The VISES of Garage Journal

[FMC1959]

So after getting the Wilton C1 yesterday, I get up today not planning to go anywhere. I look at CL and see a garage sale five minutes away. Says mancave stuff. Starts at 9:00. So I get in the car at 9:05 and head over. It tuns out to be the whole house. So I head down to the basement and find the craftsman grinder and the Wilton 4" Cadet. I bring them up to get a price and the guy says $30.00 bucks for the grinder and $5.00 for the vise. OK thanks, bye.

Another one with big problems! A definite ....... you ****!

 

[depatty]

Got another of my vises mounted yesterday but didn't get any pictures till this morning. This is my oldest. No name that I can find. Foot and several inches of the leg had been cut off when I got it. Welded a long bolt to the leg to get it back to the ground. Had to make the spring and most of the mounting hardware. Screw and jaws are in prety good condition.

View media item 48825
Other side.

View media item 48827
End on. You can see just below the level of the hammer handle the lump where I welded the bolt on to the leg.

View media item 48828
Jaws open where you can see the screw.

View media item 48829
Made the spring and most of the mounting hardware.

View media item 48830
Gonna weld a flat plate to the bottom of the bolt once I get the welder going again. Another of those round tuits...

Dave

 

[bigcaddy]

So after getting the Wilton C1 yesterday, I get up today not planning to go anywhere. I look at CL and see a garage sale five minutes away. Says mancave stuff. Starts at 9:00. So I get in the car at 9:05 and head over. It tuns out to be the whole house. So I head down to the basement and find the craftsman grinder and the Wilton 4" Cadet. I bring them up to get a price and the guy says $30.00 bucks for the grinder and $5.00 for the vise. OK thanks, bye.

Now that's a good weekend. Best I've done was a 1980s Wilton 450S and Reed 2C, both in excellent shape. I think I spent 130.00 for the pair

Since you've posted pictures, I just realized that I don't own a wilton cadet in any size

 

[depatty]

Well, there was a post here a minute ago...

Here are some of my vises, enjoy

Very nice!

Have you got a picture of the leg and foot on that one? If so I'd love to see it.

Dave

 

[Outlawmws]

Lol ,

One small single car garage attached is my main shop, welding shop and such is out in the 32'x32' Double car garage :} So yeah I have the room lol. Not so much a vise collector but, I will be looking later for a blacksmiths leg vice and that will most likely be the only other one I buy.

Cypher

You need to make this your sig, so we can laugh when they start piling up!

 

[KMScott]

Sure a bunch of nice vises posted today, Caddy got another Craftsman, you think they were made in California or something. Another nice score BC.

Wrapped up this HD Wilton today made in 2-47, I posted a few pictures in a earlier post of this vise all welded up. Even when some owners abuse and weld up these old workhorses they can still be repaired and even improved. Original jaws were 4 x 3/4 ax 1/2 inch thick. I think the new owner will be happy on how it came out.

 

[oldldh]

That's nice Reverend Scott!!!

Ya Dud Gud, Bubba!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The "Tucker Pattern Maker Vise", that I listed three hours ago..

Sold---For---

$ 1,848.99!!!

Holy Sheep Dip!!!

Will somebody please tell me, why are those things worth so much???

 

[drivesitfar]

Kevin: i love those new Parker ish Wilton jaws you made for that Wilton. i almost want to find a damaged bullet to send to you so you can do another one, but $5 Wilton bullet vises don't grow on trees in my area like they do in somebody's back yard basements.

very nice work AGAIN.

 

[balane]

Kevin, one of, if not the best modifications for a save I've seen in this thread. The work is one thing, always great from you, but it's the solution that I love here. Inspiring success.

 

[tedsters]

Kevin

wow that thing is nice you do nice work Kevin

 

[KMScott]

Thanks guys, I have some that are a lot worse then this Wilton.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

You need to make this your sig, so we can laugh when they start piling up! [emoji38]_hitti

I've only bought 22 vices since I said I was going to stop about a month ago. I think I'm almost cured ....

 

[j.t.d.]

This was my first Wilton Bullet vise purchase, a 1979 350S original paint. Got it a couple years ago on the last day of an estate sale for 10% of what ended up selling it for. It was used by a woman for crafting. I couldn't believe it was still there. I sold it on Ebay this January for $349.99. I miss it though.

 

[paigej]

Pickings are a little slim out here!

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/tls/4871826331.html

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Paigej:
It wouldn't bother me to pay 40$ for the stand. However, that vise is totaled. I'd love to hear the story of its demise.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

condition: fair .....

really?

 

[paigej]

I liked the description "Heavy duty vice"

Maybe not as heavy duty as he thought

 

[clucas]

So, this is my first post. I've been looking for a good vise for a while now. I just couldn't see paying as much as they wanted for a new vise at the local big box hardware stores. Yesterday we were at some antique stores looking for some chairs when it hit me. I should be looking for some tools and a vise especially. Well, we came out of the second antique store with a massive Craftsman vise. I'm still torn on whether I should leave the patina or restore it. It moves in and out so smooth still, so I'm kind of okay with the patina. Would just like to clean it up a little bit.

Also, I got it for $46 out the door.

 

[great white tj]

I would just use it...........

 

[drivesitfar]

Lucas: you have a nice columbian made Craftsman vise and i'm guessing the jaw's width is 4 inches because that is the measurement we usually measure and not how wide it opens which is nice that it opens that wide BTW. you can use it as is or check out our Vise Repair 101 thread and link is in my signature for some ideas if you want to do more.

also welcome to the forum and good to have another vise in our group

Paige: i'm with Mark that the $40 for just that stand isn't that bad of a deal and i save a picture of it to my laptop. now that vise is something i also saved a picture of and put it in the broken vise file of how not to treat a vise. it has some parts like a dynamic, vise nut and maybe the main screws are in good shape. if you can clean up the swivel base's welds it might have a use on another vise too. thanks for posting and better luck finding a vise down in God's waiting room.

 

[j.t.d.]

Nice find clucas on that Craftsman. Congratulations!

 

[clucas]

Thanks guys. I think i'm just going to give it a good clean, maybe put some grease on the moving parts and use it as is. I do know that I need to get a better base on my bench to mount it down. Don't need that moving around while trying to use it. I'll also give it a quick measure on the width of the jaws when i get home.

 

[McBrownie]

3,000,000+ Views!

 

[Thrumcap]

Woot!

 

[bagged89s10]

I just saw this vise on Craigslist. Can anyone id it from these pictures?
Mother guys says it a vintage superior swivel 10" vise.

He's asking $50

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Wilton 1780 Tradesman.

 

[BJ42LX]

Can anyone id it from these pictures?

I think that says 1760, which makes it a Tradesman 6" vise.

I'd buy it for $50, but I'd offer $40 first in that condition.

If it is a 1780 you should fly over there as fast as humanly possible breaking all local speed limits on the way and pay him the $50 before he has a chance to say hello.

 

[bagged89s10]

Wilton 1780 Tradesman.

I'm going to try to meet the seller tomorrow.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Have almost finished my older Record 36 Just need to make a bronze thrust washer and some 5/16 BSW screws for the jaws.

Anyway here's a couple of pictures.

Missing jaws and has obviously lived outside at some point, you can't really tell in this photo but the dynamic jaw is 2mm lower than the static jaw as the front shelf has been bent down. (If I'd known this at the start the vice would have remained as a lump of scrap)


Why would someone cut the end off the quick release lever?


The base had been notched out to go over the lip on the edge of a bench. This might be an indication of why the shelf bent, although it didn't bend at the notches they do seem to indicate that the vice was mounted with far more hanging over the edge of the bench than it was designed to have.


A few days of electrolytic rust removal got things a bit more presentable.




I seemed to forget to take pictures of the straightening of the shelf, brazing up the notches in the base and building up the end of the QR lever. I also added some new jaws

 

[Outlawmws]

So, this is my first post. I've been looking for a good vise for a while now. I just couldn't see paying as much as they wanted for a new vise at the local big box hardware stores. Yesterday we were at some antique stores looking for some chairs when it hit me. I should be looking for some tools and a vise especially. Well, we came out of the second antique store with a massive Craftsman vise. I'm still torn on whether I should leave the patina or restore it. It moves in and out so smooth still, so I'm kind of okay with the patina. Would just like to clean it up a little bit.

Also, I got it for $46 out the door.

Nice score! It's a 70's vise, 4-1/2" wide jaws, 51 lbs, $71 in 1973. i'd not worry about it's "Patina" too much. Clean it up, paint it if you want to, and bolt it down and use it.

 

[oldldh]

What Outlaw said!!!

 

[bagged89s10]

I just saw this vise on Craigslist. Can anyone id it from these pictures?
Mother guys says it a vintage superior swivel 10" vise.

He's asking $50

In meeting the guy tomorrow. Hope it's in good shape.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Fretters: Quick comparison of an older Record 36 and newer Record 36 for you as promised.

The dynamic jaw casting is a slightly different shape at the top.




The upper vice in the picture is the newer one, the obvious difference in this photo is the square v's teardrop handle boss, however if you look carefully the vice base is a different shape at it's front.


Side markings are significantly different and you can also see there is more meat to the jaws behind the jaw plates on the newer vice.


Most noticeable difference is seen from underneath, you can see the extra reinforcing at the front of the base, this was obviously a weak spot on the older design and in fact the older one had bent at this point and needed straightening. Also the thickness of the casting sides are thicker on the newer vice. If you look at the rear of the screw you can see a sleeve and a spring that acts as a shock absorber in case you yank the jaw open to quickly, on the newer vice the sleeve has been done away with and the spring is now further forward on the screw and held in place with a pin through the screw.
You can also see the two main mounting holes are now reinforced and there has been a change to the casting at the back of the dynamic jaw slide (far right of photo).


Side markings are different, and the base of the older vice is slightly higher than the new (hard to make out in the photo). Another thing that can be seen is the QR lever of the older vice is more substantial, the reinforcing web of the old QR is on the outside and can be seen in this photo whereas the newer one has it on the inside towards the vice screw.

 

[topop101]

I just had to do it. Got it for 200.00 I know it's too much for the condition but I couldn't walk away from a "7" inch Athol 617. It's going to be such a big job it's going to have to wait for my new shop before I tackle it. The dynamic jaw tips the scale at 99.2 and the static goes 108. Being set in concrete was a bit over the top to me but for the way it's been treated it may have saved it from total destruction

 

[joe.striper]

Bought these 2 Colton vises, 2" and 1" respectively. Paid too much but they have lots of color and the little one is soooo cute. Seller also had this interesting blacksmith vise with a wooden screw replacing the original spindle. I am 99% sure this isnt original.

Oh well, here's hoping I make my money back!

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Love that wooden screw, but I'd not want to give that vise much of a work out with that fitted.

 

[Outlawmws]

Qwazy, what is the weight difference?

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Qwazy, what is the weight difference?

Surprisingly little,

Old 29.5 kg
New 30.3 kg

It may be that they've made some areas lighter on the new one. It is interesting to see the newer vice has been made stronger in specific areas which to my mind says there must have been problems on the older ones.

 

[jrobb316]

I may have a line on a Yost 105. It's missing one of the jaw inserts, what are the chances you can still get a set of replacement that fit from Yost? It is a meadville pa vise if that matters. I do not have any Yosts so I don't know much about them. Thanks guys

 

[clucas]

Nice score! It's a 70's vise, 4-1/2" wide jaws, 51 lbs, $71 in 1973. i'd not worry about it's "Patina" too much. Clean it up, paint it if you want to, and bolt it down and use it.

I did check the jaws the other way today. You nailed it. It is a 4.5" jaw on it and you're right on about the weight. It is a beast. I'm just going to mount it and use it. I like the look it has.