The VISES of Garage Journal

[gman007]

Im just amazed someone managed to bust both towers of the thing yet at the same time not bent the handles into some mangled S shape mess like you usually see on abused vices, plus its got the pipe jaws in it if it gets parted out, if they haven't been welded in there.

How about hitting the piece held by the vise from top using say a sledge hammer? Depending on the shape of the piece it could act as a wedge and apply nearly equal force horizontally against both jaw faces and essentially split the vise apart (well the jaws)

 

[chrisnazzy]

Cringe-worthy thought!

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[Shiftless]

Cringe-worthy thought!

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Cringing here too.

Reeds are among the toughest out there, but a big goon with a 16 pound sledge hammer is an almost irresistible force.

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by Gman007.

PS
Based on the price tag in first photo if you paid $50 for this vise, I believe from the good parts : namely the screw and arm, the swivel base, swivel nut and lock,split retaining ring, etc you should be able to make more than you paid for it.
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on that Gman.---Being what it is, the parts are desirable to a lot of 1C owners.---Should be able to recoup his initial $ pretty easy if he wants to.



MayerMR, there is a couple of good old boys from Florida that make a pretty good living selling vise parts on EBay if that tells you anything.---I've bought several parts from them that I couldn't find anywhere else.---So you haven't hurt yourself at $50.00---As far as grinding to improve the aesthetic aspect, I think you will get diminishing returns if you do.---If you don't want to part it, you won't be afraid to use and abuse that one a little.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: as I'm getting organized i'm pulling out some vises that are interesting such as this nice little Prentiss 19 swivel jaw vise with a professional repair.

then this Wilton C0 that my 80 year old seller thought would work better if he pulled out the pipe jaws and original jaws and then make some huge jaws to weld on to use as his welding vise.

GET, Meatsis & ALL: funny how you guys are posting up the snub nose Reed main screws that have sleeves holding them onto the dynamic cause i (we) usually see the round hubs with split nuts during their transition period. I wonder if the workers or maybe management was doing some experimenting with marketing and seeing what their customers liked? or maybe these are the prototypes or extra parts vises that the workers were able to bring home?

 

[mgmlvks]

A co-worker has this Reed 104R vise in an in-laws house he is help cleaning out. May offer to me cheap (to keep), I told him if he got it out and cleaned it up a bit probably worth $100-$150 on CL unless there were issues of welding or broken slide, etc.

Oil holes appear capped or plugged, and he reports no welding or breaks were seen.

Am I missing anything - if worth more than that - I will let him know that too,

 

[bluebolt]

A co-worker has this Reed 104R vise in an in-laws house he is help cleaning out. May offer to me cheap (to keep), I told him if he got it out and cleaned it up a bit probably worth $100-$150 on CL unless there were issues of welding or broken slide, etc.

Oil holes appear capped or plugged, and he reports no welding or breaks were seen.

Am I missing anything - if worth more than that - I will let him know that too,

Jaw teeth condition are important on that one. Can't tell from the pictures how good they are.

 

[mgmlvks]

Reed 104R - Jaw Detail.

 

[gman007]

A co-worker has this Reed 104R vise in an in-laws house he is help cleaning out. May offer to me cheap (to keep), I told him if he got it out and cleaned it up a bit probably worth $100-$150 on CL unless there were issues of welding or broken slide, etc.

Oil holes appear capped or plugged, and he reports no welding or breaks were seen.

Am I missing anything - if worth more than that - I will let him know that too,

MGM Assuming the vise is in good shape (and I do not know what is the deal with the plugged hole, etc) IMO (based on what I have seen on eBay but not what I or many of the members here are willing to pay for), something around $100-$150 is a fair and reasonable price but keep in mind that what a vise will possibly fetch say on eBay vs what it will locally might go for are most likely different.

PS
Heck with the crazy vise prices on eBay, who knows on eBay may be someone will pay more than $150 for it too.

 

[fullthrottle24]

A co-worker has this Reed 104R vise in an in-laws house he is help cleaning out. May offer to me cheap (to keep), I told him if he got it out and cleaned it up a bit probably worth $100-$150 on CL unless there were issues of welding or broken slide, etc.

Oil holes appear capped or plugged, and he reports no welding or breaks were seen.

Am I missing anything - if worth more than that - I will let him know that too


The upper hole is the oil hole, a second oil hole is on the beam or slide of vise. The lower hole is set screw that holds split nut in place. It appears to me that the vise is covered with years of grease and saw dust and the holes just need unplugged if you will. I payed 40 for a 104R 2 years ago.

Great vise, tough sell as more people seem to prefer swivels. A wise buyer will see value in a strong stationary vise. In my case, you simply have all the different models. Right tool, right job.

 

[GETRIDAONE]

I did a little painting & cleaning on this Prentiss 4 1/2". It had the finger type collar that I cut the fingers off and put a set screw in to reuse it. The jaw are not original and I had to do some grinding on them to clean up the dings. I think they are tool steel but not hardened.

 

[454ragtop]

Any idea what's going on with the base of this Chuck Parker? https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-CHARLE...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
Pretty weird, also seller almost seems to be careful not to sure the area where the collar mounts as well. Was going to bid, but now I'm a scared.

 

[454ragtop]

MGM, that Reed looks pretty minty to me. That said, around here it would be a tough sell for more than $100., your area may be different. Picked up a very similar one for $35. a little while back.

Get, that Prentiss 515 came out awesome! Curious how you know the jaws aren't OEM?

 

[MayerMR]

Any idea what's going on with the base of this Chuck Parker? https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-CHARLE...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
Pretty weird, also seller almost seems to be careful not to sure the area where the collar mounts as well. Was going to bid, but now I'm a scared.

Looks like someone made it out of some flat stock to me. Doesn't actually look too bad really.

 

[toolferone]

This was my Grandfathers. I don't see anything on the web on it. Does anybody have any info on it?

 

[MayerMR]

Fellas, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think I may have something special here. I can't find anything like this vise that I recently purchased. It looks to me to be an old Record; but I can't find any similar "No. 2B" vises online to confirm my suspicion, nor any Record vises that say, "British Make" vs "Made in England". I don't actually have it in my possession just yet, still en route. Anyone come across one of these before?

 

[Fierljeppen]

Any idea what's going on with the base of this Chuck Parker? https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-CHARLE...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
Pretty weird, also seller almost seems to be careful not to sure the area where the collar mounts as well. Was going to bid, but now I'm a scared.

The front of the base is broken, modified to be a stationary from it's original swivel design.

Your call.

 

[Outlawmws]

I think the collar is also MIA; probably went with a sleeve inside.

 

[454ragtop]

Looks like someone made it out of some flat stock to me. Doesn't actually look too bad really.

Yes I agree, Looking at it some more, it looks like the jaw support "tongue" was broken off and there is a block fitted between the base and the dynamic jaw as well. What I can't figure out is what became of thee holes for the swivel lock downs?

 

[MayerMR]

You could ground them with an angle grinder but then again you could be exchanging structural integrity (what ever that means when the vise was already welded which in my books it is generally the kiss of death, specially in this case when the failure is in two such critical areas) for looks/aesthetics.

Hopefully you could use it for reasonable light work but I am with VA on this, using it as a donor vise.

PS
Based on the price tag in first photo if you paid $50 for this vise, I believe from the good parts : namely the screw and arm, the swivel base, swivel nut and lock, split retaining ring, etc you should be able to make more than you paid for it.

Well, I did a little better than than the price tag, but not by much. But that was kind of my thought process too...worst case scenario this vise can die so that others may live.

i can use the 2 piece spindle nut iffen u part it out.

Haven't decided just yet, but if I go that route I'll let you know!

Im just amazed someone managed to bust both towers of the thing yet at the same time not bent the handles into some mangled S shape mess like you usually see on abused vices, plus its got the pipe jaws in it if it gets parted out, if they haven't been welded in there.

Same here! It's pretty amazing that they accomplished it. My worry about the pipe jaws is that it appears that the top pin that holds them in is welded in. So I'd have to do some grinding!

How about hitting the piece held by the vise from top using say a sledge hammer? Depending on the shape of the piece it could act as a wedge and apply nearly equal force horizontally against both jaw faces and essentially split the vise apart (well the jaws)

I think you nailed it...that's about the only way I can imagine this happening.

Cringing here too.

Reeds are among the toughest out there, but a big goon with a 16 pound sledge hammer is an almost irresistible force.

Try being the guy who paid real $$ for it out of some weird sense of "saving" a piece of metal.

 

[Outlawmws]

This is a very early 20. it had only the center "toggle" bolt to tighten the vise down to the bench. They used that and added two other bolts from the bottom, and called it good. You can see where the 2 they added slightly broke through. They would have to countersink the bench to get it to sit flat...

 

[dutchgray]

Fellas, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think I may have something special here. I can't find anything like this vise that I recently purchased. It looks to me to be an old Record; but I can't find any similar "No. 2B" vises online to confirm my suspicion, nor any Record vises that say, "British Make" vs "Made in England". I don't actually have it in my possession just yet, still en route. Anyone come across one of these before?

I have seen those or extremely similar before, I don't think is a Record but they could have made it, or any of the other makers. British Make is very old, pre WW2, maybe a bit earlier.
I would say the screw has been changed, I would expect a rounded ball, that one looks like the standard Record one.
There certainly isn't that many left in such nice condition that are that old.

 

[chrisnazzy]

This is a very early 20. it had only the center "toggle" bolt to tighten the vise down to the bench. They used that and added two other bolts from the bottom, and called it good. You can see where the 2 they added slightly broke through. They would have to countersink the bench to get it to sit flat...

Picture from the bottom to show how mounting plate is attached as Outlaw described.

I had this in my watch page for awhile. When I first saved it I thought I might be able to get past the fabricated mounting plate to have a nice little 1800's Parker just as a shelf piece. Heck the new owner could probably just remove the plate as it doesn't look welded, just bolted in. On further inspection though I saw how the outer mounting holes looked like they broke through the static casting. Add to that the issue of the mystery collar and the broken jaw plus in the 2nd pic you can see that the asymmetry on the front of the dynamic is pretty substantial. A little may be normal but this one is a totally different shape from one side to the other.

So as if it wasn't clear already I'm not responsible for the lone bid but I would like to own a very old Parker like this someday.

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[GETRIDAONE]

I had to cut about 3/32" off each end of the jaws because they were hanging out to far. One face is 1/16" wider than the other, another 1/16" or so ground off to close the gap where the screws go through. These were for sure shop made smooth jaws.
I learned a lesson that I should have made the jaws fit while mounted and before paint. I thought the fit wasn't to bad but I was wrong. I wasn't about to repaint the whole vise. The fit is off a bit, not what I would like them to be.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Looking for some help here. Can anyone offer some info on these vises. The pics don't show much. I called the guy and he said they are all USA made but doesn't know much about them. Is $150 a decent deal for all 3?

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/tls/d/tools-for-sale/6538252278.html

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Looks like two Reeds and possibly a Rock Island or Prentiss. 150 could be a good deal depending on jaw size.

 

[meatsis]

Looking for some help here. Can anyone offer some info on these vises. The pics don't show much. I called the guy and he said they are all USA made but doesn't know much about them. Is $150 a decent deal for all 3?

https://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/tls/d/tools-for-sale/6538252278.html

I went and looked at them last week. It’s a Reed 105, Reed 203 and a 4 or 4 1/2” Morgan. The Morgan had one the mounts welded back on. And the static jaw plate was missing and used like that for a long time. The 5” Reed was in decent shape but it’s definitely seen a lot of use. He wouldn’t take less than $100 for it. He’s in no rush to sell these. Hope this helps.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

^^^Yep. You saved me some time. He told me they were in good shape. Thanks bro.

 

[MayerMR]

I have seen those or extremely similar before, I don't think is a Record but they could have made it, or any of the other makers. British Make is very old, pre WW2, maybe a bit earlier.
I would say the screw has been changed, I would expect a rounded ball, that one looks like the standard Record one.
There certainly isn't that many left in such nice condition that are that old.

Thanks Dutch!

Do you know any other English vise makers besides Record and Woden? I came across Woden last night for the first time and thought it could be one of theirs, but still no joy when doing research. I'm super curious, but extremely excited to get this vise. I don't believe I'll even restore it as it seems to be in too good of original shape - just a nice cleaning, oiling, and regreasing. I may not even want to use it if it's as old and rare as I think it may be.

 

[gman007]

Thanks Dutch!

Do you know any other English vise makers besides Record and Woden? I came across Woden last night for the first time and thought it could be one of theirs, but still no joy when doing research. I'm super curious, but extremely excited to get this vise. I don't believe I'll even restore it as it seems to be in too good of original shape - just a nice cleaning, oiling, and regreasing. I may not even want to use it if it's as old and rare as I think it may be.

Mayer

I am sure Dutch and Fret can give an extensive history lesson on all the English/British vices (vises) meanwhile here is a quick list (in addition to Record and Woden)

Acvoke
Ajax
Fortis
Handy
Marples
Paramo
Parkinson
Samsonia
Spear and Jackson
Swinden's

 

[MayerMR]

Mayer

I am sure Dutch and Fret can give an extensive history lesson on all the English/British vices (vises) meanwhile here is a quick list (in addition to Record and Woden)

Acvoke
Ajax
Fortis
Handy
Marples
Paramo
Parkinson
Samsonia
Spear and Jackson
Swinden's

Whoa! That's quite a bit larger list than I expected, but thank you much!

I'm real intent on figuring out who made this "British Make" vise so I can try to date it...definitely old, but the seller said "1800s"...which I happen to think is a bit too old, but what do I know at this point?

 

[va.grouseman]

Gman, The RAE, the GRAY, and the HENRY have to be Canadian first cousins.---Looks like a lot of style fudging went on back then.


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=74938&d=1282706718

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=74939&d=1282706733

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=74943&d=1282706812

 

[gman007]

Gman, The RAE, the GRAY, and the HENRY have to be Canadian first cousins.---Looks like a lot of style fudging went on back then.

VA Thanks for the interesting comparison! There sure seems to be a lot of resemblance between the three.

Hopefully these were not offspring of first cousin marriages

 

[va.grouseman]

Yea, Vise ******.---Wonder if that diminishes the quality of the vises like it does in, well you know.

 

[Razorhunter]

Gentlemen,
Here are pics of the big Starrett 646 rear swivel jaw "disc" repair. I basically just machined off the broken piece, turned a new disc, and then drilled and tapped it for three grade 8, 3/8-16 SHCS. I guarantee the repair to be much stronger than the OEM design and will never break again. What do you think guys?

 

[MayerMR]

Gentlemen,
Here are pics of the big Starrett 646 rear swivel jaw "disc" repair. I basically just machined off the broken piece, turned a new disc, and then drilled and tapped it for three grade 8 3/8-16 SHCS. I guarantee the repair to be much stronger than the OEM design and will never break again. What do you think guys?

Razor,

That is fantastic workmanship.

 

[gman007]

Gentlemen,
Here are pics of the big Starrett 646 rear swivel jaw "disc" repair. I basically just machined off the broken piece, turned a new disc, and then drilled and tapped it for three grade 8 3/8-16 SHCS. I guarantee the repair to be much stronger than the OEM design and will never break again. What do you think guys?

Razor Looks great, well done!

 

[va.grouseman]

Another very fine vise pulled from the fire Razor.---I love the Starrett vises.---My second favorite brand.---Excellent quality vises.---Someone had to give some real mean treatment to that one to do that.---Beautiful job.

 

[Razorhunter]

VA, I gotta ask, whats your #1 preferred vise then??? Reed?

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Razor, Nice Repair Job !!!