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The VISES of Garage Journal

bagged89s10

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#viseaddiction
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bagged89s10

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Hey, can anyone tell me what the name/type of bolt is used for the swivel lockdowns that use the wrench? Like on Parkers. I need to get one for the P98.



I've never seen one. I would buy some hex stock turn it down to make one if I need to.
 

joe.striper

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Sep 13, 2013
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agawam, ma

bagged89s10

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Question for those of you who have built a pedestal from a truck brake drum, where did you get the drum?



Mine came with a vise so I'm really no help. You can always check at a truck or bus service shop to see if they would let you have or buy and old one.
 

trijeff

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Jan 21, 2015
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Location
Northern Cali
Drives, here is a picture of a vise in use - a Wilton C2 sans base holding the Prentiss 98 nut/handle assy for a little wire wheeling. Finished off with a little boiled linseed oil.20161022_173224.jpg
 

bagged89s10

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I can help. The first thing you'll have to do is send me that Craftsman by Rock Island....



Funny, that one jumped off the screen at me also....Good thing I'm a fixed base man now.



You guys are funny. I do think I'll be selling that one soon. I'm not a fan of swivel base vises other than Parkers. It is amazing how strong jaws are in a rock island. The 2 I own barely have a scratch on their jaws.

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G-ManBart

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Jan 24, 2015
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Location
Michigan
You guys are funny. I do think I'll be selling that one soon. I'm not a fan of swivel base vises other than Parkers. It is amazing how strong jaws are in a rock island. The 2 I own barely have a scratch on their jaws.

That one looks like it might fit in two flat-rate USPS boxes....just sayin' :D
 

drivesitfar

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Oct 23, 2013
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GMan: pretty sure it's too big for a flat rate cause i think i have one or two. not any little vise that is for certain. looks like ROAD TRIP is in your plans and you just need to decide which side of the US to go to??

TJ; thanks for the action shot. :thumbup:
 

CRSINMICH

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DRIVES: I was doing some research and I found these VISE ACTION PICTURES in a 1922 issue of Blacksmith & Wheelwright magazine.

TO ALL: Anyone have a guess as to what brand of vise?
 

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Shiftless

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Mar 9, 2014
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East Bay SFO
Speaking of classic Craftsman vises, does anybody recognize this one? I saw one just like it bolted to a shelf at a garage sale I went to yesterday. Big sign on it...VISE NOT FOR SALE
After some sweet talking with the 70 + year old woman running the sale it turns out that her 94 year old mother won't let her sell it. I tried the old "trade it for a newer cleaner model that I will mount for you AND give you cash" ploy but that didn't work either.
I had to walk away after leaving a business card.

Looked like it had 3 1/2 inch wide jaws and was missing the Craftsman badge but had this exact recess. Is it a fifty one ninty something?
 

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honza.vosalik

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Missouri
speaking of classic craftsman vises, does anybody recognize this one? I saw one just like it bolted to a shelf at a garage sale i went to yesterday. Big sign on it...vise not for sale
after some sweet talking with the 70 + year old woman running the sale it turns out that her 94 year old mother won't let her sell it. I tried the old "trade it for a newer cleaner model that i will mount for you and give you cash" ploy but that didn't work either.
I had to walk away after leaving a business card.

Looked like it had 3 1/2 inch wide jaws and was missing the craftsman badge but had this exact recess. Is it a fifty one ninty something?

5195. The smallest of the series.
 
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kbeitz

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Jun 1, 2007
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103
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Pennsylvania
Picked up another vise today at the flea market to add to my growing collection...
Stillson Parmelee vise. Pat 1919.
 

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joe.striper

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agawam, ma
I bought this Parker 976, sight unseen, for $200 Thursday. I restored it today. Natural, naked, oiled finish. Jaws are PERFECT! I didn't have a Parker #3 wrench so I made this one from an offset craftsman 1 1/16" box end wrench.. I am very happy how this turned out. I know you guys like the naked finish.
 

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Craptain

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Apr 18, 2013
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Tampa Bay FL
Picked up a little vise today from a mystery GJ member. He identified me on the phone but didn't want to tell me his username. Never mind, here is what I got. An Empire 30 from Erie tool works.

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And now the bad part.

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I have no intention of actually using the vise so not too big a deal. The price reflects the damage.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 

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va.grouseman

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Southern-Central VA.
Kbeitz, that's a first for me, a vise with a pipe wrench action.---Another one for the books.


Joe, really really nice 976.---You got a buy in that one.---I have a 976 and they are big and they are pretty.---Really all around good vises, every feature.---Congrats on that one.

The only thing I would let my 976 go for is a 978.:D
 

Outlawmws

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The Badlands
Well that Stillson is interesting. From the patent drawings, it appears to have multiple jaws available? the "std" pipe jaws, and an add on for possibly a "no mar" jaw? it may need multiples of that for different sizes...

Very strange.
 

boomer12831

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Jan 6, 2013
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526
Location
northern New York
Kevin Scott at Wilton vice parts -
I talked to Kevin from Wilton vice parts probably 8 to 10 months ago about some parts for my vice. I told him I would be out to Colorado to visit my Mother and I would like to stop by and meet him and pick up some parts. He told me to just give him a call before hand and I was more than welcome to stop by. I was out there this past week for my Mother's 84th birthday and we went for a ride up to Estes Park. I called him and he said to stop by. He has a really cool shop underneath a Geo Thermal house. He gave me tour and showed me a bunch of projects he is working on. Some of the biggest vices I have ever seen are there. I saw my first "Baby Bullet" and now I think I need one. I couldn't spend a lot of time there as I had to get Mom to lunch and she took precedent. Kevin is a real gentleman and a real talented guy. I highly recommend looking him up for advice or parts. If you are in the area, be sure to give him a call and see if you can get the tour. Its well worth the ride, Ed.
 

CRSINMICH

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CHANGE OF PACE​
I just finished these two today. The red one is a Victor Jersey (Stanley) and the green one is a Lehigh by Bonney.
 

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drivesitfar

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Joe: nice modification on the missing wrench for your big Parker. i know you know i like BLO so tell me (us) did you cook that one in the smoker too or is it too big? in any case i was wondering since i'm planning on moving this old GE range/oven in my shop soon what temperature you bake the BLO at. do tell and for how long? do you put on light coats and cook it several times or one thick coat and just bake it on?

WELL DONE SIR!!

CRS: thanks a lot for posting the old pictures of a vise in action and also the catalog pages you are posting here and on the Vise history thread. also nice looking vises and would it be an assumption that maybe somebody is getting a Christmas vise?

WELL DONE
 

ckadams00

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Sep 12, 2011
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Seattle, WA
Picked up a vintage CMan 3.5" today at Goodwill for $5.99. Surface rust but doesn't look like it was ever used (look at the top, not a file scratch). Can't find much info on the 5185 . . .this one has a CM plate (not cast info) and has a ball end on the handle - not a milled/riged like in the 40's catalogs. Anyone have any idea when this was made?



I started to clean this up this weekend - got most of it apart, but after removing the retaining screw below the oil hole in front, I have no idea how the handle/screw comes out? Looks like a retaining collar is in there but can't find any screws. I tapped it a few times with a hammer an:beer:d no movement forward . . .anyone have any insight?
 

Bent Handle

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Iowa
Drivesitfar and I were having a discussion in another thread I started about a vise I've got, and suggested I post it up in this thread. Here it is and all the details I know about it. Any onfo would be great.

The vise is labeled Rock Island Tool Co, with a patent date of Oct 15 1901. It's hard to make out the date clearly though. Also the static jaw is stamped 141 and the dynamic jaw is stamped 143. They match up with Rock Island part numbers but don't match up with the actual products as far as I can tell. It's also been welded on the dynamic jaw, once I get it cleaned up I'll be able to tell a bit better what the extent of the repair is. The vise also doesn't use a handle to clamp the swivel base, when the main screw closes it tightens the swivel mechanism. I haven't seen another vise with that swivel function.
 

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Provincial

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crativecars: That is a Versa-Vise. They were made under some different names and there are imported copies, too. The one shown has the tall jaws, which are good for woodworking.

Easily worth the $5.00, even with all the rust.
 

scooternut

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Jul 31, 2013
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Pittsburgh, PA
creativecars run, don't walk to pick that vise up for $5. We'll let you know all about it when you get back It's a versa vise, will burt co I think is the logo there?

ck you might find an awesome tutorial on here somewhere if you spend a minute searching REED SPLIT RING COLLAR or some combo. Someone did a nice job with pics. That set scew indexes a threaded split ring, or collar, AKA, a large nut that was machined and then broken. You simply thread it out towards the button end of the main screw. You should be able to see this piece behind that end "button."
 

drivesitfar

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Oct 23, 2013
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CK: since your Craftsman was made by Reed look at those restorations and pretty sure there are a few on the Vise Repair 101 thread. you'll need to remove the locking screw on the side and then the nut should move with a couple of nudges with a small hammer and a punch.

good luck

BENT: thanks for posting that cool old ROCK ISLAND TOO COMPANY vise over here. anybody know if this is a different ROCK ISLAND than than vise company we all know and love?

CC: it's a versa vise so look up the YOUTUBE video and pick it up even if it's missing a few parts.
 
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CRSINMICH

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Southeastern Michigan
drives: I have been trying to use up some of the dibs and dabs of things I have and Farmall Red got used on the Victor Jersey Stanley No. 745. The Lehigh got Hunter Green because that was close to the original color. I hadn't thought about Christmas but now that you mentioned it my wife is hard to get presents for, hmmm... I wondered it anyone would notice that both of these vises started life as clamp-ons. Balane used to do conversions and I've been looking for small vises with damaged clamps to give it a try. After fruitless looking for a few months, I found these two a week apart. Here's another picture with a more standard object for scale.
 

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ckadams00

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Thanks Scooternut! It should have occurred to me to look under Rock Island instead of CM duh. I assumed that ring screws out somehow, but always better to ask than to start with a hammer! LOL

I'll see what I can dig up thank you!
 

CRSINMICH

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Drivesitfar and I were having a discussion in another thread I started about a vise I've got, and suggested I post it up in this thread. Here it is and all the details I know about it. Any onfo would be great.

The vise is labeled Rock Island Tool Co, with a patent date of Oct 15 1901. It's hard to make out the date clearly though. Also the static jaw is stamped 141 and the dynamic jaw is stamped 143. They match up with Rock Island part numbers but don't match up with the actual products as far as I can tell. It's also been welded on the dynamic jaw, once I get it cleaned up I'll be able to tell a bit better what the extent of the repair is. The vise also doesn't use a handle to clamp the swivel base, when the main screw closes it tightens the swivel mechanism. I haven't seen another vise with that swivel function.

Bent: Am I correct that not only is that a double swivelin' ******* it is also an EVER swivelin' *******? I can't see how it would lock down to the base. What did I miss?
 

Bent Handle

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Oct 23, 2016
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201
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Iowa
The inner pipe is threaded through the screw and the base fits over it. When the screw is closed it traps the base against the vise making it stationary.
 

CwazyWabbit

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Surrey, UK
Bent: Am I correct that not only is that a double swivelin' ******* it is also an EVER swivelin' *******? I can't see how it would lock down to the base. What did I miss?

The main nut gets pulled forward as you tighten the vise and that jams the round part of the bottom swivel section against the inside of the top swivel section locking everything up. I suppose it's a bit like a more robust versa-vise.
 
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