The VISES of Garage Journal

[bagged89s10]

Thanks btrnuthatch, you did all the welding I just made suggestions and supplied a few rods. I can not wait to see the finished vise. The weld will never chip off like the two part puddy others have used.



I just repaired a Parker 974 swivel base brake set up today and wanted to share this repair since few repairs shown lately were not welded. It is really not to hard especially if you have a TIG welder and the correct rod. Arc rod can be purchased from Eutectic but it is much easier with TIG. The rod I like using is Eutectic Castolin 224, great rod for cast repairs. My TIG machine cost me under $300 from a Denver auction so these machines are out there and the old ones are cheap. Yea the bottle rental, new torch and cooler will run some bucks but well worth it. TIG welding is about the easiest welding out there next to wire. You bring the work to a table, get real comfortable and weld.



I dropped the 974 brake shoe a while back and I threw the set up aside until a member here was asking about a 973-1/2 base he was looking for and pulled this guy out just in case it would work for him. It was the wrong size but decided to finish the repair. I like to groove out as much of the casting as possible, the break still fits accurately for the 9/16 pin. I heat first then tack weld, heat again then tack and so on. Heating the aluminum and adding a leather blanket (my heat treating gloves) along with other gloves to cool slowly, about a good 45 minutes. I flip the piece over, heat and finish welding. Heat and cover again. Really not to tuff. The welding setup and repair only took 20 minutes but all the time really is in annealing the weld. I mounted the piece on a 1/2 piece of aluminum to act like a heat block. Some have mentioned heating up sand or putting the welded piece into a oven but I believe that is a little over kill at least in my experience for these type of repairs. I have not failed yet. The 224 rod goes on real nice and sanded off pretty easy. Just my 2 cents.

Nice repair. It takes a lot of time to correctly weld cast. Can you use a mig welder to repair cast correctly?

 

[topop101]

Any idea what size thread the set screw is on the collar ring that holds the main screw in. I had to drill mine out.

Is yours restored? If so please share a picture.

bagged, No mine hasn't been restored yet. I have 9 custom orders to do first and about 40 vises in front of it since I only picked it up a couple weeks ago. Next time I get into my vise stash I'll get the info you need.

Here's the 54 I picked up along with a couple others

 

[bagged89s10]

Anyone have the the specs on this vise. I getting it tomorrow.

 

[KMScott]

Nice repair. It takes a lot of time to correctly weld cast. Can you use a mig welder to repair cast correctly?

I do not know. Is Mig a good choice for repairs? I do not think so. Better off brazing with brass.

 

[Gert]

I just repaired a Parker 974 swivel base brake set up today and wanted to share this repair since few repairs shown lately were not welded.

Kevin, thanks for sharing your repairs. As a hobby machinist I learn a lot from it.
Cheers !

 

[topop101]

Unusual make of wood vice I got in my last batch









Quite ornate in design, doesn't appear to have a rear jaw ......

Very nice vice. beautiful piece of work.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

It does warrant restoration I have two others of this style but they are less complete and rustier.

 

[Gazedo]

New palmgren 6in cross slide to replace an old shopfox

 

[exmaxima1]

Drives: I did the Paramo one while ago, and I had help

exmaxima: To address the very issues you mention, here's my setup:

From left to right -- cotter pin, oilite brass spacer sleeve, a pair of wave washers, and a thrust roller bearing.

Thanks again for the suggestion to use the thrust bearing. I installed it in my Paramo this morning, and it works fantastic---very slick!

I retained the stock spring but moved it back a bit to reduce pressure. Also, instead of the cotter pin (which I hate) I used a dowel pin with a couple of flats on the ends---it pops into place and held in by the spring. It is easily removed later using a length of tubing over the spindle.

 

[JZiggy]

Thanks again for the suggestion to use the thrust bearing. I installed it in my Paramo this morning, and it works fantastic---very slick!

I retained the stock spring but moved it back a bit to reduce pressure. Also, instead of the cotter pin (which I hate) I used a dowel pin with a couple of flats on the ends---it pops into place and held in by the spring. It is easily removed later using a length of tubing over the spindle.

Nice work! Did you drill a new hole for the dowel?

I have a couple of English made vises that came with dowels rather than cotter pins. Much easier to deal with really.

Do you have a pic of the whole vise? Maybe you've shared it before, but I forgot if so

Also, mine has a date stamp on the static jaw. Does yours have one like this?

 

[exmaxima1]

Nice work! Did you drill a new hole for the dowel?

I have a couple of English made vises that came with dowels rather than cotter pins. Much easier to deal with really.

Do you have a pic of the whole vise? Maybe you've shared it before, but I forgot if so

Also, mine has a date stamp on the static jaw. Does yours have one like this?

Drilled a new hole. No date stamp that I could find. Here's a few pics:

 

[bagged89s10]

Just picked up this Parker No. 49.
4.25" jaws. 72lbs

 

[JZiggy]

Drilled a new hole. No date stamp that I could find. Here's a few pics:

Thanks!!!

 

[drivesitfar]

Found at a local estate sale. Lady said it was her Grandfather's and may have come over from Sweden. It only works on quick release. The shaft has a piece of thread bolted to it that goes about 1/2 way around. There is another 1/2 round piece of thread bolted to the top. When you turn the handle and disengage these the jaws slide open, you put the piece to be clamped in and slide it shut. You then have about 1/2 turn to tighten the jaws down. I buy and sell used vises and this is a first for me. The only markings i can find is the word patent on the top of one jaw. The top and bottom bolt together and the top back screw holds one set of threads and the front screw may hold the works in. Weighs about 70 lbs.

MD: is that a braze that i'm looking at on the bottom of that cool old vise? i guess nobody knows who made it, but sometimes it takes some members a while to post regarding those old ones.

Gaz: nice vises and welcome to the forum and the vise thread. Can you take a few more pictures showing your cross slide put together? is it a Craftsman because i can't quite make out the name?

 

[Gazedo]

drivesitfar the broken cross slide is a China made shop fox. The static jaw broke so it only has one intact axis. The cast has a lot of large holes incredible it lasted as long as it did.

 

[Gazedo]

My reed 204 has the jaws ground smooth and flush how hard is it to drill and tap the jaws for some 4 in knurled Steel inserts. Or should I just buys some caps? I made aluminum jaw inserts for my columbian. It was nice to be able to screw in the the different jaws.

 

[jd_dnc]

Well, I was on vacation end of this week and elected to do some vise pickin' on the road.
So, I lined up some and set off.

First stop, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, 11 hours away.
Here we found a Hollands 14 4" vise. In great shape with good jaw serrations.

After the usual language translation issues and arm waving, a deal was made. Next stop, Mascouche, Quebec, a mere hour and a half away. Here, we found a Parker 827 vise with 7" jaws, 228 lbs.

Great condition! Good jaws, intact garter, and well oiled. It apparently came out of the CPR railway workshop in Montreal. It dismantled in two minutes into three pieces which was a blessing. $150 later, off I went to Ottawa, two hours away and that was the end to a good day.
On the way back, I stopped in St. John, New Brunswick where I had seen a $30 vise on kijiji that didn't resemble anything I'd seen before. This was a woodworking vise with a big single handle on the front.

After a bit of research, I found out this is called a Sheldon vise, early 1900s. It uses a cam and rack bar setup to do its clamping. No screw. So, it takes about a quarter turn to tighten. It works great, so in the cleanup queue it goes.

Thrumcap

I had my eye on that giant Parker vise too!

I remember the Kijiji add said something like, "If you can pick it up off the floor and put it on the workbench you can have it for free!"

However I couldn't get out to the guy's place until later in the week and I live in Montreal!

I'm happy to see it surface here with better pictures.

You saved me from having to rebuild my workbench with 8x8 posts.

Enjoy every pound of it.

 

[AmericanMechanic]

Here's the last of the three vises that I picked up from Mike in Ohio. I need to build a base and finish the black detail, but close.

 

[Thrumcap]

I had my eye on that giant Parker vise too!

I remember the Kijiji add said something like, "If you can pick it up off the floor and put it on the workbench you can have it for free!"

However I couldn't get out to the guy's place until later in the week and I live in Montreal!

I'm happy to see it surface here with better pictures.

You saved me from having to rebuild my workbench with 8x8 posts.

Enjoy every pound of it.

Thanks! I was surprised it didn't vanish in hours. While free is good, blown discs are not.
Thrumcap

 

[Outlawmws]

My reed 204 has the jaws ground smooth and flush how hard is it to drill and tap the jaws for some 4 in knurled Steel inserts. Or should I just buys some caps? I made aluminum jaw inserts for my columbian. It was nice to be able to screw in the the different jaws.

I believe those are cast in and hardened, so not fun to drill and tap.

If you really don't' like the smooth jaws, look into trading with someone that does like them (people actually grind then to get no-mar jaws..).

Otherwise, I'd say your best bet is slip on caps.

 

[drivesitfar]

Gaz: i use copper or soft jaw covers on almost all my vises. my big Reed 4C has two sets of jaws and i have the smooth ones on them currently.

 

[Thrumcap]

While researching Torqueman2002's cool Parker 52 vise, I got somewhat deep into catalogs for the mid 1800s.
There were some pretty interesting and specific function designs in that era of vises. Has anyone seen any really unusual designs out in the wild different from the familiar designs of the 1900s.... Like this one?



Cheers,

Thrumcap

 

[drivesitfar]

Thrum: pretty sure a few of our members own those and had posted them in the last couple years. they are cool that is for sure. did you find Doc's (Tourqueman's) Parker in the catalog?

 

[KMScott]

Could not stand seeing my machine idle these last two days waiting for steel so I made several different Bullet end caps. Got the Wilton Baby, the 2-1/2 (825/925) and the 9300 (3") caps made. The baby is 1 inch dia, the 2-1/2 which 2-1/4 dia if my memory is correct and the 3" which is 1-11/16. These guys are easy after figuring out the arc size. Anyone wants a drawing I will post them for you lathe guys or PM me.

 

[Thrumcap]

Thrum: pretty sure a few of our members own those and had posted them in the last couple years. they are cool that is for sure. did you find Doc's (Tourqueman's) Parker in the catalog?

...i need to search every.time. Before asking questions.....

Sure enough, Bloo has one.

Doc's Parker is in a different catalog. I posted a link in a comment on that a couple pages back.

Thrumcap

 

[bagged89s10]

Anyone know what type of screw head I need for the jaws on my American scale no. 54? I had to drill the heads off to get the screws out. They just seem like an odd taper.

 

[drivesitfar]

Thrum: i wouldn't tell you to look every time you had a question. you mean you don't have the thread memorized?

i was just saying that instead of looking at a catalog page that i was pretty sure there are a couple around to see real pictures of. i should have this thread memorized, but that just isn't happening anymore.

if it wasn't for VA finding a lot of the vises a lot of us would never find them if they were posted a year or more ago.

keep looking because you seem to have a great eye. have you found an Emmert vise yet or seen one in person?

 

[Outlawmws]

Bagged, its probably the really steep taper they seemed to like for vise jaws, but probably easiest to take some modeling clay and pack one of the holes and then ease it back out. then you can see what you need to match.

 

[KMScott]

Anyone know what type of screw head I need for the jaws on my American scale no. 54? I had to drill the heads off to get the screws out. They just seem like an odd taper.

I would guess they are 60 degree included angle on a 5/16:18 thread, at least that is the standard angle on most jaws with those type screws. I have a 55 and that was the screw spec:s that came out of that American Scale. I made new jaws for it and replaced them with 5/16:18 Short Head Cap Screws. If you have to have the 60 degree screws then maybe you can buy them HERE. Or counter bore your screws on 3-3/8 Centers with a 1/2 inch carbide end mill and buy 4 short head screws from Fastenal. Good Luck Bags, if you need spec:s on your jaws PM me.

 

[bagged89s10]

Bagged, its probably the really steep taper they seemed to like for vise jaws, but probably easiest to take some modeling clay and pack one of the holes and then ease it back out. then you can see what you need to match.

Thanks that's a great idea

I would guess they are 60 degree included angle on a 5/16:18 thread, at least that is the standard angle on most jaws with those type screws. I have a 55 and that was the screw spec:s that came out of that American Scale. I made new jaws for it and replaced them with 5/16:18 Short Head Cap Screws. If you have to have the 60 degree screws then maybe you can buy them HERE. Or counter bore your screws on 3-3/8 Centers with a 1/2 inch carbide end mill and buy 4 short head screws from Fastenal. Good Luck Bags, if you need spec:s on your jaws PM me.

Thanks for the info KMScott.

 

[Thrumcap]

Thrum: i wouldn't tell you to look every time you had a question. you mean you don't have the thread memorized?

i was just saying that instead of looking at a catalog page that i was pretty sure there are a couple around to see real pictures of. i should have this thread memorized, but that just isn't happening anymore.

if it wasn't for VA finding a lot of the vises a lot of us would never find them if they were posted a year or more ago.

keep looking because you seem to have a great eye. have you found an Emmert vise yet or seen one in person?

Ha ha no I was reminding myself to use the search function. I get all enthusiastic about something, post and then find the info 30 minutes later... Usually in a GJ post.....

Emmerts in pictures only......
I am embarking on another drive very soon, for I have spotted and have dibs on something intriguing

Thrumcap

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Ha ha no I was reminding myself to use the search function. I get all enthusiastic about something, post and then find the info 30 minutes later... Usually in a GJ post.....

I can't count how many times that I've Googled vise information and see GJ Vises on the first page.

 

[bagged89s10]

So I'm buying this today.


I guess I'll sell my fixed mount Reed

 

[JeremyBurke]

Bagged: I had a 204r just like that briefly until it got traded to it's new home. It will serve you well they are a great vise.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Ha ha no I was reminding myself to use the search function. I get all enthusiastic about something, post and then find the info 30 minutes later... Usually in a GJ post.....

I can't count how many times that I've Googled vise information and see GJ Vises on the first page.

It's worse when you google vice/vise information and see your OWN post on GJ Vises as the first hit

 

[balane]

Buddy of mine took his boys to a logging museum the other day and sent me these photos. I don't have any particular information to share about anything other than to please enjoy them.

.

 

[bagged89s10]

Buddy of mine took his boys to a logging museum the other day and sent me these photos. I don't have any particular information to share about anything other than to please enjoy them.



.

Awesome pics! I like that Reed on the stand too.

 

[balane]

Can anybody ID that angled back vise in the 3rd photo?

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Can anybody ID that angled back vise in the 3rd photo?

Angled back? Are you mistaking the bar in the foreground as part of the vise?

 

[balane]

Yep. Damn these old eyes!