The VISES of Garage Journal

[mnwebb]

That's great demomandemoman, what history!

 

[chrisnazzy]

Most of us collect and restore vintage American vises. Then some of us make the rest of us feel like amateurs by knocking out this Reed 4C in 5 hours flat!

CrotalusAtrox picked up this 4C yesterday morning. Finished all the small parts in a couple hours yesterday and finished the rest of it this morning. BLO applied and sitting pretty baking in the AZ sun.

I think the last pic of the 4C and the 406A belongs in the The Thread of Awesome!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[gman007]

Most of us collect and restore vintage American vises. Then some of us make the rest of us feel like amateurs by knocking out this Reed 4C in 5 hours flat!

CrotalusAtrox picked up this 4C yesterday morning. Finished all the small parts in a couple hours yesterday and finished the rest of it this morning. BLO applied and sitting pretty baking in the AZ sun.

I think the last pic of the 4C and the 406A belongs in the The Thread of Awesome!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

CA definitely Knocked it out of the park. First class restoration and in Record time too. Very nice

 

[gman007]

Gerard: Thanks for posting that link. I enjoyed watching the video. In some of those scenes the filer was using one of those Deco style Parkers. I've been looking for one of those for a long time.

CRS
I enjoyed it too! When I saw the Deco Parker I was frankly surprised as I was under the impression that the Deco styles (Parker, Wilton, etc ) were for home use and I was not expecting it in a professional setting. The 954 of course looked right at home and it seemed to be fairly new too.

Gerard Thanks for posting the link, it is great!

 

[BMR24]

A couple weeks ago I had a young GJ member come over for a afternoon of fun working on his vise. I cannot remember what vise it was but it had no jaw, some damage where it needed refreshing. BMR24 defiantly has some mechanical skills since he figured this stuff out quickly. All I had to do is show him once and a quick lesson in decimals. He accurately fit a set of A-Scale jaws to his vise by cutting the C-Boss to close tolerances. He also built a new handle and peened his own knobs on. I showed him how to build ball ends on my wood lathe. I gave him a old Sears wood lathe and will help him fit a 3-jaw chuck to it. I really had a ball showing him my methods of machining and I know he enjoyed himself.

KMS:


BMR24:
Looking good. Let’s see some more of your work!

That afternoon was lots of fun, this particular vise is by an unknown manufacturer and has been posted here before I'm guessing in October 2017 when I was trying to identify it. I'm guessing it's an old Rock Island that originally had cast in jaws.
Someone added replaceable jaws at some point and I'm guessing those jaws were homemade. The previous work was poorly done and the jaws were so soft that my screwdriver scratched them when I was trying to remove the screws and slipped.
Kevin generously offered me his guidance, and we found some suitable jaws in his inventory made for an American scale 53. We then took our measurements and re machined the vise to accept the jaws.
Here are some pictures of that day's progress. The lopsided jaw screw holes are from the original work and hadn't been filled and re drilled at the time these pictures were taken. More to come when I get the camera out again.

While I was at Kevin's I took a moment to mill the anvil face flat again as well.
This one isn't quite finished yet, have to decide weather to grind a radius on the top of the jaws or leave a step

 

[BMR24]

Looks like I can only post multiple pictures from my laptop

 

[BMR24]

And the third picture of the top

 

[gman007]

CL find, C Parker No. 5 128lb 6" jaws. Appears to be solid, will degrease and media blast with walnut shells to remove the silver paint and see what it looks like.

Kevin

NJ That is a great find and the vise seems to be in great shape. Is the parent date 1907 (hard to tell from the photo, well at least on my iPhone)?

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Most of us collect and restore vintage American vises. Then some of us make the rest of us feel like amateurs by knocking out this Reed 4C in 5 hours flat!

CrotalusAtrox picked up this 4C yesterday morning. Finished all the small parts in a couple hours yesterday and finished the rest of it this morning. BLO applied and sitting pretty baking in the AZ sun.

I think the last pic of the 4C and the 406A belongs in the The Thread of Awesome!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Thanks Chris for the nice words and the great finds you turned over to me. When I am pressed for time I have a tendency of digging in on something and just getting it done, so thats what my mind set was and boom before you know it it’s done. I have a 6 inch Parker I need to finish and I will be about done with vise clean up for a bit. Have a few other priorities that are going to need all my attention. Tell your moms happy mother’s day.

 

[honza.vosalik]

Most of us collect and restore vintage American vises. Then some of us make the rest of us feel like amateurs by knocking out this Reed 4C in 5 hours flat!

CrotalusAtrox picked up this 4C yesterday morning. Finished all the small parts in a couple hours yesterday and finished the rest of it this morning. BLO applied and sitting pretty baking in the AZ sun.

I think the last pic of the 4C and the 406A belongs in the The Thread of Awesome!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Very cool, very nice job! Now you need a Reed 206 :-D

 

[va.grouseman]

Yes this is a Railroad vise. Chicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha RR. I got one about 3 years ago and it came from a RR shop in St. Paul. I saw another at the LeSueur MN swap meet a couple years ago but it was too high.For some reason it says 7" jaws on the side but has 8 inch jaws and opens 10". This was obviously made for only their shops.
I will try to post up some big vise I got last month

Brad, I knew if anyone could match that odd 8 incher, you could.---I know you are a busy fellow, with a hundred irons in the fire, but good to know you are still lurking about.---You were collecting those monster vises when everyone else was scrapping them, that gives you a unique knowledge of them.---That is an asset to this thread.---Good to hear from you.

 

[nutjob]

This is the Parker No. 5 I just picked up. A few posts back I had a picture of the before.

I blasted with walnut shells to remove the old paint. At this point I did not want to go any further with surface prep. I sprayed with fluid film, greased the nut and added a shim to reduce some of the play. Real smooth open/close. Some wear/loose in the vise, the dynamic jaw moves up/down when tightened.

Not sure what I am going to do with this one, may end up just selling it like this. Just moving the 128lb around the top of the bench is a work out!

Kevin

 

[nutjob]

NJ That is a great find and the vise seems to be in great shape. Is the parent date 1907 (hard to tell from the photo, well at least on my iPhone)?

The side has May 28 Nov 26 Dec 17 1867 and the front collar has Nov 26 1867

Kevin

 

[Maui]

Does anyone here have a Reed 404 1/2 swivel jaw vise on hand? I would like to know what the handle dimensions are supposed to be. I contacted Reed directly, but they said that they don't even have drawings available for this vise anymore since it is long out of production. If you could measure the handle diameter and length that would be helpful. Thanks!

Maui

 

[mnwebb]

Guys, thanks for all the info!

Here's a stupid question...Is it possible to have too big a vise? The 8" that I just acquired is beautiful but seems like overkill in a garage like mine.

Thanks again,
-Mnwebb

 

[drivesitfar]

MNW: well of course that question might just get your MAN CARD REVOKED here on this thread, but seriously it's up to you. once you get that old beast cleaned up like TriJeff did with his 300+ pound Prentiss you can do almost anything with it and it's always nice to have a few smaller vises mounted for those other jobs.

of course if you'd like to trade for a smaller one i'm sure some member here would gladly help you out.

Maui: I've got a Reed 404.5 sitting on a shelf in a crate in pieces ready to spiff up so if nobody else has one to measure i'll get you those measurements later. it's one of my favorite vises BTW.

 

[gman007]

Guys, thanks for all the info!

Here's a stupid question...Is it possible to have too big a vise? The 8" that I just acquired is beautiful but seems like overkill in a garage like mine.

Thanks again,
-Mnwebb

MNW

I guess that would depend on what one is using the vise for and also personal preference.

Now having said that, I have a friend that works on his old F150 all the time including fixing things like U‑Joint etc and he has a 4" Parker and he says it is perfectly adequate for his uses. Personally I would say anything between 4"-6" is more than sufficient for anything I ever want to do in a garage. Plus they are a lot easier to move around (should the need arise). At least your 8" is on the lighter side as most US made 8" vises are in 250 lb or more range!

 

[Maui]

Thanks Drives!

 

[gman007]

Does anyone here have a Reed 404 1/2 swivel jaw vise on hand? I would like to know what the handle dimensions are supposed to be. I contacted Reed directly, but they said that they don't even have drawings available for this vise anymore since it is long out of production. If you could measure the handle diameter and length that would be helpful. Thanks!

Maui

Maui
If by the time I get home, someone has not already provided the measurements I will get them to you once I am home.

 

[Frecklefarm2017]

Anyone have info on this? Up for auction and currently @ $125. Looks badass but don't want to overpay. Any info greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Save your money !!!! It is not much of a vise if you are really going to use it.
$125 is way to much IMO

 

[Shiftless]

Anyone have info on this? Up for auction and currently @ $125. Looks badass but don't want to overpay. Any info greatly appreciated. Thanks

I don’t know about all the rest of you guys, but I can say I recently passed on one in better condition offered at half of that price. If the novelty appeals to you and you have a fat wallet, go ahead and buy it. It’s not a very good vise and not really a proper anvil either. I have heard it referred to as a “farmers” vise.

 

[drivesitfar]

MNW: I'd say any old US made vise with 4 to 6 inch jaws would be enough for 95% of the work any member here would do in their garages or shop so your 8 inch is a bit of an overkill. that said those BIG UNS sure turn nice and now you own one and i've yet to find or see an 8 inch old USA vise in person and I own more than a few.

Maui: sounds like one of us or another member will get you that 404.5 handle measurement soon. are you going to make a new one? in the vise repair 101 thread I think GetRidofOne mentioned where he found some big ball ends and he and a few others have made some great handles if you need to see a few examples.

FF: that vise is neither a good vise or a good anvil, but it does look pretty good on a shelf so up to you on how much you'd pay for it. also I didn't look closely at your picture, but a lot of time they are busted so check it out closely including the mounting feet that usually are busted off.

 

[Frecklefarm2017]

Thanks. Saved me some money. Much appreciated

 

[Frecklefarm2017]

While I am thinking of it. I am a vise rookie but picked this up at a sale the other day and been unsuccessful on finding info on it. I appreciate everyone's wisdom

 

[454ragtop]

While I am thinking of it. I am a vise rookie but picked this up at a sale the other day and been unsuccessful on finding info on it. I appreciate everyone's wisdom

Wilton flip vise. Fairly light duty, more of a homeowner grade vise.

 

[gman007]

This is the Parker No. 5 I just picked up. A few posts back I had a picture of the before.

I blasted with walnut shells to remove the old paint. At this point I did not want to go any further with surface prep. I sprayed with fluid film, greased the nut and added a shim to reduce some of the play. Real smooth open/close. Some wear/loose in the vise, the dynamic jaw moves up/down when tightened.

Not sure what I am going to do with this one, may end up just selling it like this. Just moving the 128lb around the top of the bench is a work out!

Kevin

Kevin It cleaned up pretty good, nice job. For a vise that is well over 100 years old it is in remarkable shape. Now if anyone here ever makes it over 100 and the only thing possibly wrong with them is that their lower jaw moves up/down a bit when tightened it would be a miracle

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

MNW: well of course that question might just get your MAN CARD REVOKED here on this thread, but seriously it's up to you. once you get that old beast cleaned up like TriJeff did with his 300+ pound Prentiss you can do almost anything with it and it's always nice to have a few smaller vises mounted for those other jobs.

of course if you'd like to trade for a smaller one i'm sure some member here would gladly help you out.

Maui: I've got a Reed 404.5 sitting on a shelf in a crate in pieces ready to spiff up so if nobody else has one to measure i'll get you those measurements later. it's one of my favorite vises BTW.

Drives what Reed don't you have

 

[drivesitfar]

CA: good question but I know I own the reed 404.5 that Maui needs a handle measurement from. My guess is that handle is 3/4 diameter, 18 inches long and balls are maybe an inch.

As far as other reeds I could get you a list of the 10 or 20 or so I have or did you need something on A reed 4c that you bought from Chris or are restoring for him?

 

[gman007]

Does anyone here have a Reed 404 1/2 swivel jaw vise on hand? I would like to know what the handle dimensions are supposed to be. I contacted Reed directly, but they said that they don't even have drawings available for this vise anymore since it is long out of production. If you could measure the handle diameter and length that would be helpful. Thanks!

Maui

Maui
Handle length on mine is 13”
Handle diameter is 0.63”
End ball diameter is 1.24”

 

[Razorhunter]

Most 4.5" Reeds I've encountered have the following spindle handle dims:

-1.25" dia ball ends
-5/8" dia main shaft .625
-12.75" OA length
10.5" between the balls

 

[Fretters]

Guys, thanks for all the info!

Here's a stupid question...Is it possible to have too big a vise? The 8" that I just acquired is beautiful but seems like overkill in a garage like mine.

Thanks again,
-Mnwebb

Yup. A vice should be of a size you're comfortable with, and at a comfortable height. There's no saying what's the best size either for an individual else a certain task, but as mentioned by DIF & Gman', 4" to 6" seems to be the generally preferred range, myself included. I've only recently started giving my 6" any use, and that was mainly because I couldn't get to the 4-1/2" due to a pile of clutter in front of it.

 

[drivesitfar]

Maui: I can confirm Razor's measurements and most of 007's on the Reed 404.5 handle size.

12.75 length
1.25 inch balls
5/8 inch diameter

sorry I didn't measure BETWEEN THE BALLS cause that just sounded WRONG.

CA: in case you need a new handle for the Reed 4c it's actually 20 inches, 2 inch balls and an inch diameter handle on mine.

ALL: it's 85 in Seattle and i'm heading back out to mow the lawn (AGAIN) instead of making contacts to buy a MONSTER (Or baby) vise so I hope you all have a good time finding the ones I miss.

cheers

 

[Shiftless]

In the course of my cross country trip, I mentioned my quest for unusual vises to an 82 year old man. He rummaged around in his basement and found this clamp on. The braze repair was done by him long ago. He told a story of how he used it to work on bicycles when he was a young boy. He gave it to me.

It seems to be marked P. S. and maybe a V ???

I can clean it up later but for now, this is the best photo I can get.
Does anybody recognize the maker’s mark? I promised the guy I would tell him as soon as I found out. He didn’t even know there WAS a mark.

 

[va.grouseman]

I put 4 of these in my cart, now I'm off to checkout.---Me so happy.


https://www.grainger.com/product/24...9283!&ef_id=WUaEugAAAFvRQh9J:20180515014120:s

 

[Farmall450]

I put 4 of these in my cart, now I'm off to checkout.---Me so happy.


https://www.grainger.com/product/24...9283!&ef_id=WUaEugAAAFvRQh9J:20180515014120:s

A new car or 4 vises, which shall it be?

 

[Razorhunter]

Yeah I was a little reluctant to post between the balls measurement but I figured what the hell.

 

[CRSINMICH]

In the course of my cross country trip, I mentioned my quest for unusual vises to an 82 year old man. He rummaged around in his basement and found this clamp on. The braze repair was done by him long ago. He told a story of how he used it to work on bicycles when he was a young boy. He gave it to me.

It seems to be marked P. S. and maybe a V ???

I can clean it up later but for now, this is the best photo I can get.
Does anybody recognize the maker’s mark? I promised the guy I would tell him as soon as I found out. He didn’t even know there WAS a mark.

Shift: I believe that the V is a partially obscured W. Peck, Stowe, & Wilcox did make vises. After Peck and Stowe dumped Wilcox they became PEXTO.

 

[hitthewall79]

So I've got 2 that you all will enjoy.

1st picture. Columbian 505 m2. Was already partially cut when I bought it, didn't realize it till I got it home and was trying to straighten it out. Cut it the rest of the way and then the collar screw got stuck. Frustration won the battle, but I won the war. Will be heading to a machine shop sometime soon

2nd picture
Columbian 404. Jaws are ok, only thing missing is the swivel pin, but I only paid $15 for it. It's the first Columbian I've seen that's a swivel Jaw.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Shiftless]

Shift: I believe that the V is a partially obscured W. Peck, Stowe, & Wilcox did make vises. After Peck and Stowe dumped Wilcox they became PEXTO.

CRS:
That MUST be it!
Thanks a million. I knew somebody would come up with the answer. You hit it in well under an hour! Beers are on me!

The old guy got it from his dad, who died in 1938
The companies combined to form P S and W in 1870
So my little clamp on must have been made between 1870 and 1938. Cool....