The VISES of Garage Journal

[Mark in Indiana]

KatinaKid:

A few years back, I did an extensive restoration on a 80mm FPU vise. Regarding the single bolt at the back of the moving body; I've only seen these vises with two slotted set screws. These screws are there to hold the floating spindle nut in place. If they're too tight, the moving jaw will lock up.

I also examined a 100mm FPU (manufactured in Mar. '75) that I purchased several months ago. It also has the two slotted set screws to hold the spindle nut.

If the single screw at the back of the moving jaw is a factory deviation, that's an interesting find.

Here's the thread I created that goes over my FPU restoration. I hope it gives you some more information and is a fun read.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5800723&posted=1#post5800723

 

[KatanaKid]

Now lose that cap head bolt and add an inset allen head.

That’s on the. To do list. Will do !

 

[Dentaltec]

I know you guys love the old ones, I got my hands on this one for a good deal, at least I thought it was compared to what they were going for online. $200 in retail packaging. Is this thing a decent vise for home shop use?

 

[davethorik]

One does not have to be single to have vises inside the house

Well...i do fit the stereotype. LoL

View media item 85920

 

[chrisnazzy]

I know you guys love the old ones, I got my hands on this one for a good deal, at least I thought it was compared to what they were going for online. $200 in retail packaging. Is this thing a decent vise for home shop use?

If you actually got the Tradesman vise (round slide like the machinists / bullets) I'd say $200 is a great price and will be a very solid vise for you. Heck, restored Tradesman vises go for that or more all the time.

Make sure you unscrew it all the way out and pull out the dynamic jaw so you can inspect the inside for debris or metal shavings. I've seen a few posts about this on new Wilton vises. While it's apart take a few minutes to properly lube it all up!

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[mbshop]

I have a mac 5in made in usa vise. Have hardly used it in 30 years. But have been reorganizing things so that I can easily use it. While bolting it down in its new home I noticed that when the swivel lock is used the upper body would shift to that side. I took it off and apart and it seems the upper body has a casting mark from front to back that seems to make the bottom have a slight v shape. So if I just sit the body on the lower base I can rock the upper part back and forth sideways. Should I grind this flat or just leave it alone. Just worried about the lack of support on one side possibly causing it to crack. Thanks,

 

[Outlawmws]

Grind it flat.

If you have a bigger belt sander, use that.

 

[Shiftless]

I agree with Outlaw

I picked up one of these at a garage sale and use it for that purpose.
.
.

 

[lis2323]

I agree with Outlaw

I picked up one of these at a garage sale and use it for that purpose.
.
.

[emoji106]having a table on your belt or disc grinder makes it so easy for squaring up stock.


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[BoostAddiction]

This is a vise I ordered around a year ago on Kickstarter. Unlike some of the projects there, the folks running this one had good communication and actually delivered the product as originally specified.

Called the "Makers Vise", it isn't designed to be a big honker, just something to hold smaller pieces while soldering, drilling, etc. It's all in billet aluminum, and has a pleasing feel to use, something that is often missing in modern product design. It's small enough to move around easily, yet appears rugged enough to have some serious holding power, at least for the kind of things it was designed around.

Another nice feature is replaceable jaw inserts. They even include downloadable STL files so those with 3D printers can print new inserts for specific purposes (like holding small pipe or tube).

All in all, a nice addition to the garage.

 

[rossj]

Hi folks, this is my first post! I recently needed a beefier vise for a project, and in the process of finding one I also discovered my fondness of old rusty things. In the past 2 weeks I've picked up 3 additional vises, including a Wilton Bullet 500S for $30. I'm looking forward to getting it back to working order and perhaps looking a bit nicer.

Here are my current vises, in order of general size:

1. Littlestown No. 112, 3 5/8" jaw, $15 via local Craigslist

2. Wilton, unknown model, 3 1/2" wide jaw, $0 (was sitting in basement of house I rented and owner said I could have it, along with workbench). This was my initial vise that was too wimpy.

3. Prentiss Bulldog No. 51, 3 5/8" jaw, $30. So far I haven't been able to date this vise very well - I can't seem to find any pictures or catalogs of this vise that have the same logo & markings on the right side, combined with no logo / markings on the dynamic jaw.

4. Wilton Bullet 500S / 950, 5" jaw, manufactured in 1953 (stamped 3/53), $30 on Facebook Marketplace. Pivot is pretty frozen up. Plan is to disassemble, derust via electrolysis, and leave naked for use.

 

[va.grouseman]

Ross, nice little collection.---And that 500 was a steal.---Congrats on that deal for sure.---And welcome to the forum.

 

[MayerMR]

Well fellas,

I have a fun little vise pick-up story to share. I reached out to a seller on the 5miles app who had listed a very little arbor press that, while I didn't particularly need it, piqued my interest. After chatting for a few days, I find out that the seller is actually a nice little old lady who is selling off her late-husband's collection of woodworking and machine tools. She tells me that she usually only meets people at the police station, but that she'd like me to come to her home so she can show me all the items she has and get my feedback on what she can/should ask for some of the things she doesn't know how to identify.

So anyway, I skipped out of work a little bit early yesterday afternoon and met up with her. Let me tell you - her husband was a master machinist; a lot of the machinist tools were already gone, but you could still tell that he was a very organized and meticulous person by his amazing and carefully maintained shop. I sure would have loved to have had a chance to meet him.

After spending a couple of hours perusing the items and helping her identify some things, I happened across a really neat looking, small drill press or machinist vise. I inquired about it and she tells me that this particular vise isn't for sale because her husband *made it himself*. Her plans were to bring it inside and display it in her curio cabinet, with many other important items from their time together. However, but before he passed away, he had coated it in a sticky grease and she didn't have the dexterity to clean it well enough to bring it inside. I could tell it was an important item to her so I offered to clean it up for her on the spot.

After bringing it inside, I proceeded to disassemble it (it was held together with allen head bolts) and thoroughly cleaned the grease off using hot water and scouring pads. I then polished it up with some furniture wax that I found in his shop. The vise was extremely well-made, but the edges were not chamfered, which I found out the hard way - they were very sharp!

Trust me, these cuts don't look very bad, but they are deeper and more painful than they look...

But after an hour or so of cleaning, drying and polishing, we had her lookin' much better and ready for a place in her display:

She was very grateful and the whole time I was working on the vise she told me stories about her husband and their time together. It was very nice to hear about the kind of man he was and the life they shared.

I asked her if she would mind me sharing these photos online in this forum and she was surprised that there was interest in this sort of thing, but I think you fellas may appreciate his workmanship.

As I was getting ready to leave and packing up the little arbor press and a couple of other little items I had picked out, she said she remembered she had another vise that I might be interested in. Turns out I was! It was this very nice, Paramo No. 5 swivel vise, for which I happily paid $100.

and slightly off-thread topic, but here is the interesting little arbor press as well:

All-in-all, it was a great trip, I made a new friend, and I picked up a great vise!

 

[KMScott]

Nice story Mayer. To bad we are losing all this skill in building tools here in the USA. And you got a lesson in sharp tools, chamfering is a important step that was missed. I enjoyed the read.

 

[chrisnazzy]

Hi folks, this is my first post!

Ross, welcome to Garage Journal and compliments on a nice vise herd you've got going there.

As for your Prentiss 51, it appears to have cast-in or non removable jaws. From information that's been shared here in the past, Prentiss patented their removable jaws in 1911 so more than likely yours would pre date that. I've included a catalog page I've saved showing your 51.

Keep us updated on the restoration of that Wilton 500!

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[sgs236]

I posted this over in the garage sale thread and I thought I would post it here as well. Won this vise at an auction and the only numbering on it is "6 IN 137" and the end of the dynamic is marked 137B. The vise is 6" and weighs 124.5 pounds. Only markings I can find are shown in the pictures. Looks like a REED, but I can't find any information on a model 137. Anyone able to help identify it?

 

[MayerMR]

Nice story Mayer. To bad we are losing all this skill in building tools here in the USA. And you got a lesson in sharp tools, chamfering is a important step that was missed. I enjoyed the read.

Thanks Kevin. And you're right, not a lesson I'll soon forget.

btw, do you make replacement jaws for the Record/Paramo vises? Or ones that would work? These are a 5"x1"x1/2" with the screw holes 3" CTC, each 1" from the end.

Thanks!

-Matt

 

[kwoswalt99]

I posted this over in the garage sale thread and I thought I would post it here as well. Won this vise at an auction and the only numbering on it is "6 IN 137" and the end of the dynamic is marked 137B. The vise is 6" and weighs 124.5 pounds. Only markings I can find are shown in the pictures. Looks like a REED, but I can't find any information on a model 137. Anyone able to help identify it?

Looks like a rock Island to me.

 

[KMScott]

Thanks Kevin. And you're right, not a lesson I'll soon forget.

btw, do you make replacement jaws for the Record/Paramo vises? Or ones that would work? These are a 5"x1"x1/2" with the screw holes 3" CTC, each 1" from the end.

Thanks!

-Matt

Hey Matt, sorry but no jaws with those spec:s in my inventory. Kevin

 

[Josh C]

Mayer- Thoroughly enjoyed your story. Thank you for posting that. Hits close to home as I struggle to work through the stuff in my late fathers Garage . Much appreciated. - Josh

 

[Jaydb07]

Only sold my American Scale 79 3 days ago...and today at car swap meet I find this American Scale 76. Cheap!

 

[LNKMK8]

Here is my Craftsman 5171 that I bought this spring at an estate sale; had some time to get it cleaned up and painted.

 

[Jaydb07]

Here is my Craftsman 5171 that I bought this spring at an estate sale; had some time to get it cleaned up and painted.

Oh man. Great choices. Great work. Great outcome.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Found this cool 6 inch Wilton today. Did I mention it’s a swivel jaw

 

[autopts]

Found this cool 6 inch Wilton today. Did I mention it’s a swivel jaw

Great, Great find! Is there a date on the keyway? That model didn't show up in my 53 or 54 catalogs, I have the 56 58 & 59 catalog and they only show the 450SJ. Could be Wilton never cataloged that model.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Great, Great find! Is there a date on the keyway? That model didn't show up in my 53 or 54 catalogs, I have the 56 58 & 59 catalog and they only show the 450SJ. Could be Wilton never cataloged that model.

6-72 is on the slide there is another one of these Witon 60 posted back in December of 2013 guys screen name is mattysdaddy in the general tool section. That one is mint shape and it has the same date code-. I wonder if they had some of these made and they stoped production for lack of interest and then reused them back in 1972 for some project or whatever.

 

[LesserSon]

I kind of want to get this Parker, but not so sure of what I want to pay. Giving myself a couple weeks to think it through. If it sells before then, so be it.
It reminded me of the Prentisses posted a couple pages back.
In the meantime, picked up another Hollands pipe vise, “in the rust.”

 

[Jaydb07]

Found this cool 6 inch Wilton today. Did I mention it’s a swivel jaw

Dang. My envy is boundless.

 

[va.grouseman]

I to have always thought that the Prentiss 53 1/2 and the Parker 63 1/2 were similar in style.---JMO.

 

[davethorik]

I to have always thought that the Prentiss 53 1/2 and the Parker 63 1/2 were similar in style.---JMO.

Both were made by Parker...makes sense...

 

[Sugarschack]

I just picked up my first vise for restoration. It’s an old Wilton Shop King with tons of life. The 4 1/2” jaws look great, but there’s tons of rust. I’m out of town but I’ll post pics before I start. The only thing missing is the swivel nut on the base. Right now there is a carriage bolt held in with a square nut. I think the bolt is 3/8-16x1”. Anyone here have a line in a replacement I can purchase? Can wait to bring this back to it’s Art Deco glory!

 

[GETRIDAONE]

Who would waste time on a Rock Island farmers vise I had two with broken feet on the slide part. One had been brazed as seen in the first picture and the other was missing the whole bottom part. I cut off the remaining portion and screwed it from the bottom with 5/16 bolts on to a piece of 5/16" steel plate. I used a 3/4" OD copper coupling for a bushing in the dynamic jaw. The nut is held in place with a high tech fastening system of two wood wedges just like the factory used. There were no jaws originally, ( just machined surfaces ) so I made some out of brass.

 

[KMScott]

Came out great Get. Sometimes it is just fun to fix something no matter it's worth. I like your repairs.

 

[gman007]

Who would waste time on a Rock Island farmers vise I had two with broken feet on the slide part. One had been brazed as seen in the first picture and the other was missing the whole bottom part. I cut off the remaining portion and screwed it from the bottom with 5/16 bolts on to a piece of 5/16" steel plate. I used a 3/4" OD copper coupling for a bushing in the dynamic jaw. The nut is held in place with a high tech fastening system of two wood wedges just like the factory used. There were no jaws originally, ( just machined surfaces ) so I made some out of brass.

First class restoration job

 

[lis2323]

Who would waste time on a Rock Island farmers vise There were no jaws originally, ( just machined surfaces ) so I made some out of brass.

Excellent job! Adding those jaws made a world of difference [emoji481]




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[GETRIDAONE]

Thanks !! I spent way to much time and it became a " I can fix that " project no matter what it takes.

 

[cockford ollie]

After searching the net . I have found several FPU's that have only one screw in the back My theory of apossible change of the worm may be possible . I have also seen pictures showing wood spacers between the Jaw & plate . With that I decided to add one hole rather than two And all is good now Maybe others can check the numbers on there worm nut to compare to mine . Thanks for all the help on this !

I have 3 FPUs, two with 2 screws and one with only 1 screw. When I get around to restoring them, I will post the worm nut

 

[bagged89s10]

Found a C3! First time for everything. It’s heavy, not sure if I want to ship it if someone buys it. The big pipe jaws are nice to have but I should probably sell it. Best of all, I only paid $100.

 

[jywilli69]

I was browsing Ebay and came across these 2 styles of 3" Craftsman Bench Vise. Would love to know when they were produced. Someone else who has one of the vices showed it was patented 13 March 1933.

 

[weldstuff]

I'm selling off my big vises. Wilton Bullet 9450, Dec 1953, 4 1/2" jaws x 8 1/2" open 70Lbs.
C. Parker swivel, No. 25X 5 1/2" jaws, 9" Open, 138Lbs.
Anyone know when the Parker was made ?