The VISES of Garage Journal

[jarhead]

I found a catalog from 2000 that shows Record vises were still produced in Sheffield at the time and some of the models have the open bolt/swivel lock variant. I think all Irwin production happened in China.
https://archive.org/details/AmericanToolCompaniesFullLineCatalog2000

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Good info, thanks

 

[trijeff]

The show Pony is finally done and has it's parking spot on a desk in my dad's den, along with a photo of the '66 Stang it was styled after

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[Shiftless]

tj:
Spectacular showpiece you have created there for your Dad.
Your painting and polishing skills are unbeatable.

 

[Fierljeppen]

trijeff...Wow! Amazing attention to detail.

 

[losdudes]

trijeff
That is beautiful. Your dad should be proud!

 

[Smitty]

Jeff, The Stang vise was worth the wait, it looks great.

 

[wrenchguy]

Real nice "Custom Job" on a late model Clamper! The way it should be!

 

[Productbob]

Jeff awesome job on the Mustang special, it's something that your family can enjoy for generations!

 

[Productbob]

no vise stuff over the holidays was the agreement but I put a bottle in the picture so it's really a holiday photo! One more scrub down tomorrow and the Reed 34 is going to join it's other 6" buddies on the shelf. Hopefully the next day or so... Happy New Year!!

 

[Vise]

Damn Jeff! Looks fantastic.

XCM - I’ve heard the American Scales have traditionally had some issues (jaws not aligning, misc quality issues), though I have never seen one in person. Having said that, I think the 66 is fairly heavy, so if it doesn’t have issues it could be worth decent money ($300?).

 

[aggiegrads]

Anybody looking for the big bad Reed 406 that doesn’t care what it costs? There is an overpriced ($500) one on Portland Craigslist. Looks like everything moves, including the swivel pin and adjustable static jaw.

If you want to pay less than “a dollar a pound”, you can buy the 1200 pound table with it for another $150.

 

[Serrat Yasargil]

Wow Jeff! That is a thing of pure beauty!!! Drool!

 

[trijeff]

Thanks, gents ... this one was lots of fun for sure

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[tool_scrounge]

So I came across an American Scale 66 today at an antique/2nd hand store. Out of curiosity what is the typical going rate for large vises like the 6" swiveling American Scale? As a general rule of thumb is there a certain dollar amount per pound?

I picked up a 6" fixed base one earlier in the year. The dovetail in the main casting holding the leadscrew nut was broken. KMScott speculated the previous owner clamped down on something too wide and it bent the nut too much. I suspect he is right. The other contributing issue was the casting was very porous looking at the failure point, which weakened the structure. So it was worth the $40 to my neighbor who will probably bolt the nut in place to fix it. But at least on a sample of one I was not too impressed in the casting quality.

So if you are looking at buying one, take the slide out and look carefully. The wishful adage was $1 per pound. Years ago I think that was true for 4" vises. But with this thread being the first thing Google pulls up, prices have risen. The last 6" Columbian I saw was a $1.50 a pound and the seller got a lot of calls. But value is location, condition, and brand dependent, like most things.

 

[rusty65]

This is my vise collection of 3in and smaller vises. The first picture is when I started the year and the rest are of my collection ending the year. Some vises have stayed and others gone. I definitely didn’t stop adding new stuff.


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[rusty65]

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[TOTO]

Rusty, Very nice collection. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Shiftless]

Rusty:
Impressive collection. You’ve got more than a few quite valuable little guys.
Looks like you’ve at least doubled your number of smaller vises.
Have you built some shelves or do they stay on that table/workbench year round?

 

[Fierljeppen]

rusty65...Very nice collection!

What is the model no. of the Hollands vise?

 

[rusty65]

rusty65...Very nice collection!



What is the model no. of the Hollands vise?

That’s a Holland’s no 8. Good eye spotting that.



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[Smitty]

Rusty, Congrats on a great year, you’re gonna need a bigger table.

 

[XCMTB83]

Great collection, Rusty.

 

[XCMTB83]

I picked up a 6" fixed base one earlier in the year. The dovetail in the main casting holding the leadscrew nut was broken. KMScott speculated the previous owner clamped down on something too wide and it bent the nut too much. I suspect he is right. The other contributing issue was the casting was very porous looking at the failure point, which weakened the structure. So it was worth the $40 to my neighbor who will probably bolt the nut in place to fix it. But at least on a sample of one I was not too impressed in the casting quality.

So if you are looking at buying one, take the slide out and look carefully. The wishful adage was $1 per pound. Years ago I think that was true for 4" vises. But with this thread being the first thing Google pulls up, prices have risen. The last 6" Columbian I saw was a $1.50 a pound and the seller got a lot of calls. But value is location, condition, and brand dependent, like most things.

Thanks for the insight. I was going to go back today just to take a picture of the beast to share it on here. The handle is bent I do know that much. I would maybe be a player at $1.50/lb just because I think it is so dang cool but even at that price I don't NEED it. The seller is asking just under $4.00/lb. I believe it is approximately 155 lb vise.

 

[va.grouseman]

Rusty, you've been a busy little beaver this year.---Quality stuff.

 

[Vise]

Fantastic stuff, Rusty. Very nice collection.

 

[Smitty]

We’re gonna need a bigger boat!
~Chief Brody

 

[rusty65]

Thank you for the kind words boys. This was a weird year and hoping for a big 2020.


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[Smitty]

Happy New Year to the vise crew on Garage Journal.


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[Outlawmws]

Happy New Year to the vise crew on Garage Journal.


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HNY Smitty, and everyone!

 

[XCMTB83]

My Monday evening included more progress on the 143B since its last mention on page 3839.

My goal was to get the bottom surface machined to be compatible with a newer style RI swivel base I picked up off of eBay. This required machining the bottom flat, taking the center locator down to 1.375" diameter and then finally squaring up the end of the locator. Squaring up the end of the locator is so I can bolt down a stepped retainer ring that will keep the swivel base attached to the main body of the vise even when there aren't swivel-lock-down bolts installed. I will share more of this process later.

As you can see in the pictures I was using pretty much all of the Z-axis height that the machine has and the entire usable diameter of the rotary table. My stand-offs were hanging off the edge of the rotary table on each side. Having just enough clearance is what makes projects like this just a little more fun.

The end of the locator wasn't without a small challenge. In order to get the end of the locator machined I had to remove the 3/4-10 bolt that had been holding everything in place and rely on my trusty jack screws to apply the clamping force, they worked surprisingly well.

I thought I was done at this point but the 37/64" diameter mounting holes that a previous owner drilled into the main body were really bugging me. The holes weren't centered whatsoever and one of the locations was going to give me compatibility issues with the swivel base. I considered punching the holes out oversized to remove any evidence of the two poorly located holes and then use an insert in the base. However that was going to require a 1 inch diameter hole for 100% cleanup on two equally spaced holes and it would be getting into the vertical side wall of the vise more than I liked. This would have further weakened an area of the base that was never designed to be a mounting location in the first place. To maintain as much strength as possible I opted to just plunge a 5/8" diameter endmill through the base in two equally spaced locations that will be ideal for the swivel base circle opening. As you can see in the pictures these two new holes partially intersected the existing holes. The washers that I plan to use will cover of this oddly shaped hole. If this oddly shaped hole gives me issues I think I have a work-around.

Next up is deciding how important it is for me to make the swivel-locks tool-less with a traditional built-in handle or just use two 5/8-11 SHCS and a 1/2" Allen wrench for tightening and loosening. Of course the latter would be an easier and faster solution. I also kind of like the idea of a self-contained adjustable handle clamp but I am too frugal to buy a set, perhaps I can make some instead?

 

[Shiftless]

XCMTB:

Very impressive

 

[Adderall]

Is there a preferred method for keeping the swivel clamps from crunching a new paint job? I use nylon washers for the swivel base bolts which works great. The nylon is still too hard and I find it chips up the finish too.

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[Shiftless]

How long do you let the paint cure before clamping down hard with the hold downs? What paint do you use and what’s the temperature and humidity?
Maybe you don’t need a softer washer but more time or different conditions curing the paint.

 

[KMScott]

Nice work XCMTB83, welcome to the world of vise repair, barley fits, no room for cutters etc. It is important to have the swivel locks centered in the lockdown location. Keep up the good work.

 

[Adderall]

On my first vise, it was 2 months before I really put a crushing force down. Haven't snuggled down the clamps on my second one.

How long do you let the paint cure before clamping down hard with the hold downs? What paint do you use and what’s the temperature and humidity?
Maybe you don’t need a softer washer but more time or different conditions curing the paint.

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[Serrat Yasargil]

Is it natural for a grown man to have tears well up when looking at the glory that is the small vise collection of Rusty?

Is it natural ...................to have........ bulge ..................when looking at that **** vise Trijeff restored?

Serrat Yasargil, you now have been banned from GJ!

 

[Productbob]

Rusty- very nice collection of vises and enjoyed looking around at the pocket knives, micrometers, clocks, etc. A bit like a treasure hunt!

XCM- impressive repair work

 

[Old Radar]

my monday evening included more progress on the 143b since its last mention on page 3839.

My goal was to get the bottom surface machined to be compatible with a newer style ri swivel base i picked up off of ebay. This required machining the bottom flat, taking the center locator down to 1.375" diameter and then finally squaring up the end of the locator. Squaring up the end of the locator is so i can bolt down a stepped retainer ring that will keep the swivel base attached to the main body of the vise even when there aren't swivel-lock-down bolts installed. I will share more of this process later.

As you can see in the pictures i was using pretty much all of the z-axis height that the machine has and the entire usable diameter of the rotary table. My stand-offs were hanging off the edge of the rotary table on each side. Having just enough clearance is what makes projects like this just a little more fun.

The end of the locator wasn't without a small challenge. In order to get the end of the locator machined i had to remove the 3/4-10 bolt that had been holding everything in place and rely on my trusty jack screws to apply the clamping force, they worked surprisingly well.

I thought i was done at this point but the 37/64" diameter mounting holes that a previous owner drilled into the main body were really bugging me. The holes weren't centered whatsoever and one of the locations was going to give me compatibility issues with the swivel base. I considered punching the holes out oversized to remove any evidence of the two poorly located holes and then use an insert in the base. However that was going to require a 1 inch diameter hole for 100% cleanup on two equally spaced holes and it would be getting into the vertical side wall of the vise more than i liked. This would have further weakened an area of the base that was never designed to be a mounting location in the first place. To maintain as much strength as possible i opted to just plunge a 5/8" diameter endmill through the base in two equally spaced locations that will be ideal for the swivel base circle opening. As you can see in the pictures these two new holes partially intersected the existing holes. The washers that i plan to use will cover of this oddly shaped hole. If this oddly shaped hole gives me issues i think i have a work-around.

Next up is deciding how important it is for me to make the swivel-locks tool-less with a traditional built-in handle or just use two 5/8-11 shcs and a 1/2" allen wrench for tightening and loosening. Of course the latter would be an easier and faster solution. i also kind of like the idea of a self-contained adjustable handle clamp but i am too frugal to buy a set, perhaps i can make some instead?

Serious Tool Envy!

I'm attempting to make a grinder stand out of an old brake drum off a semi, a crankshaft (from a Jeep, I think) and 1/4" steel plate.

Tools at my disposal:
Angle Grinder w/ cut-off wheels, flap wheels and wire brushs
Bench-top Drill Press
Neighbor's welding skill
Mark-One Eyeball w/ TLAR Gauge (That Looks About Right)

I'm struggling just trying to drill pilot holes in the steel, especially the center hole where the crankshaft will go. Roughly 1-7/8" diameter (TLAR again), I'm hoping overlapping holes will do the trick before I break too many drill bits...






Sorry for highjacking the thread, but I just had to give way to my envy.

 

[zkling]

Does your neighbor with the welder have a cutting torch by chance?

 

[Productbob]

Happy New Year! finished cleaning up the Reed 34 and moved it onto the shelf. here's some updated pics: in the first 2 pictures the middle shelf is all 6" as are the left three vises on the top shelf. remainder of the top shelf are 5".