The VISES of Garage Journal

[racinfarmer]

That is a 7" wide jaw Prentiss. 518/528. Better get it.

I agree


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ALL: I agree too that it's a 518, but not sure if that means it has 8 inch jaws or does it on those old Prentiss bulldogs?

or sometimes those old castings a 6 can look like an 8 so maybe one of the guys that can blow up that picture to post it can help if it makes a difference.

jaws look a bit rough, but i didn't see a crack in the top of the dynamic slide so it might be an ok user.

So if it is not cracked up or too beat up, worth the $50 asking price?

Also found a Simplex 41S for a little cheaper that I'd rather have, but is a much further drive.

 

[drivesitfar]

Racin: Prentiss vises were notorious for having cracks on the top of their slides cause they didn't build them for users to pound on them so if not cracked and the jaws are just loose $50 is more than fair for an almost 100 year old vise. i can't recall what width the jaws are on a 518 or 516, but even if it's only a 4 incher it's still a decent deal.

Simplex is one of the best made vises made, but i'm guessing it might be a bit smaller than that Prentiss is.

good luck

 

[Rileysan]

So if it is not cracked up or too beat up, worth the $50 asking price?

Also found a Simplex 41S for a little cheaper that I'd rather have, but is a much further drive.

Oh dear GAWD! Why haven't you purchased this yet? It's worth more than that in parts! Go get it, or give the contact info to someone here!

Brian

 

[Rileysan]

Racin: i can't recall what width the jaws are on a 518 or 516, but even if it's only a 4 incher it's still a decent deal.


good luck

I think it was already established to be a 7" vise.

 

[Shiftless]

That is a 7" wide jaw Prentiss. 518/528. Better get it.

I found a May 2014 posting from a member who picked up a Prentiss 528 and said it had 6 inch jaws. Numbering systems obviously vary. Here is the posting from way back in 2104

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4001627&postcount=1

But whether it is 5 or 6 or 7 inches, for that price you'd best get moving and bring it home.

 

[racinfarmer]

Racin: Prentiss vises were notorious for having cracks on the top of their slides cause they didn't build them for users to pound on them so if not cracked and the jaws are just loose $50 is more than fair for an almost 100 year old vise. i can't recall what width the jaws are on a 518 or 516, but even if it's only a 4 incher it's still a decent deal.

Simplex is one of the best made vises made, but i'm guessing it might be a bit smaller than that Prentiss is.

good luck

Oh dear GAWD! Why haven't you purchased this yet? It's worth more than that in parts! Go get it, or give the contact info to someone here!

Brian

I think it was already established to be a 7" vise.

I found a May 2014 posting from a member who picked up a Prentiss 528 and said it had 6 inch jaws. Numbering systems obviously vary. Here is the posting from way back in 2104

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4001627&postcount=1

But whether it is 5 or 6 or 7 inches, for that price you'd best get moving and bring it home.

It is only 15 minutes from work and really not that out of the way, so I'll see if he still has it tomorrow. The Simplex has a swivel base, but is 1.5+ hours away. I'm going that way Saturday, so hopefully that one is still available too. Only using it for small stuff. Snowmobile parts and the like.

 

[KMScott]

I found a May 2014 posting from a member who picked up a Prentiss 528 and said it had 6 inch jaws. Numbering systems obviously vary. Here is the posting from way back in 2104

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4001627&postcount=1

But whether it is 5 or 6 or 7 inches, for that price you'd best get moving and bring it home.

Thanks shift, I updated my spreadsheet from FMC. Please Note FMC.

$50 bucks, what are guys looking for, free 150lb vises. You go out and buy a dinner with the wife and spend more, a week later ya forget about it. Buy a 150lb vise for $50 and it lasts a life time unless you ate at Hooters and I would remember that.

I have a lot of expensive tools, shucks my grinding vise I use cost me more then $600 back in 1986. I am happy for you guys that pick up big vises for cheap and let everyone know about it. I cringe when someone can get a great vise for $75 or something close to this and members say that is to expensive. These old vises are great tools and should be shown more respect.

 

[Fretters]

These old vises are great tools and should be shown more respect.

Very true. Same for a lot of other vintage/antique equipment too.

 

[Shiftless]

I am happy for you guys that pick up big vises for cheap and let everyone know about it. I cringe when someone can get a great vise for $75 or something close to this and members say that is to expensive. These old vises are great tools and should be shown more respect.

My thoughts exactly. Great tools and a bit of American industrial history never to be repeated. That's why I started collecting them.

 

[gman007]

Very true. Same for a lot of other vintage/antique equipment too.

But also same for vintage/antique guys (which I am guessing includes probably most of us here) too (according to my son 50 years old=dinosaur) and I weigh a lot more than 150lb but my wife would not pay even $50 for me

 

[tagheuer]

I was looking to buy a 5 or 6" vise for household and car repair/maintenance.

I started searching the usual places: cndtire, princessauto, kmstools, homedepot, lowes, etc.

When researching those brands on google, I stumbled upon GJ and learned a lot about vises.

My perspective changed and I was not interested in those new vises anymore. Instead i checked kijiji and ebay, looking for an awesome made in USA/England vise. Alas prices and availability were not on my side.

So a couple days ago there was a used JET vise for sale on local kijiji. After getting a bit more info from GJ forum member's posts about JET vises, I decided to buy it with knowledge that it is Asian and may be sturdy enough for my use.

Here are some photos of the actual disassembled vise:

 

[Shiftless]

Tag:
If you put your location in, one of us with "extra" vises of the type you are looking for can make you a deal.
The more you haunt these pages, the more dissatisfied you will become with your Jet. If you get a chance to use one of the top shelf vises you will know first hand what I am talking about.
That's how I fell down the rabbit hole.

 

[tagheuer]

More Photos.

My initial assessment: I was not too impress with the build quality, especially the dynamic jaw casting. If you looked closely on the previous photos, it seems the iron was not full in the cast when it was made. But it still passed the manufacturer quality control.
The condition itself is not too bad. No cracks or heavy use signs on the surface.

I plan dis-assemble the dynamic jaw and de-grease all components with diesel. Then assemble back just as is with permatek anti sieze.

I hope this would help others when deciding to get a JET vise.

 

[Shiftless]

"I plan dis-assemble the dynamic jaw and de-grease all components with diesel. Then assemble back just as is with permatek anti seize"

fixed it for you.



A thorough clean up is always a good place to start. Many of the vises in that category came from the factory with metal debris inside.

Personally, I use synthetic grease on the main screw rather than the anti seize.

 

[tagheuer]

Shiftless: Thanks for the advise. I just put location in my profile.

I totally agree with your comments. Right now I'm lusting for a Wilton C2 but I need the vise to repair my car this weekend, hence the rush.

Tag:
If you put your location in, one of us with "extra" vises of the type you are looking for can make you a deal.
The more you haunt these pages, the more dissatisfied you will become with your Jet. If you get a chance to use one of the top shelf vises you will know first hand what I am talking about.
That's how I fell down the rabbit hole.

 

[tagheuer]

LOL... I managed to edit my post... a real embarrassment.

Thanks

"I plan dis-assemble the dynamic jaw and de-grease all components with diesel. Then assemble back just as is with permatek antiseize"

fixed it for you.


Personally, I use synthetic grease.

 

[drivesitfar]

TAG: i can't imagine many Wilton C2's to be found in your area and if you do find one i'd prepare to dig deep into your bank account to buy one. there's one on Craigslist near me for $400 US that isn't in the best of shape just to give you an idea what a $1300 C2 can sell for used.

your Jet import vise should serve you well as long as you don't use it for a pressing or beat on it like an anvil which you shouldn't really do with any vise, but i'm sure most of us have.

good luck and welcome to GJ. there are a lot of members in your area on here so if you might want to meet a few do some reading and there are a few posting today over in the garage gallery section.

cheers

 

[tagheuer]

Drivesitfar: Thanks for the welcome and info on pricing for Wilton C2.

During my search, I stumbled upon this one:

https://bellingham.craigslist.org/tls/d/huge-wilton-vise-c2/6312268426.html

Unfortunately it is 800 miles from where I live.

I agree with your advise about just using the JET. I think it should serve the purpose for my use.

 

[lis2323]

Shiftless: Thanks for the advise. I just put my location in my profile.



I totally agree with your comments. Right now I'm lusting for a Wilton C2 but I need the vise to repair my car this weekend, hence the rush.

Don't feel bad. I'm in BC and I've never even seen an older Wilton advertised. The jobbers in my area seemed to have pushed the original Made in England Records real hard back in the day.....

 

[Teenager with old tools]

TAG: i can't imagine many Wilton C2's to be found in your area and if you do find one i'd prepare to dig deep into your bank account to buy one. there's one on Craigslist near me for $400 US that isn't in the best of shape just to give you an idea what a $1300 C2 can sell for used.

your Jet import vise should serve you well as long as you don't use it for a pressing or beat on it like an anvil which you shouldn't really do with any vise, but i'm sure most of us have.

good luck and welcome to GJ. there are a lot of members in your area on here so if you might want to meet a few do some reading and there are a few posting today over in the garage gallery section.

cheers

Vises make excellent presses and what's the flat spot behind the jaw for if it ain't meant to be an anvil. I pressed out and in control arm bushings for my truck with my athol. If I had access to a press I'd have used it instead but have yet to justify making the space and spending the money on one to use it twice a year so a vise suffices. But if you plan to do it often then buy a press

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[drivesitfar]

TEEN: you were lucky a GJ member helped you find a beast of a vise for about what you were going to pay for a cheap import or light duty vise. that said your Athol will still break, but the other ones would break maybe on the first try and then you'd be shopping for another vise and a press. feel free to read the vise repair thread or a broken vise thread if you want to just see a small percentage of the damage done to vises being used as the ALL IN ONE TOOL which they were never meant to be. or better yet ask KMScott if a 300 pound vise can't be damaged!!

i know guys (and gals) use their vises as a press, beat on them and their little SO CALLED ANVIL and put pipes on the small handles, but it's not what the vises were meant to do just as you would drive 120 MPH down the highway it's ok until you get caught or worse have a blowout. im not your mom, wife or your doctor so do as you wish, but i'm just stating some some information whether you believe i'm right or not is your choice.

speaking of blowouts how is TOPPOP doing after his 70 mph blowout in his crane truck that he survived the crash with some nifty driving so his friend also survived?

 

[va.grouseman]

Man, I don't see how anything survived that.---Looks like Top had the right Copilot back in the sleeper.---I recall another time that He was asleep in the hull of a boat during a fierce storm, and his compadres were sure the boat would sink.---Not.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

TEEN: you were lucky a GJ member helped you find a beast of a vise for about what you were going to pay for a cheap import or light duty vise. that said your Athol will still break, but the other ones would break maybe on the first try and then you'd be shopping for another vise and a press. feel free to read the vise repair thread or a broken vise thread if you want to just see a small percentage of the damage done to vises being used as the ALL IN ONE TOOL which they were never meant to be. or better yet ask KMScott if a 300 pound vise can't be damaged!!

i know guys (and gals) use their vises as a press, beat on them and their little SO CALLED ANVIL and put pipes on the small handles, but it's not what the vises were meant to do just as you would drive 120 MPH down the highway it's ok until you get caught or worse have a blowout. im not your mom, wife or your doctor so do as you wish, but i'm just stating some some information whether you believe i'm right or not is your choice.

speaking of blowouts how is TOPPOP doing after his 70 mph blowout in his crane truck that he survived the crash with some nifty driving so his friend also survived?

After getting into woodturning I'm able to go by feel a whole lot more and so if it feels like I'm putting too much pressure on the handle ill stop. And I never use it as an anvil I've got multiple pieces o railroad track for that. The only vise I've used a pipe on was the cheap tiny import we had to get the swivel to lock down. The way I see it if I can press something without putting a pipe or hanging on the handle it should be fine but last time it wasn't even that much force on the handle. So thankful for him selling !e the athol for the price he did. Gets use many times a week. And I would love to see the 300lb vise that broke.

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[The_Geologist]

Here is my Craftsman woodworking vise I just picked up at the Habitat ReStore yesterday. Haven't even taken the price tag off yet, I guess...

Nothing too fancy, but it is something I have been looking for. It's got the model number 391-5195, which I understand means it was made in Japan for Craftsman. That's about all I know about it right now. No clue how old it is...yet, but I'll keep looking.

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[The_Geologist]

I'll also throw some pics up here of the 4.5" vise I inherited from my wife's grandfather. There are no identifying marks that I have found on it, so I really have no clue what brand or model it is.

I have mounted it onto an HF grinder stand, which works well enough for me for as much as I use it.

Pics may help someone to tell me what it is, hopefully.

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[damnesia]

Just got this home. It's my first American Scale vise, actually the first one I've seen in person. Seems to be a well made vise. 4" No. 63 American Scale Red Seal.

 

[Smokeshow69]

I've been stuck at home for 4 weeks (this Friday) and am not supposed to do anything due to shoulder surgery. However, I've managed ways to be productive in spite of not being able to use my left arm.

Here's the Craftsman 506-51830 4" Columbian-made vise I purchased last week for $50. It came mounted to a Craftsman bench grinder stand that is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a 1 HP block grinder to take the place of the vise.

I threw together a quick electrolysis bath for the vise and have everything cleaned and primered in black. I haven't decided on a final color yet. I'm letting it bake in the sun for a day or two before deciding.

Also, I am looking for new "crown-top" badge if anyone knows of a source.

Brian

Brian, I think this one needs to be silver and highlight the grooves in the spindle nub in red! Also on your older reed made craftsman, I think that one would look pretty good in a dark blue ? Maybe highlight the letters ?


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[Teenager with old tools]

My uncles. It's a 625. Didn't get any other pics went out to his house because he needed to borrow my dial indicator to square up his milling vise. Them we made a few parts. I believe it's a 625 missing one pipe jaw and missing swivel handle on the other side

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[RG Rude]

Shiftless: Thanks for the advise. I just put location in my profile.

I totally agree with your comments. Right now I'm lusting for a Wilton C2 but I need the vise to repair my car this weekend, hence the rush.

Man, I was just in your neck of the woods a couple of weeks ago. I should have said "HEY". I was already chastised by a fellow site member for not hunting for a vice when I made the trip to Banff for my sons wedding.

 

[tagheuer]

Man, I was just in your neck of the woods a couple of weeks ago. I should have said "HEY". I was already chastised by a fellow site member for not hunting for a vice when I made the trip to Banff for my sons wedding.

LOL... I hope you had a good time during your stay at Banff.

And definitely no vise hunting in our backyard j/k

 

[Rileysan]

Brian, I think this one needs to be silver and highlight the grooves in the spindle nub in red! Also on your older reed made craftsman, I think that one would look pretty good in a dark blue ? Maybe highlight the letters ?


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I like the idea of highlighting the grooves on the spindle nose on the Craftsman 506-51380.

Alas, I had to hurry up and reassemble it today. I'm giving away as a gift to my best friend and was supposed to do it this weekend but he's leaving on vacation tomorrow.

So I'm leaving it in flat black. I tried highlighting the lettering in silver with a small brush but failed miserably. In the end, I had to wipe it down and re-spray the letters in black.

I also still need an emblem for it if anyone has a source.

It still looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Brian

 

[G-ManBart]

The anvils I have seen on Forged in Fire are Emerson Horseshoe Supply anvils made just down the road from me.

I think you're right on the newer seasons, but I think they started with JHM originally....not sure.

 

[G-ManBart]

Vises make excellent presses and what's the flat spot behind the jaw for if it ain't meant to be an anvil. I pressed out and in control arm bushings for my truck with my athol. If I had access to a press I'd have used it instead but have yet to justify making the space and spending the money on one to use it twice a year so a vise suffices. But if you plan to do it often then buy a press

Vises make terrible presses, and that is the #1 way to break a vise. Because of my website I get multiple calls/e-mails a month from folks looking for replacement parts, or a complete new vise because they just broke theirs. I always ask what they were doing when it broke and 9 times out of 10 the answer is "I was pressing in a bearing."

The flat spot called an "anvil" is a flat spot, nothing more. A real anvil, even a small one doesn't dent with every impact, and has a lot more than maybe an inch of metal under the face.

Just because your Athol hasn't broken yet doesn't mean it's not going to break in the future. In fact, a number of folks calling with broken vises have said "I've used it to press in bearings many times" so it took a while for them to learn they were doing something the vise was never intended for.

Woodturning huh? You think your hands can tell the difference between 59,000PSI and 61,000PSI?

I think my press cost me $140....a lot cheaper than replacing a good vise.

 

[mgmlvks]

American Scale No.40 - odd screw update. Former coworker (now retired) health has recovered enough to start working with his machines again. He had no problems getting four modified machine screws turned down on his lathe to match the existing. Not an "exact" match - but fully functional!

Interestingly - originals were 1/2" and 3/4" long - but 1" long screws fit just fine.

 

[G-ManBart]

Finished up another 600S yesterday (second one in three weeks) and it got picked up last night by the new owner. It's going on a massive welding table at a large farm up north. Nice to see a bigger vise going someplace that actually needs it for more than bragging rights!

 

[va.grouseman]

Damnesia, that Red Seal is a keeper.---I have a soft spot for those Red Seals, kind of like those Lion heads.---They scratch me where I itch.
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Rileysan, that is a really good vise and a super gift.---Accolades to you Sir.
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Oh G-Man, I've got a set-up that is a vise on a stump and 5 joints of threaded pipe, each a little bigger than the last, with adapters.---And when I aim to press something, I aim for it to cooperate.---I'm cheating out to 21' 6'' now and by George something is going to give or just as sure as I'm a breathing, I'll go to 30'.---I mean it.

 

[autopts]

Finished up another 600S yesterday (second one in three weeks) and it got picked up last night by the new owner. It's going on a massive welding table at a large farm up north. Nice to see a bigger vise going someplace that actually needs it for more than bragging rights!

Looks like a new one! Really can't tell the difference. Great restoration!

 

[chrisnazzy]

Finished up another 600S yesterday (second one in three weeks) and it got picked up last night by the new owner. It's going on a massive welding table at a large farm up north. Nice to see a bigger vise going someplace that actually needs it for more than bragging rights!

Very nice job on the Wilton. I can understand what you mean.....it probably is a little refreshing to knows its actually going to get used for what it's meant for.

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[CrotalusAtrox]

Speaking of Wilton 600s I cleaned this guy up for a guy who bought a drill press from me. These are some solid vises

 

[sandman54]

Wilton 600s caught a fellow retiring bought it for a C note!!! every once in a while a blind hog finds an acorn... Sandman