Any old machinery guy recognize this mill vise attachment?

[Private Lugnutz]

I picked up this vintage mill vise/milling machine attachment at the flea market this morning. The paint looks industrial gray, maybe sage green-ish, to me. The longitudinal slide screw is perfect, and moves like butter, but the handle on the hand wheel has snapped off inside the threaded hole. (I’m sure it could be extracted and replaced, if an original or stand-in could be located.) It slides so well it only takes a little pressure on the wheel to spin it. The crank on the hand wheel for the vise is fine, but the vise screw has a slight wobble. Jaw capacity is 2-1/4”. Slide capacity is 2-3/4". Weighs 8 lbs. The base has slots for rotational movement.

The reason I am posting is because it's not marked, I am guessing this was an attachment for a milling machine, and I am curious if anyone can identify the mfgr from its features.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

More pics...

 

[Old Man Roger]

Looks like an old cross vice, totally guessing though.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Cross vise. Cross-slide vise. Compound vise. Whatever you want to call it, I am pretty sure that's what it is, Roger. For a milling machine, probably. Perhaps a drill press. What I am trying to find out is who made it. It's not marked, and if it was attached to a bigger machine, as an accessory, as I suspect, perhaps not unusual for it to not be marked. But I am hoping someone will recognize the mfgr from the features (such as the shape of the handle on the hand wheels).

 

[Old Man Roger]

Oh .

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks for homing in on better terminology.

 

[MShaw]

It is a self centering vise. The jaws close from both side to the middle. Used for applications where you want to do things like cross drill shafts on center. Once the vise is adjusted to center using the base slide, you can work on various sizes and always be on center..

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, M.

 

[Old Man Roger]

lol .

 

[Private Lugnutz]

lol .

???

MShaw: More likely used as an attachment on a milling machine/DP? or free-standing? Edit: Let me re-phrase that. I had to be tied down to something. Either a DP table or a mill etc. What I am trying to figure out is if t was made and sold like this like a separate piece (i.e., Palmgren) to be used on any DP/mill, or if it was part of a DP/mill.

 

[ddawg16]

What did you pay for it? Looks like a great find.

 

[larry_g]

That could be shop made. Some of the details seem that way. Mill marks on one side of a jaw, the rounding of the edge of the jaws, the welded stand, no spigot to rotate around, and ?. What ever it is I wish it were in my tool box.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[PugetDude]

Looks like it may have had a swivel base at on time. Once you dialed it in with the cross-slide you could swivel about center to mill at your desired angle, cut a taper, etc.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It was peanuts, ddawg. Thanks, larry_g and PugetDude. I was interpreting that base differently (as being adjustable to rotate in place on a table), but I think you're right, PD. Makes much more sense.

 

[MShaw]

Yes, to be used tied down to a machine table. Handy if you are drilling cross holes or milling keyways. Once set you can open the jaws for different sized work pieces and always be on center.

 

[larry_g]

It was peanuts, ddawg.

I'll trade you a can of Wasabi Almonds for it...

lg
no neat sig line

 

[DocsMachine]

Hum. It's a production piece, being clearly cast iron and pretty well made castings. It's unlikely it's a machine shop part, as the cross slide portion would have some sort of micrometer dial- in the machine shop, there's few reasons to have a fairly precise screw-adjustable dovetailed slide like that without any means to precisely measure movement.

I can't say what it is, I've honestly no idea. But I'd bet it goes to a woodworking machine of some sort.

Doc.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

How big is the can, Larry?

Thanks, Doc. Good point on the dial. It doesn't look there's a provision for where one might've been behind that wheel, either.

I guess it's just a really old early version of a heavy duty two-axis cross-slide (edit: with self-centering) vise? It's those vintage hand wheels that make it look machine shop-ish to me.

 

[Old Man Roger]

The tall jaws do make you think of a wood vise.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

My New Hermes pantograph uses a very similar vise to hold the item to be engraved. Gorton made some big ones as well as several other manufacturers...could be. The tall jaws were handy for holding some items. Ed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks for the leads, Orc. Please post a photo of your Hermes vise. Does it have self centering jaws? And round hand wheels with knobs? I am finding some older cross slide vises, but they have hinged lever type handles, not wheels, and they aren't self-centering.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Here is a pic of the New Hermes engravograph vise Lugz. It does self center and has features for holding various shapes of work. I am sure yours is not a New Hermes but thought it could be an optional vise for one of the more serious pantograph machines. Some of them were built solid like milling machines with serious 3 axis tables. A self centering vise would be a handy attachment to have for one of those Gorton, Deckel, or other industrial machines. Not sure that's what it is though. Ed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks, Ed. Very helpful. I see what you mean.

 

[2oolhound]

It is a self centering vise. The jaws close from both side to the middle. Used for applications where you want to do things like cross drill shafts on center. Once the vise is adjusted to center using the base slide, you can work on various sizes and always be on center..

Nice find!

Another nice thing about the self centering vise is you still have equal N-S, E-W movement of your work against the cutter. If the vise had a static jaw and if your work piece was small it would end up closer to the edge of the 2 3/4" of travel you have.

It looks like a number "9" (or "6") on the bottom (photo that shows the bottom with circular hold down slots). It also looks like there are faint character stampings to the left of the 9 in that photo but it could just be a moire effect.
The circular slots sure look roughly cut and interesting that one side of that base is left square so it's only round on one side. I don't know the dimension across but they would fit to a T slot table on at least one slot on the table or 2 different slots if the distance matched.

 

[larry_g]

How big is the can, Larry?

.

That would be the 6oz size..

lg
no neat sig line

 

[454ragtop]

Lugz, if you get that piece of the handle out and figure out the thread, I may have a handle that would work, if you find a use for it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

2oolhound: What you're seeing isn't numbers or moire effect, but machine marks left by a mill or something. The base was not finished or polished. I checked it very closely for markings, even the slide. It's not marked.

Lugz, if you get that piece of the handle out and figure out the thread, I may have a handle that would work, if you find a use for it.

Thanks. I will let you know.

 

[Farmall450]

The tall jaws do make you think of a wood vise.

First thing I noticed too.