I'm not 100% sure how much of a deal this is since I'm not too familiar with vise pricing, but seems like a cool old piece someone may be interested in.
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/tls/5452006740.html
Early Chas. Parker #22 vise. Charles Parker is one of the brothers of the Parker Bros. shotgun fame. Close to 100 years old. 3 1/2" jaw width w/anvil. Overall excellent condition with no cracks, repairs or damage of any kind. A stripping & repaint would be in order though. The cast iron base came with the vise, not original but is included. $75 cash firm.
FYI Colin, That Parker is supposed to have a swivel base on it. It is not a bad deal, but it is incomplete.
Here's an ad from 1887 for the Parker 22. The swivel should look like in the picture under the cast iron stand it's on . ! Nice find and a STEAL at 75.00...
Well over 100 years old!
Yeah, I'm sure you are correct. I just didn't know how old this one was when he said "nearly a hundred years old". If his is as old as the one in the ad I posted then it should have the under bench swivel .
Look in the gap of the plate it's mounted on. I think I see a center post and no holes for a swivel lock , at least on the side I can see. But with Parkers swivel brake design the are holes on both sides.
Tops and Outlaw, I just about wrapped up my Parker 22, but I made my own base. I will share pictures early next week. I really like this vise. The one I have had all the hardware missing a perfect candidate for a custom Parker base.
KMScott: while you are skilled at all parts of vises would there maybe be an entire vise made from scratch on your BUCKET LIST? nicely done and great pictures as per usual.
Colin: the stand that red Parker was on was almost worth the asking price. did you buy it or did somebody else buy it?
KMScott, it's amazing (serendipitous) as I was just yesterday researching on google for info on the #22 but found almost nothing on it. Thank you for posting your vise pics (very, very nice).
I have to admit, I bought the red vise above and have to thank my fellow GJ member Colin Len for turning me on to it. The seller turned out to be a very cool old school and senior OWWM member and was great to talk to while he showed me his shop and we had a long chat, it was a beautiful little shop with every imaginable tool crammed into every nook and cranny (nothing newer than 1968); it was a long visit. He had the nicest orig. fit & finished Athol Starrett 4 1/2 swivel vise I had ever seen and I've had three of them. He also gave me pretty much for free a pair of vintage NOS Reed 4" bronze milled faced soft jaw caps that will fit perfectly onto the Reed 204R vise that GJ JeremyBurke gave me. So it was a good deal indeed.
To answer the question the center post protruding out the bottom is still there and threaded but sadly the underneath handle/wingnut is missing. It was held to the cast base with a center bolt that looks like it maybe the original partial bolt that's missing the handle/broken off.
I had the same idea as KMScott and was hoping my C. Parker 973 vise that I was willing to sacrifice has a smaller base than what the #22 needs (6" dia.), maybe a 973 1/2 base will be the correct dia. for it. I hate to convert it top side swivel but my work bench won't accept a underneath swivel. The anvil is very cool, great size and useful.
I have separated the vise from the cast base and in process of stripping the paint. I have never experienced a vise so devoid of grease or grime. Just enough dry dirt in it to grow tomatoes.
Was this a center post mount parker like pictured in my ad?
