The VISES of Garage Journal

[DFB]

DFB, it might be a Millers Falls.

Neat

That's some awesome sleuthing




And easily could be. I am not very far from Millers Falls or Athol Mass for that matter. And I figure that's why I see lots of Athol vises around here for sale.

Very similar indeed with the side recess on the main body and the angle on the back of the front 90 of the mounting plate. I weighed it and it is 11 lbs just like the 2" model on the chart.

Curious still about the notch in the dynamic jaw

I will have to read up more on Miller Falls. With a quick search Wiki says Miller Falls manufacturing merged with Backus Vise Co. in 1872 to form the Miller Falls Co.

Is there any date with that catalog page?

$3.10 new

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Couldn't sleep so I decided to go out to the garage and snap some pictures of my Parker 956 on the stand. I also picked up this cool vintage tilting/rotating/telescoping light from an antique shop while I was on vacation last month. Put it on the stand for better light on the work piece.
http://s1196.photobucket.com/user/ProperDesigns/library/Parker 956

Out of curiosity are you going to restore or leave the original patina? I have a 974 that has a lot of the original finish on and as much as I enjoy restoring vises I am leaving it as is.

 

[joe.striper]

Neat

That's some awesome sleuthing




And easily could be. I am not very far from Millers Falls or Athol Mass for that matter. And I figure that's why I see lots of Athol vises around here for sale.

Very similar indeed with the side recess on the main body and the angle on the back of the front 90 of the mounting plate. I weighed it and it is 11 lbs just like the 2" model on the chart.

Curious still about the notch in the dynamic jaw

I will have to read up more on Miller Falls. With a quick search Wiki says Miller Falls manufacturing merged with Backus Vise Co. in 1872 to form the Miller Falls Co.

Is there any date with that catalog page?

$3.10 new

DFB...come to my shop sometime...Agawam, MA

 

[drivesitfar]

Bagged: it's not like you to lose sleep over a vise (or is it). i really like your big clamp at the base of the vise stand holding all your other big and little clamps. nice find on the 6 incher and sounds like if you need an 8 incher you'll have to be nicer to Meatsis than Joe is.

 

[jimreed2160]

I received a Rock Island #571 today. 3" and also sold as Craftsman 5160. The seller did an outstanding packing job. Actually built a custom crate inside the box.

This vise is in great shape with most of its original grey paint. Jaws look unused. There is a tag on the side from Whirlpool Corp.

 

[honza.vosalik]

Craftsman here, Craftsman there, Craftsman everywhere...

I decided to move stuff around, took the humongous Parker 995 off the workbench and mounted this 5196.

I am just realizing how many other Craftsman tools I actually have - the little toolbox in the picture, the grey/red roller, bench grinder, air compressor, lawn mower, bunch of wrenches and sockets...

 

[bagged89s10]

Out of curiosity are you going to restore or leave the original patina? I have a 974 that has a lot of the original finish on and as much as I enjoy restoring vises I am leaving it as is.

Undecided. I don't think I'll be doing a full restore any time soon on it. I will at least take it apart and degrease it. I can't stand thick grease inside a vise where metal chips and dirt can collect. I have to weld a new plate on the vise stand and clean that up too. I might go for a BLO finish. Then I can always paint it later on.

 

[bagged89s10]

Paid $30 for all this. The vise is a 3.5" Stephens.

 

[trijeff]

Paid $30 for all this. The vise is a 3.5" Stephens.

Great find Bags ... you ****, sir!!

 

[meatsis]

Paid $30 for all this. The vise is a 3.5" Stephens.

Good score on that Stephens vise. Is that a through the bench style swivel?

 

[bagged89s10]

Great find Bags ... you ****, sir!!

Thank you

Good score on that Stephens vise. Is that a through the bench style swivel?

It's a fixed base.

 

[bl00]

is there any date with that catalog page?

1912

 

[jrobb316]

I received a Rock Island #571 today. 3" and also sold as Craftsman 5160. The seller did an outstanding packing job. Actually built a custom crate inside the box.

This vise is in great shape with most of its original grey paint. Jaws look unused. There is a tag on the side from Whirlpool Corp.

Can you give us a close up of the whirlpool badge? I wonder if your vise is post 1957 when whirlpool bought birtman and put their badge on it? That would probably be rare if that was the case and pretty cool.

 

[Outlawmws]

Bagged sucksbigtime...

 

[DFB]

1912

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Can you give us a close up of the whirlpool badge? I wonder if your vise is post 1957 when whirlpool bought birtman and put their badge on it? That would probably be rare if that was the case and pretty cool.

Great vise and great packing job. I shipped a vise to a member on this board thinking I did an ok job and the box was pretty much destroyed by the time USPS got threw with it. I was lucky that I wrapped it in a shipping blanket so no damage but that wont happen again.

 

[DFB]

I know Drivesitfar ask for more and clearer photos but for the moment this is all I have still (have to work all thru the wkd now)

One shows the added weld buildup along the base and the other is the bottom of the mounting base.

And actually I cant quite wait to get to my market in the morning. I'm hoping the same guy will there with the other vice he also had last week and I quickly passed over for the moment then. I really was too busy to give it any attention and just asked about a price which I did get so now I want a better look at it!

 

[jimreed2160]

Here is a picture of the Whirlpool badge. It looks like someone was just showing company pride by attaching a found appliance badge.

 

[bl00]

I'm with jrobb316. The tag is probably original to the vise. Birtman used to stick their tag on the side, so I would expect Whirlpool to do the same after buying Birtman.

 

[jrobb316]

That's got to be an original tag. It uses the same mounting holes as the birtman electric tag. As was rehashed a few weeks ago discussing the craftsman 519x series, whirlpool (the appliance company you know today) bought birtman electric in 1957 to acquire their vacuum cleaner division. With it came rock island mfg that birtman bought in 1930. Whirlpool supposedly made vises for only a couple years before discontinuing that part of the birtman merger. I've never seen a whirlpool tag on a rock island. Very cool

 

[bagged89s10]

Really cool rock island with the whirlpool tag.

 

[bagged89s10]

Quick cleanup of the Stephens.
Scraped the paint off the slide quickly but it shows no stamping. Don't think any stamping would even show up. Anyone know what vintage the handle on this one might be? Or is the handle broken?

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Looks like the slide stop pin is broken off or missing ? When you take it apart be very careful to layout where each piece is positioned and mark the top side. It is like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece will only fit one way. The handle knob doe's look like it is gone ?

 

[bagged89s10]

Looks like the slide stop pin is broken off or missing ? When you take it apart be very careful to layout where each piece is positioned and mark the top side. It is like a jigsaw puzzle, each piece will only fit one way. The handle knob doe's look like it is gone ?

Thanks for the tip but I already took it apart and put it back together. And yes it's just like a jigsaw puzzle. It works like new!

 

[jimreed2160]

That's got to be an original tag. It uses the same mounting holes as the birtman electric tag. As was rehashed a few weeks ago discussing the craftsman 519x series, whirlpool (the appliance company you know today) bought birtman electric in 1957 to acquire their vacuum cleaner division. With it came rock island mfg that birtman bought in 1930. Whirlpool supposedly made vises for only a couple years before discontinuing that part of the birtman merger. I've never seen a whirlpool tag on a rock island. Very cool

What a great footnote for a vise that is in outstanding condition. Thanks for the info.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: i agree with the guys that the Whirlpool tag is most likely original to your vise and it's the first one i've seen. great find

GET: love that vise and stand combo and WELL DONE putting the jigsaw puzzle back together.

 

[Bcom]

Here is a picture of the Whirlpool badge. It looks like someone was just showing company pride by attaching a found appliance badge.

My next door neighbor works at Whirlpool. I was out in my garage the other day working on a couple of Bullets and my neighbor came over and seen what i was doing and said "thats the type of vises that every maintenance guy has out at work". So his Whirlpool location basically uses Wilton.

 

[Lee Celtic]

I know I said no more projects until the garage was finished but for £4 I had to..

No idea what the make is but it was cheap and looked old so I bought it.

Anyone have any idea what it is.?





These are off Ebay.. I'll know more when it arrives

 

[dutchgray]

Lee
No idea what it is but I did see it and it is odd, usually open screws vices are not very desirable but that's got a really nice slide arrangement. But for £4 you can't really go wrong.

 

[NJ Marty]

It took awhile but I finally got a FPU Bison vise. These are so well built and smooth.

Drives, This is one of my favorite vises now.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

It took awhile but I finally got a FPU Bison vise. These are so well built and smooth.

Drives, This is one of my favorite vises now.

You will love it I have a six inch and glad I decided to keep it smooth and sturdy.

 

[G-ManBart]

Picked up a clean Wilton 400S on a nice Baldor stand today....

 

[Mark in Indiana]

It took awhile but I finally got a FPU Bison vise. These are so well built and smooth.

Drives, This is one of my favorite vises now.

Congratulations. I love that design. To me, it's like a bench vise built like a milling machine vise.

 

[KMScott]

Picked up a clean Wilton 400S on a nice Baldor stand today....

Those will fit nicely in your new shop. Oh did I mention I love your new Shop you built. Great find G-man.

 

[Username already in use]

I ran across this 5" Wilton Shop King at the flea today. I couldn't leave it behind for $25! I was arguing about the price when the guy said, 'well, hold on, I have the thing that goes in the hole around here somewhere' and he pulled out the Hardy.
Yes please!
Even has both of the pipe jaws.

 

[rusty65]

I don't usually notice shop kings but yours has a beautiful patina and look with all the original paint and parts. Great find man.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[dreamingmuscle]

Any help with a ID on this one?

 

[rusty65]

Any help with a ID on this one?

Smells like a china sourced model but if it's cheap I would still buy it and use it as a messy outdoor vise because it's still plenty stout for its size.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[GETRIDAONE]

I don't usually notice shop kings but yours has a beautiful patina and look with all the original paint and parts. Great find man.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

It seems like that "patina" always includes a drip or swipe of white paint. I bet 50% or more of the small homeowner type vises I have will have some white paint on them.

 

[Lee Celtic]

Lee
No idea what it is but I did see it and it is odd, usually open screws vices are not very desirable but that's got a really nice slide arrangement. But for £4 you can't really go wrong.

Agreed Dutch for £4 it was worth a go.. I'll get it cleaned up and see if there are any faint markings on it. It was the side on shape of the jaws that got me interested.. I've seen the same profile on a few old vices so had to bid..