VISE OF THE YEAR FOR 2015 and personal favorites

[drivesitfar]

ALL: so how about seeing what our membership thinks was the best vise of the year for 2015. we can also vote for our own personal favorites. the best biggest and smallest. rarest. oldest and pick a category if you think i missed one. i'll try to keep the data on the first few posts of this thread and anybody is welcome to teach me how to set up a poll or set one up themselves.

Not all of us have the vice for vises here at Garage Journal, but a lot of us do so why not see what we all think. of course there isn't a limit to posts to make nominations, but one vote per category per member might be a good place to start.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HOPE ALL GJ MEMBERS HAVE A BETTER 2016

 

[drivesitfar]

Best vise (vice) of the year

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

oldest vise (vice) of the year:

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

Biggest vise (vice) of the year:

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

smallest vise (vice) of the year

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

rarest vise (vice) of the year:

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

most unique vise (vice) accessory:

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

most unique vise (vice):

1)

 

[drivesitfar]

Reserved:

 

[drivesitfar]

reserved:

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: if i missed a category let me know and let's post our favorites and see what happens.

for those of you that want to post your own personal top 5, 10 or 20 all time vises that you own or have on a list to own someday post those too.

First post of 2015 is #23613 by Steelkit and we are on post # 39090 today.

I'll probably have to add a few categories like BEST VISE FAMILY PICTURE and open to suggestions.

 

[CRSINMICH]

I'm going to start with two of my favorites. The first one was the first one. The FIRST vise I ever bought and restored. It's a Metro N0.4 I got at a garage sale for $10. As far as we (the GJ members) can tell it is a Morgan. Number Two is actually my FAVORITE vise of all. It's an Emmert Machinist's Vise. I'm only going to post one picture now. It was in bad shape when I got it but, many thanks to fellow member Jcrapola, I may soon have it reassembled and ready for a finish. I'll post more pictures then. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO US ALL.

 

[McBrownie]

ALL: if i missed a category let me know and let's post our favorites and see what happens.

for those of you that want to post your own personal top 5, 10 or 20 all time vises that you own or have on a list to own someday post those too.

First post of 2015 is #23613 by Steelkit and we are on post # 39090 today.

I'll probably have to add a few categories like BEST VISE FAMILY PICTURE and open to suggestions.

Drives,

How about a "Best Deal" category? You know, the "Reed 4C for $1" kind of deal.

 

[shockwave]

Drives,

How about a "Best Deal" category? You know, the "Reed 4C for $1" kind of deal.

I agree or best barn find of the year
I like the one that was found laying in a scrapyard and litterly saved from death

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Drives,
Good thread. How about a biggest transformation category? Ugliest find to beautiful restoration.

 

[dlcwent]

+1 on both those categories.

 

[drivesitfar]

CRS: i agree that your Metro vise was probably made by Morgan vise company because if i remember correctly VA's or some other member's vise has the same Morgan parts #'s on them. the Standard brand vises are the same too and here's mine in case you need it for reference. not my favorite vise, but it is well built and hope it helps you figure out more about your Metro.

that old Emmert looks like it's been to war and lost so looking forward to seeing what you and JC have done to it.

McB: there are so many great deals it's hard to pick just one so anybody that wants to brag or note the free vises found in their driveway, at a scrapyard or just the $10 Wilton Baby bullet finds can.

DLC & Mark: i put in a few extra categories so sure i can set them up for other categories and will if there is more interest. for now how about some pictures of those vise bookends or some cool vises.

ALL: I might have mentioned this a few times i'm not a fan of YOU **** for a couple reasons. one i never liked my kids uttering those words out of their mouths and if they said it to me they probably would have to sleep outside. also some me included spend a ton of time searching for those deals so is that time valuable or the 3 hour drive to pick them up free? if we could exchange YOU **** with WELL DONE or even DAMN i'd be more likely to appreciate those deals that we work hard for. maybe BANG MY NEIGHBOR'S WIFE would go out the GJ door with YOU **** and we'd get more members. i truly didn't join for years because i didn't understand all the YS comments or like them.

ok sorry to rant here and not intended at any of you by any means because you are all stand up guys and i do like the forum set up where we can talk with members all over the world.

anybody want to post pictures of vises and tell us what they are and why you picked them would be awesome.

cheers

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Drives,
From what you mentioned in your previous post, a category of "vise art" or what non-vise piece did you turn your vise into.

Would a "best vise stand" be appropriate?


The before & after pictures below is my "ugly to nice" restoration. A 100 year old Reed. It was not a barn find, it was a behind the barn, in the mud for over 20 years find. It took a couple of months of casual work and >5K pounds of press force to free it up, but after it was finished, it worked flawlessly. Somewhere in Southern Illinois, it has a happy home.

Bookend pictures feature a Chief vise & a Montgomery Ward vise, before & after.

 

[CRSINMICH]

The before & after pictures below is my "ugly to nice" restoration. A 100 year old Reed. It was not a barn find, it was a behind the barn, in the mud for over 20 years find. It took a couple of months of casual work and >5K pounds of press force to free it up, but after it was finished, it worked flawlessly. Somewhere in Southern Illinois, it has a happy home.

Bookend pictures feature a Chief vise & a Montgomery Ward vise, before & after.

Mark: Was it really buried for 20 years? That's amazing! BTW you didn't fool me with those "bookends". You really just notched the bottoms of all those books so they'd go over the spindles and slides didn't you? Clever guy.

 

[drivesitfar]

Mark: totally awesome work on that Reed. i know you and a several others have found and even bought vises i'd have only used for parts or passed and made gems out of them.

definitely a category needs to be made for best transformation or restoration for those that you guys and gals have repaired.

nicely done on the book ends and couldn't think of a better way to use a broken or ailing old open screw or maybe even a big vise. I have a 3 inch Parker with a busted dynamic i might pull the parts out and make a book end out of it.

ALL: any more vise pictures and entries??

 

[General Geoff]

I'll throw my hat into the ring with my Starrett-Athol 324-1/2.

I actually found it here, on this forum. toomanytoyzz posted a link to the craigslist ad, offering two vises for sale in NJ. I was in the area at the time so I snagged em right away. The Columbian 506 I gave to my dad, and helped him refurbish it around x-mas of 2013.

The Starrett-Athol 324-1/2, however, waited until this year to be refinished. Condition I got it:

This past summer I finally got around to taking it apart, cleaning, stripping, masking, repainting. It turned out to be in remarkably good condition, just needed cosmetic cleanup.

I posted a pic on the big vises thread a few months ago. Link

Finished product (after a new set of jaws from our resident vintage vise guru Kevin):

This vise was obviously cared for and never abused, the jaws close dead nuts parallel.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

CRS, I can't say for sure about the 20 years in the mud, but the condition in which I found it tells me so.

BTW:
CRS & Drives, Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

I'm going to kick in an entry for unique vise accessory. What I did was to mount a Reed #1 pipe vice onto a piece of 4" x 6" angle stock. This way I can clamp it in my pedestal mounted C. Parker 205 for round workpieces.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Drives,
How about a contest for best, homemade, pedestals?

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Geoff,
Great looking transformation. I had an Athol like yours. Wish I still had it. It now lives in Florida.
Did you have much trouble removing the pipe jaws?

 

[General Geoff]

Not at all! Just took a standard allen key. The vise came apart almost too easily. Nothing broken, too tight or too loose. I really lucked out on it!

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Drives,
This thread will influence me to crank out the restorations for 2016.

Geoff,
Here's the B & A pictures of my Athol for your review.

 

[General Geoff]

Looks amazing! I can see that the older non-Starrett version uses different, flat head retention screws for the pipe jaws. I dig the green you used.


I do really like the style of swivel lock that these vises have, with the swing lever as opposed to the through lever.

 

[Mark in Indiana]

Geoff,
Thanks for your compliment. I notice that yours has the round spindle head like mine. But, I like the removable jaw faces that yours has, over the cast in jaw faces of mine.

 

[McBrownie]

I really liked ScrewDriver's repair on his broken Swindens, as well as, the result. It should be considered for one of the categories, in my opinion.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5212125&highlight=swindens#post5212125

 

[drivesitfar]

McB: no kidding that brazing work he did and to fabricate part of a missing jaw on that old Swinden was nothing short of amazing. it would be right up there with save of the year or decade. he just posted it again on the main vise thread a couple days ago and he put in some white non metallic jaws that were holding a huge piece of pipe.

Mark: great to hear this thread is giving you even more incentive. thanks for all the posts. since we already have a vises and grinders stands threads have you posted your cool little angle mount for the pipe vise yet? or that amazing stand you have underneath your Parker? what's that made out of? looks pretty sturdy.

GG: nice work on the Starrett/Athol vise and their combo vises rank up there with the best which are Wilton C series and the Reed C series vises we usually see more of.

 

[CRSINMICH]

McB: I'd have to second that both in terms of ScrewDriver's repair and as a category. When I followed the link you posted I found another of my favorite restorations - Steelkilt's resto of an Emmert Tiger. Post #37026
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782&highlight=swindens&page=1852

 

[1982fxr]

not sure how rare my round slide prentiss is...

 

[1982fxr]

transformation?

 

[1982fxr]

McB: I'd have to second that both in terms of ScrewDriver's repair and as a category. When I followed the link you posted I found another of my favorite restorations - Steelkilt's resto of an Emmert Tiger. Post #37026
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782&highlight=swindens&page=1852

i wanna nominate that huge Parker above that for something!

 

[Fraggles]

For the most unique vise (vice) accessory category I nominate CW's Parkinsons vices display stand

If only I had the means to transport it, it would have been mine

Perhaps he will post a photo of the stand with some vices decorated with fairy lights like a Christmas tree.

 

[anndel]

All nice vises indeed!

 

[drivesitfar]

82: more pictures of the round slide Prentiss PLEASE?? thanks for the catalog page too.

Fraggles: yes CW's stand is an awesome vice accessory and hope he has pictures to post. CW ???

ALL: one of my personal favorites and i'm not even a huge Parker vise fan is this 978 on its stand that a talented vise restorer spiffed up in Tuscon and a new GJ member drove from North Dakota to buy it and put it in maybe his living room.

Crete any more pictures to post??

 

[CRSINMICH]

ALL: one of my personal favorites and i'm not even a huge Parker vise fan is this 978 on its stand that a talented vise restorer spiffed up in Tuscon and a new GJ member drove from North Dakota to buy it and put it in maybe his living room.

Drives: I'm not familiar with Parker statistics but I can tell that 978 is HUGE. How do you think it would compare to the gigantic American Scale Joe just brought back from Maine? It certainly seems they both belong in the Biggest Vise category.

 

[Ratchet Guy]

keep the picture coming, I'm liking this post and your restoration