The VISES of Garage Journal

[xxaler]

Good! Better than the metal bin!

Finished up the 214r. Brought it home to mark the bolt holes on the table.

 

[Outlawmws]

Barry, that "swordfish" vise is Asian so really not worth resurrecting...

 

[Blue Frog]

All of you who have vises larger than 3" just skip over this post - it will not interest you.

By now, most of you know that I like the smaller vises. Here's a picture of three of my hand vises:





I had the opportunity yesterday to pick up an antique hand vise with what appears to be either brass or bronze jaws and thumb screw. Neat little vise, and I'm happy to have it for my small vise collection. Here are a few pictures:











Blue

 

[Fretters]

Those are some nice hand vices Blue.

 

[barry2wood]

Yeah I figure as much. The swordfish was sitting along side of the other. That's a wilton correct?4 1/2 in jaw.

 

[drivesitfar]

Barry: it has the look of a Wilton bullet, but i'm guessing it isn't. Outlaw is right about the Swordfish being an inexpensive import vise.

Blue: i might like huge vises, but i also like the old small ones too. i'm pretty sure i'm not alone because they are cool.

 

[Fretters]

I seem to be busy with little things around the house I have put off in the past. I thought I would have time to do stuff I wanted to do but other things seem to come up.

Seems to be a common complaint with retirement, the lack of time. Seems some appear to have less time once retired than they ever did before.

I think my next two projects will be in your color of red. They are both Parkers,
one is an oval slide #34 And the other is a #63 1/2

You have good taste, both in vices and colour. It'll grow on you before you know it, that colour. It just seems to fit nicely with anything.

 

[Fretters]

Barry: it has the look of a Wilton bullet, but i'm guessing it isn't.

The front jaw/slide on the left of the photo? Seems to have all the Wilton traits?

 

[joe.striper]

4-hour drive for me, but I think I'll pass. Shame, it's probably going to be sold for scrap in a week or two.

4 HOURS! 4 HOURS!!!!

 

[Kiwi Kev]

This is a great thread! I am getting hooked.

Here is my home shop setup....

I just cleaned up this big Wilton for my shop at work....

3 more of mine....

I just picked up this funky little one at a flea market for $15. It has quick release jaws and the remains of a sticker, Montgomery Wards maybe? I like the chunky look of it. Cleaned it up and gave it a paint job.

 

[scooternut]

Great setup KIWI, nice work on that stand.

 

[zkling]

Found these parts laying around in the back 40 at the shop today. Going to look for the rest of the wilton. I think thats what it is. The other not sure about.

Dad isn't sure if they broke or just parts but going to look for the rest for sure.

I'm pretty sure that is not a wilton dynamic jaw.
The half key.
The chromed screw/handle.
The odd shaped front casting.
The ill placed pipe jaw.

This is a great thread! I am getting hooked.

Here is my home shop setup....


I just cleaned up this big Wilton for my shop at work....

Awesome setups. How (if) do you move the vise/vise/anvil stand around? That looks very well thought out. The small clamp on cracked me up.

 

[audiogamerman]

Grabbed this little dude today, not sure what brand it is, thinking of restoring it, it's my first vise, I have been wanting one for years and finally got a deal I thought was fair, 60$ I paid for it, this thread is epic btw!

 

[zkling]

By now, most of you know that I like the smaller vises. Here's a picture of three of my hand vises:

Is there a name on the middle and far left one? The middle one looks very high quality.

 

[drivesitfar]

Barry & Fretters: the Wilton look a like has a replacement handle, but the hub is a bit to shiny. the pipe jaws are not a typical Wilton. the dynamic jaw juts out too far, but i put on my better readers and it looks like that jaw is screwed into the original jaw. i'm just saying i don't think it's a Wilton but would be curious if you found the other half and any #'s on it or a name.

Audio: your big vise with the 6 on it is an import so you probably paid close to what a new one would cost, but should probably last for years if you treat it like a vise and not like an anvil or press. Welcome to Garage Journal and especially the vise thread. Beware it can be addicting.

 

[tedsters]

kiwi
you got some nice vises and you did some nice work on them

 

[Kiwi Kev]

zkling....It is really heavy and stays in one place but I can muscle it around if I need to.

 

[Blue Frog]

Is there a name on the middle and far left one? The middle one looks very high quality.

The smaller one is marked "Lowell Wrench Co."

The larger one in the center has no markings though it certainly is a quality-built vise and is quite heavy.

Blue

 

[Fretters]

ZK and DIF: Seems like this one could be a bit of a quirky one, with us all thinking differently. Was there ever an import Wilton clone? That's definitely not a York front jaw, so I'm intrigued by that one now.

On a tangent, I've bought a Record 23 and a Fortis 10 Steel this week. Won't have them here until April though. Both appear to be in decent nick judging from the photo's I've seen of them, though the photo's weren't great, so I won't know exact condition until they arrive. The Record is missing the jaw inserts, so I'm thinking of casting some lead inserts for that.

zkling....It is really heavy and stays in one place but I can muscle it around if I need to.

Is that little clamp on German? I'm certain I have a sibling of that stuck on one of my benches.

 

[drivesitfar]

Fretters: i seem to recall a Wilton knock off being made, but i can't put my finger on it now. ZK and a few others have the no name Wilton bullets that were probably made in schools and York vises are definitely in the family tree someplace. sounds like you might have a few more subjects to try your maroon or burgundy colour on soon?

Kiwi: sorry i saw your cool stand and very thought out. any chance you want to post that with all the information on how you made it on the vise stand thread? http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252799&highlight=vise+stand
also that 6 inch Wilton looks great.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Kiwi Love the railroad anvil you've made, very nicely done

 

[mike_paxton]

Kiwi Kev

I just picked up this funky little one at a flea market for $15. It has quick release jaws and the remains of a sticker, Montgomery Wards maybe? I like the chunky look of it. Cleaned it up and gave it a paint job.


Kiwi Kev:

I really like that funky Montgomery Wards vise with quick release jaws.

Does it work by sliding the ratchet on base, which then allows the jaws to slide open/close without need of turning handle, which would be similar to what some quick release woodworking vises work?

Mike

 

[Chris03]

Hey guys, picked this bench vise up off craigslist, got it home and it will close and tighten when you rotate the rod clockwise, but when you rotate it counter-clockwise the jaws don't move at all. After a rotation or two counter-clockwise something does "release" and I can manually drag the jaws open.

There's not a lot out on google about this brand, "WARDMAST'R" is the brand that's stamped on both sides. Anyone have any ideas?

http://i.imgur.com/9ahBu6F.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KUFzrpm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VAdd9Gh.jpg

Let me know if this is the wrong way to add pics, I was going to embed them, but they were huge.

 

[loudog212]

I need opinions. I am in the market for a vise. Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal

https://lancaster.craigslist.org/tls/4898191557.html

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: it looks like the vise nut came loose and is turning with your nut. you might need to hold the vise nut from one side and turn the screw to get the screw and the dynamic all the way out. then you can look to see if the vise nut is broken or just needing to be put back in somehow with that screw.

also if you use the paperclip just above where you write your posts it's easier to attach pictures sort of like an email. also we can all see them without having to click on your link to go to another site.

welcome to our forum and just a warning it won't stop at one vise unless you are very very careful.

cheers

 

[Chris03]

Chris: it looks like the vise nut came loose and is turning with your nut. you might need to hold the vise nut from one side and turn the screw to get the screw and the dynamic all the way out. then you can look to see if the vise nut is broken or just needing to be put back in somehow with that screw.

also if you use the paperclip just above where you write your posts it's easier to attach pictures sort of like an email. also we can all see them without having to click on your link to go to another site.

welcome to our forum and just a warning it won't stop at one vise unless you are very very careful.

cheers

Thanks for the quick reply. Are you talking about the screw that is shown in the last picture coming up from the bottom?

I looked around at everything before I bolted it down last night and was wondering why the piece that the actual screwing mechanism was going into was moving around, seems like that should be fixed and the turning of the screw into and out of that is what moves the vise.

I'll take a look at it more closely when I get home this afternoon, thanks.

 

[Craptain]

Loudog212, that looks like the Japanese Craftsman. I have 1 that I paid $20 for. It is a good vise, unlike the Chinese one's.
If you need it now go make an offer. If no rush then wait for an American one to come up.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: exactly. try posting pictures with the paperclip and if you use a cell phone some of the guys use Tapatalk and you'll have to ask if you still have issues because i don't post pictures from my phone.

good luck

 

[rtvinc]

Blue,
that center one is excellent!

 

[Fretters]

Thanks for the quick reply. Are you talking about the screw that is shown in the last picture coming up from the bottom?

I looked around at everything before I bolted it down last night and was wondering why the piece that the actual screwing mechanism was going into was moving around, seems like that should be fixed and the turning of the screw into and out of that is what moves the vise.

I'll take a look at it more closely when I get home this afternoon, thanks.

Judging from that last photo, that bolt protruding up through the base is used to bolt the leadscrew nut in place. Whip the vice off the swivel base, turn it upside down and then you should be able to bolt that back down.

 

[Fretters]

Fretters: i seem to recall a Wilton knock off being made, but i can't put my finger on it now. ZK and a few others have the no name Wilton bullets that were probably made in schools

Hopefully he can find the other part so we can try and figure out which it might be.

sounds like you might have a few more subjects to try your maroon or burgundy colour on soon?

Possibly. The photo's weren't great, but they look like they may be in quite decent condition from a rust viewpoint, so might not be getting painted. Once I eventually get them here I'll know better which way I'm going with them though.

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by Kiwi Kev.

I just picked up this funky little one at a flea market for $15. It has quick release jaws and the remains of a sticker, Montgomery Wards maybe? I like the chunky look of it. Cleaned it up and gave it a paint job.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kiwi, Check out Zoomie's Montgomery Ward Powerkraft, on page 203,---post 4045, and 4046.

Pretty sure they were made by Milwaukee Tool and Equipment.---Check out Gwis2's vise on page 24,---post 473.

 

[Chris03]

Judging from that last photo, that bolt protruding up through the base is used to bolt the leadscrew nut in place. Whip the vice off the swivel base, turn it upside down and then you should be able to bolt that back down.

Thanks, I thought I remembered looking at that and didn't really see a thread hole for that bolt to go, but I'll look again later.

Any idea what decade this vise is from?

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: i'll take a stab at dating it in the 60's. once you remove the swivel base which might only be a nut under the vise then you can see the underside of the screw. most vises have pins so take a few pictures so we can all see to help you if you need any.

 

[Zebedeewesty]

Needs another coat but a lot nicer that it was before.

 

[Fretters]

**** me. You really weren't kidding when you said purple, were you. Looks a lot better now than it did.

 

[joe.striper]

I need opinions. I am in the market for a vise. Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal

https://lancaster.craigslist.org/tls/4898191557.html

louddog, it is a good serviceable vise, but you live in a great location to buy on CL. Keep looking if you aren't in a rush and you'll do better. I should know as I am travelling through your backyard next week picking up all the stuff i bought on line last week. PM me if you want or email me. You can find it in my description above under 'about me'.

 

[zkling]

ZK and DIF: Seems like this one could be a bit of a quirky one, with us all thinking differently. Was there ever an import Wilton clone? That's definitely not a York front jaw, so I'm intrigued by that one now.

Yes, I think it is one of the off shore wilton clones. Taskmaster or Mechanics is the one that comes to mind.

 

[barry2wood]

Haven't found the other half to yet. No names or markings that I can see. Took some more pics with a tape maybe it will help. The handle has been cut and some threads have been put on.

 

[Chris03]

Alright, so I got it all apart and took a few more pictures. This thing has way more moving parts than I thought it would.

But it looks like there's some threads that are stripped (last picture), unless it's supposed to be like that for some reason? One side of the, not sure what you call it, is threaded fine and the other, not so much.