the little I was going to use the thing it would be all right. I clamped a piece of steels that I was going to cut with a 7" cut off wheel on the angle grinder ( It was first time I was cutting with one and I was afraid of how thin that DeWalt wheels was) Half way the piece I was cutting stared to slip from the jaws, I apply more clamping pressure and the fixed jaw (I forgot the name) brocke clean off. What a P.O.S
 

drivesitfar

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Oct 23, 2013
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DX: that Yost might work and it does have a nice *********** to make room for the blades. As Outlaw says the Yost is better made than most other vises that size and weight and i think Yost still has a factory in the US.

i like the old ones so that would be my first preference if you can find a nice one.
 

Fretters

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Jan 25, 2014
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South Yorkshire, England
Can anyone tell me what "flavor" of cast iron (ductile, malleable, or grey iron) vintage Parker vises (like the Parker 974) are made out of? I know that the 974 was advertised as a machinist vise from the Parker Eclipse Series but I'm having trouble finding out what type of cast iron the vise was made of. Perhaps some parts (jaws, etc.) were ductile iron and other parts like the swivel base were grey iron. Does anyone here know? :confused::confused:

I'd be guessing that most older vices are malleable iron, rather than ductile or bog standard cast. Ductile, (that seems to refer to no end of types, from what I've seen), is a fairly recent thing, is it not? I know a lot of older literature tends to refer to close or fine grain cast.

Personally, the whole malleable/ductile/cast thing has never bothered me as such. I would merrily use a cast iron vice just as much as any other type. The quality of the metal and casting is far more important than metal type, IMHO. Even plain cast can take one hell of a beating if cast correctly, but you get a stress point or porous casting and it'll eventually give no matter what the metal used.
 
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FMC1959

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Montreal, Canada / Upstate NY
I think that is a fairly decent vise, particularly for a current model. What in lacks in weight it make up for in materials. 90,000 PSI is 50% higher than the typical ductile iron the better vises use, and FAR AND AWAY better than the grey iron the ChiCom's are made of. It's also forged and that is even better.

For a new vise, you could do a lot worse for the money.

I'd stay off the "anvil" for anything except light work, but for the average homeowner's bench or mechanic's tool box vise, that looks pretty good. Those screws in the upper body; I wonder if they tighten on gibs for making/keeping the slide from being loose?

I agree with Outlaw, for the price, you could do a lot worse. These are forged, which steel, that should make them pretty decent. There are the Ridgid that are 75,000 PSI, made in Germany (by Peddinghaus?)

Then these Yost, the Bessey look alike and a couple of others that have this look and boast 90,000 PSI, usually say made in Europe. I think someone on this forum had stated they came from Turkey.

Any of these should be decent alternatives to the cheaper made in China.,
 

Fretters

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Definitely not my expertise, but the guy who started this thread 1000+ pages ago, was very big on the old US vise because they were made with ductile iron

That's doubtful. Ductile iron, (it's actually quite a misleading term as I believe it covers a range of mixtures, in the same way as brass does), is a quite recent invention, (by the way, it's a dog trying to find info on when something like that was 'invented').

http://www.lufkin.com/index.php/pro.../production-capabilities/melting/ductile-iron

I've purposefully posted a non-Wikipedia link so as to make it believable. :D Malleable iron, or some mixture of refined cast iron or cast and steel, as mentioned above, would have been the norm way back when.
 

exmaxima1

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va.grouseman

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Well fellows, August was a awesome month for White Whales and Holy Grails.---Oldldh found one of his White whales, (sorry that didn't work out for you Old), and I found one of my Holy Grails.---Gives me hope that some more never before seen will turn up.

Here is a picture of it posted by Demoman on the Monster Vise Find thread, Page 2, Post #36.





And here's the vise.



















Would you believe I had to use a queen size sheet to set all the parts on?---Really hard to get everything in a picture, so spread out.---Each piece is a backbreaker.





 

FMC1959

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That is so cool1 The ad is kind of small, am I seeing correct, it opens to 25 inches? What size are the jaws. That has to be the find of the year, or best find on this 1000 page thread. Congrats :bowdown:
 
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oldldh

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I don't believe him...:shocking:

That's not a queen sized sheet, it's a handkerchief!!!:bounce:

Our collective chains are being pulled---hard...:evil:
 

macgee

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Jan 11, 2014
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Sepulveda Pass, CA
Finished these three Columbians up today, just noticed I have three more. I am going to work on something else. These were good practice.

Very nice job Scott and appears you also are now mastering painting. I like the olive version a lot but they all look good.

Cheers!
 

drivesitfar

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VA: I have to agree with others because the surface looks rounded and a 700 Pounder would flatten my round belly. Nice looking vise even if a little guy.
 

drivesitfar

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FMC: I would've been duped too until Wrench opened my eyes to look closer. Also Va would've put a dollar bill or a C note next to it. Come on VA tell us more and I wish you had the 695er.
 

ritzblitz

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May 5, 2013
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239
Location
Quakertown, PA
Here's a couple things from my vise life lately.

This one is not a vise, just a recent resto, my friends grandpas arbor press.
 

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drivesitfar

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Ritz: nice looking vises and great job on the little press. i think i need one of those, but not sure where i'm going to put it now that i have this 4C in my hands.

All: so i finally received a vise in a crate and big KUDOS to Jason for not only restoring it as i wanted with the boiled linseed, but for also doing a very professional job on the shipping container. i'll post a shot of it sitting in the container if i have any room or just ask and i'll make another post.

it's like Christmas or a Birthday as a kid when something like this shows up at your door.

Thanks Jasonand give your assistant a treat from me because i bet he smiled at just the right time while your arms were aching from lifting this vise around. i carried it 50 feet off the trailer and onto the shelf and i was breathing a bit harder. it will find a nice home on one of my heavy benches that i'll still probably have to bolt to a stud or two.
 

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oldldh

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Drivesitfar---

I still think we should melt some of your steel down...

And mold a 350 pound, 8 1/2" Craftsman 5201...continuation of the 519X series...
 

KMScott

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Feb 14, 2012
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Daufuskie Island, South Carolina
Very nice job Scott and appears you also are now mastering painting. I like the olive version a lot but they all look good.

Thanks macgee, I liked the Italian Olive too, perfect color for many different vises.


Man, I wish I had a fraction of your free time. ;) Life must be good getting to spend all day fixing up old vises. Any internships open at your shop? LOL


Jason, I have been working on these vises since June, always on my spare time, I do have a full time job. I had all the components fitted before painting, so once they were painted the assembly went kind of quick, did spend all labor day weekend assembling though. I wish I had a intern. I have a spare bedroom.
 

drivesitfar

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Oct 23, 2013
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Oldie: just one 350 pound Craftsman? so that sounds good for me, but what about you guys and the other 5000 pounds of steel weight plates i have on that shelving unit above my 4C and 606 SJ?

good idea and just think bigger. who has the foundry? who has the plans? who has the ability? just keep thinking Oldie because that's what you are good at.:thumbup:

by the way did you work a 5197 into the deal or now that you know the 5198 was made are you just waiting for another one?:dunno:
 

va.grouseman

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Sorry fellows, I've been picking fox grapes and just got back to the computer.---
Yes it was a ruse, but I couldn't help it.---Sometimes the devil gets in me and I do things that I know I should be doing.---This was one of those times, but how many chances does one get like this.---But I did ask (''would you believe that is a queen size sheet'').---A thousand pardons.---Here's the real mini Pittsburg.












 

balane

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May 4, 2011
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Location
Pacific Northwest
I like this vise a lot. It's a 1947 Craftsman 5161, 3 1/2" jaws, 41 pounds, opens to 6" It's in very nice, lightly used condition inside and out and works perfectly. Manufactured by Rock Island. If I had a collector's bone in my body this is one I'd hang on to.

.
 

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