The VISES of Garage Journal

[txlonghorn1989]

The Hollands 46 project is finally at an end. It seemed to take forever to get everything together. I had the stand mocked up for a while and found it needed more weight. I ran the bolts long on the inside of the brake drum with a nut and washer on the inside. The heads and threads on the bolts should hold the concrete in place.

The drum weighs about 80lbs, about 150 lbs of concrete, about 80lbs for the two plates and section of oxygen tank, and 175lbs for the vise. I'm happy now! It was a long road from where this vise started over eight months ago.

That is friggin' awesome Mr W!!!! Is that a decal or did you paint that on the stand? Either way, that's a top notch production! You should be proud and happy! Who the heck wouldn't be?!!!! Nice job!

 

[RG Rude]

The odd thread is on the old style surface mounted collar retaining screw.

I have re-tapped up to 3/8" when stripped out. I think 5" wide and above are 3/8" anyway.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I have several to do but no 5" ers and above.

 

[Outlawmws]

MW, with the 40 ford in the background it needed to say FORD service!


Seriously, looks great and with all the extra weight should be pretty stable!

 

[NC Rick]

NC

Nice cleanup job!

Now as for the quality keep in mind that vises range form the low end home shop user quality to mechanics and ultimately the machinist (highest quality). Also even in the home shop category (like your find) there are covert screw vises which are a step up form the exposed screw vises.

In short in general (with exception of couple very old vise brands) the exposed screw vises are near the lowest end of the vise spectrum both as far as quality and size is concerned. As I mentioned there a couple very old monster quality vises that have exposed screws but those are the exceptions to the rule.

Thank you for the kind words Gman! I have 3 different machinists vices including two bullet Wilton’s (one from the 40s and one only 6 years old). I love these things but feel like they need to be working to mean anything to me. Mine are used pretty much every day. This craftsman from 1940 has been around but hasn’t seen much besides light duty. I suspect the “semi-steel” casting is far better than any Chinese stuff we see, a good friend broke 2 of those tightening the jaws by hand without a cheater bar.

My little old craftsman will likely go to one of my kids in the next week or two and not be appreciated in the same way I feel I do but get used. I hope it is still doing that another 50 years from now. I sort of hate letting it out of my sight...

 

[KMScott]

Mr Wonderful, that is how you do it. You can still roll it around and it is solid. Very nice vise and stand.

 

[kenc184]

The Hollands 46 project is finally at an end. It seemed to take forever to get everything together. I had the stand mocked up for a while and found it needed more weight. I ran the bolts long on the inside of the brake drum with a nut and washer on the inside. The heads and threads on the bolts should hold the concrete in place.

The drum weighs about 80lbs, about 150 lbs of concrete, about 80lbs for the two plates and section of oxygen tank, and 175lbs for the vise. I'm happy now! It was a long road from where this vise started over eight months ago.

Beautiful vise......and a stand worthy of it.

I feel for you though, I had to pick up my RI 577 today and lower it into a wheelbarrow then pick it up out of the barrow and put it on the bench in my WW shop. I nearly busted a nut doing it!

BTW, the spreadsheet says your vise has an 11 inch opening? That seems really high given that my RI- a similar sized vise - is 8-1/2". What do you measure it at?

 

[gman007]

The Hollands 46 project is finally at an end. It seemed to take forever to get everything together. I had the stand mocked up for a while and found it needed more weight. I ran the bolts long on the inside of the brake drum with a nut and washer on the inside. The heads and threads on the bolts should hold the concrete in place.

The drum weighs about 80lbs, about 150 lbs of concrete, about 80lbs for the two plates and section of oxygen tank, and 175lbs for the vise. I'm happy now! It was a long road from where this vise started over eight months ago.

Both the vise and stand are Absolutely museum quality! Well done

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Beautiful vise......and a stand worthy of it.

I feel for you though, I had to pick up my RI 577 today and lower it into a wheelbarrow then pick it up out of the barrow and put it on the bench in my WW shop. I nearly busted a nut doing it!

BTW, the spreadsheet says your vise has an 11 inch opening? That seems really high given that my RI- a similar sized vise - is 8-1/2". What do you measure it at?

All, thank you so much for the kind words! It means a lot coming from the talented folks on here. The IH sign is a metal one from amazon I got as a gift last year. I have the matching neon clock. I've been looking for a special use for a long time.

Ken, The vise actually opens a tad more than 11.5" surprisingly enough.

All I can say is I owe a lot to everyone on GJ for all the advice and information that made this possible. It will be a prized possession of mine for the rest of my days.

 

[kenc184]

Ken, The vise actually opens a tad more than 11.5" surprisingly enough.
.

Mr W,

The experts here will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the opening is defined as the slide being in line with the back of the fixed jaw housing, or in other words the length of the slide from the back of the fixed housing with the jaws closed. I can't see from your picture where your slide is.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Mr W,

The experts here will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the opening is defined as the slide being in line with the back of the fixed jaw housing, or in other words the length of the slide from the back of the fixed housing with the jaws closed. I can't see from your picture where your slide is.

Ken, here's a picture of the slide all the way closed. It looks like right at 11.5"

 

[kenc184]

Ken, here's a picture of the slide all the way closed. It looks like right at 11.5"

Wow, what a vise!

 

[Shiftless]

Mr. W.:
Fantastic work! What a showpiece! You can certainly be proud of that.

 

[Shiftless]

Can anybody come up with a rational explanation of why a 4 inch made in India Taskmaster (maybe from the ‘80s) (blatant copy of Wilton Cadet) sold for over 200 bucks?
.
.

 

[gman007]

Can anybody come up with a rational explanation of why a 4 inch made in India Taskmaster (maybe from the ‘80s) (blatant copy of Wilton Cadet) sold for over 200 bucks?
.
.

Could it be because a sucker is born every minute?

 

[Shiftless]

Could it be because a sucker is born every minute?

I saw that there were 22 bids but it was only 2 people. No doubt a ******* match. But it remains that 2 different people entered bids of over $200
Perhaps alcohol was involved.

Taskmaster...the latest and greatest new rare collectible!

 

[LNKMK8]

Can anybody come up with a rational explanation of why a 4 inch made in India Taskmaster (maybe from the ‘80s) (blatant copy of Wilton Cadet) sold for over 200 bucks?
.
.

And they paid $47 on top of that to ship an 8lb vise

 

[txlonghorn1989]

I saw that there were 22 bids but it was only 2 people. No doubt a ******* match. But it remains that 2 different people entered bids of over $200
Perhaps alcohol was involved.

Taskmaster...the latest and greatest new rare collectible!

I'm gonna hazard a guess that we won't see the new owner of that vise posting a tool gloat in this thread about it.

 

[RG Rude]

I'm gonna hazard a guess that we won't see the new owner of that vise posting a tool gloat in this thread about it.

Maybe he'll get lucky when he takes it apart to lube and free up the barrel he'll find 71,188,000 Rupees.

 

[t4runner]

Picked up this vise the other day and was wondering if anyone has any information on it.
It looks lot like an Athol No70 but it has no manufacturer markings.

 

[kenc184]

Shift: no doubt you saw the taskmaster on C.L. yesterday for $20? I couldn't be bothered to drive to Concord or wherever it was - I forget - but I know you're closer than I.

 

[Shiftless]

Shift: no doubt you saw the taskmaster on C.L. yesterday for $20? I couldn't be bothered to drive to Concord or wherever it was - I forget - but I know you're closer than I.

Yep
I saw that posting and went out and bought it. $20
Runs in and out just fine. No damage. Here it is...I didn’t even dust it off before snapping a pic.

 

[RG Rude]

Yep
I saw that posting and went out and bought it. $20
Runs in and out just fine. No damage. Here it is...I didn’t even dust it off before snapping a pic.

Get it on Ebay asap.

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by LNKMK8.

And they paid $47 on top of that to ship an 8lb vise
-----------------------------------------------------------------


LNKMK8, did that 4'' Taskmaster only weigh 8 lbs.---Must be smaller than it looked.

 

[gman007]

Previously posted by LNKMK8.

And they paid $47 on top of that to ship an 8lb vise
-----------------------------------------------------------------


LNKMK8, did that 4'' Taskmaster only weigh 8 lbs.---Must be smaller than it looked.

VA
I believe it is supposed to be 36 lb which is still pretty light weight for 4" but definitely heavier than 8lb!

 

[Shiftless]

My Taskmaster 4 inch weighs 33 pounds.

 

[gman007]

My Taskmaster 4 inch weighs 33 pounds.

Comparable to Wilton Tradesman 1740 which will not be surprising as it is a Monkey See Monkey Do copy

 

[honza.vosalik]

Can anybody come up with a rational explanation of why a 4 inch made in India Taskmaster (maybe from the ‘80s) (blatant copy of Wilton Cadet) sold for over 200 bucks?
.
.

Why does a York 60 sell for $565?

 

[va.grouseman]

Previously posted by Honza.vosalik.

Why does a York 60 sell for $565?
----------------------------------------------



Because it's got one of those $6.40 YORK stickers on it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Be...h=item2a9a571f1d:g:8SgAAOSwWflZ7nev:rk:1:pf:0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mine doesn't have one.---It's only worth $50.00

 

[RBarnes]

The Hollands 46 project is finally at an end. It seemed to take forever to get everything together. I had the stand mocked up for a while and found it needed more weight. I ran the bolts long on the inside of the brake drum with a nut and washer on the inside. The heads and threads on the bolts should hold the concrete in place.

The drum weighs about 80lbs, about 150 lbs of concrete, about 80lbs for the two plates and section of oxygen tank, and 175lbs for the vise. I'm happy now! It was a long road from where this vise started over eight months ago.

Everyone should appreciate the time and effort you put into this setup. The pivoting rear jaw pin with a chain to keep it from being misplaced is an interesting idea.

 

[RBarnes]

Can anybody come up with a rational explanation of why a 4 inch made in India Taskmaster (maybe from the ‘80s) (blatant copy of Wilton Cadet) sold for over 200 bucks?
.
.

Seems simple to me. Knowledge is power. Apparently the bidders did not have enough knowledge. The funny part is that the under bidder was probably disappointed that he did not get it.

 

[honza.vosalik]

Previously posted by Honza.vosalik.

Why does a York 60 sell for $565?
----------------------------------------------



Because it's got one of those $6.40 YORK stickers on it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Be...h=item2a9a571f1d:g:8SgAAOSwWflZ7nev:rk:1:pf:0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mine doesn't have one.---It's only worth $50.00

Same here. Never seen that decal in Czech.

 

[RBarnes]

Same here. Never seen that decal in Czech.

Previously posted by Honza.vosalik.

Why does a York 60 sell for $565?
----------------------------------------------



Because it's got one of those $6.40 YORK stickers on it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Be...h=item2a9a571f1d:g:8SgAAOSwWflZ7nev:rk:1:pf:0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mine doesn't have one.---It's only worth $50.00

I was thinking how sad it is that some people have to try to make something look like something it is not, to cheat people out of their money, in our modern world. Then I remembered, hey wait a minute, these overseas producers of cheap low quality vises have been doing that to Americans for years.

 

[honza.vosalik]

I was thinking how sad it is that some people have to try to make something look like something it is not, to cheat people out of their money, in our modern world. Then I remembered, hey wait a minute, these overseas producers of cheap low quality vises have been doing that to Americans for years.

I don't see anything that would be untruthful in those eBay listings. It's up to everyone what they want to pay on eBay. It's the buyers responsibility to do their research and the sellers responsibility to give a truthful description of what they are selling.

 

[Shiftless]

I don't see anything that would be untruthful in those eBay listings. It's up to everyone what they want to pay on eBay. It's the buyers responsibility to do their research and the sellers responsibility to give a truthful description of what they are selling.

I agree 100%
A vise built in India 30 years ago was intended to look like a Wilton Cadet and then probably got slapped with a cease and desist order. Some of them are still around. I picked one up this afternoon.
It’s not technically a counterfeit because it isn’t marked Wilton. I have a Wilton Tradesman and quite a few machinist “bullet” vises. I think the Taskmaster up on the shelf near them tells a story and becomes a conversation piece.
It’s not a bad vise and someday it might go to work for somebody. In the meantime, I’ll clean it up, grease the slide, and provide it a warm and dry place to be.

 

[Brand X]

I have a Morgan 160 that I have owned for 30 years.. Was in the family for probably at least 50 years before that..

Anyway, speaking of Vises this one showed up today.. I don't believe it's a copy of anything..

 

[Shiftless]

That Kurt looks like it would take care of some heavy business.

Your family heirloom Morgan is probably marked Chicago right?
I believe they started making vises in 1929.

Your 160 is a big boy!
I have a couple of smaller Morgan Chicago vises in my little collection and they are among my favorites.

 

[Brand X]

Yes, Morgan Chicago. I am thinking it came out of the Portland Ship yard (Liberty Ships) My Great Great Grandma Jumped to her death out of upper window out that same house.. The Year,,, 1929.

Anyway, I always was real mindful of who owned what in that house..Don't think she owned that one... House was built in 1904, and always in our family. So the few tools I got have some meaning to me..

Nancy Osborn was five years old when the family came west in 1845. She experienced the massacre, escaped with her family, and grew up to live a full life in Portland, OR. When she was quite old, living in Portland, she jumped through a second story window to her death screaming "The Indians are coming to kill us".

 

[Shiftless]

Yes, Morgan Chicago. I am thinking it came out of the Portland Ship yard (Liberty Ships) My Great Great Grandma Jumped to her death out of upper window out that same house.. The Year,,, 1929.

Anyway, I always was real mindful of who owned what in that house..Don't think she owned that one... House was built in 1904, and always in our family. So the few tools I got have some meaning to me..

Nancy Osborn was five years old when the family came west in 1845. She experienced the massacre, escaped with her family, and grew up to live a full life in Portland, OR. When she was quite old, living in Portland, she jumped through a second story window to her death screaming "The Indians are coming to kill us".

Thanks for relating that classic story.
To me, life is a series of those classic stories held together by days, weeks, months, years, of mundane trivia.
I have a 5 1/2 inch Columbian vise that somebody else salvaged from the Kaiser shipyards in Richmond CA where they build liberty ships.
My FIL sailed for almost years on one of them through the South Pacific in WW2 carrying cargo primarily consisting of 500 pound bombs and barrels of aviation fuel.
Lots of fun in the engine room of a steam powered vessel in the tropics. He had some great stories. I miss him a lot.

 

[Brand X]

Lot of good history, and one way to remember, is try to save a bit of the past.. The Cincinnati Milling machine company has it's own story.. This is a link to things that most people really don't care about.. It's really part of the reason we have the life we do at this point..Easy to piss, and moan about how bad things are, but really not as bad as it could of been..
https://www.libraries.uc.edu/business/research/bios/frederick-v-geier.html

PS- my best friend put in 31 missions in a B-24 Flew right up front on D-day Right off the Col. wing.. I miss him too..My Mill came from the same Base he trained in 1939-40 March Field in CA..

 

[PghJKB]

I agree 100%
A vise built in India 30 years ago was intended to look like a Wilton Cadet and then probably got slapped with a cease and desist order. Some of them are still around. I picked one up this afternoon.
It’s not technically a counterfeit because it isn’t marked Wilton. I have a Wilton Tradesman and quite a few machinist “bullet” vises. I think the Taskmaster up on the shelf near them tells a story and becomes a conversation piece.
It’s not a bad vise and someday it might go to work for somebody. In the meantime, I’ll clean it up, grease the slide, and provide it a warm and dry place to be.

Shiftless
The Taskmaster actually received a design patent, even citing a Wilton patent as prior work (It was not the bullet that was cited).

Patent D254835 was granted to Sheldon E. Bass of Los Angeles, CA on 29 April, 1980. Kinda interesting irony here - Vogel rips off York for their design, Bass rips of Vogel's cadet.

Vogl had design patents for the bullet, Torco, Shop King, "Wood", and Triple Duty. Perhaps he felt that the cadet was covered by his bullet patent?

JKB