Can anyone help me identify this old Reed vise?
- Thread starter drmarkhastings
- Start date
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Go to this section "The Vises of Garage Journal" and you will find what you seek. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
I have gone to the link you supplied and have searched for a post tab to re-create the post but can't find one. Can you please give me a little help? Greatly appreciated.
RTM
Well-known member
Just go to the bottom, and reply in the quick reply window, like I am doing here
Maui
Well-known member
That looks very similar to a Reed 33 vise. A 33 weighs about 120 lbs but has a 5” wide jaw, not 6”.
Maui
Maui
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
Are you saying I can start a new thread on vise specific page by making a quick response?
Rileysan
Well-known member
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
The vise I have has no writing on it and it has a flat base that bolts directly onto the bench. Also there are for square head bolts, two on each Jaw. I believe there were parts that mounted under the jaws but I'm not sure. It could have been bolt on pipe jaws like the one inn the catalog you posted. I'm curious what these bolts were used for.
Rileysan
Well-known member
The illustrations don't do much justice to the actual vises, but I'm certain yours is a 3x series that's simply missing the base.
I have a 931 that's missing the pipe jaws but it uses the same square-head bolts to hold the pipe jaws in place. Mine is much smaller than the one you posted, so only has one bolt on each side for the pipe jaws.
Here's a thread with a model 32. It, too, is missing the swivel base but has been bolted down using the two holes which were meant for the lock-down handles.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=417795
Also, here are photos of my 931, which is the static base version of the same vise.
Brian
Attachments
Shiftless
Well-known member
I believe the holes in your base were drilled by a former user. The ones from the factory came with a threaded rod that went through the workbench and tightened up with a big wingnut.
Here is a picture of my Reed 31 taken right after I pulled it out of a dumpster.
Here is a picture of my Reed 31 taken right after I pulled it out of a dumpster.
Attachments
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
I can clearly see on your vise the square bolt heads holding the vise jaws in place. Mine is missing the vise jaws. I'll check the base later today but I can say for sure the bottom of my vise is flat, it doesn't have the mechanical patterning to work with any other parts. It does have a hole about the size of a quarter in the dead center. Other than that, my vise looks almost identical to yours except yours has writing on it.
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
The 33 weighs the same but has 5" jaws. The 34 has 6" jaws but weighs 178 pounds so it may be an older model.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Is that center hole smooth or threaded?
Sounds like yours is not exactly the same as mine.
Maui
Well-known member
If you took your vice and flipped it upside down you should see something similar to what appears in the attached photo. This is a Reed 33 vice that I bought several years ago, and it was missing the swivel base. So I machined one for it out of case carburizing steel, and had it heat treated. The vise weighs about 120 lbs and has 5” wide jaws. You can see in the photo that there is a huge cast wing nut that threads onto a threaded shaft protruding out of the base of the vise. Below the nut is a large steel spacer. Below that is a large cast washer that would contact the underside of the bench where the vice would be attached. The swivel base I machined would be mounted to the top of the bench, and I machined four threaded holes in the large cast washer that line up with four holes in the swivel base. The four mounting bolts sandwich the bench between the swivel base and the large cast washer, producing a very secure mounting set up. And you can see in the photo that a semi-circular notch in the base of the vise engages a notch machined into the swivel base.
It appears that your vise has been modified. The threaded rod is missing, and two holes were drilled in the base of the vise to mount it directly to a bench. That should work fine, but your vise will have a fixed base so it can no longer swivel.
Maui
It appears that your vise has been modified. The threaded rod is missing, and two holes were drilled in the base of the vise to mount it directly to a bench. That should work fine, but your vise will have a fixed base so it can no longer swivel.
Maui
Attachments
Last edited:
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
Maui
Well-known member
Could you also please include a photo with your tape measure laying on top of the jaws that show the measured jaw width?
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
I can but it will be tomorrow I'm away from the shop today. I measured it twice because I had a spreadsheet that someone sent me with all the Reed vises identified by weight, jaw width, opening distance. I went through the entire spread sheet and not one matched my specs however it the vise is missing a swivel base and pipe jaws, the total weight would be higher. Still even with that in mind this vise still wouldn't meet the criteria of a 33 or 34 based on the specs in the catalog you shared yesterday.
Were you able to determine if the base was in-fact a swivel? I put a soda can in the pic for size reference.
Were you able to determine if the base was in-fact a swivel? I put a soda can in the pic for size reference.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Dr. M.H.:
Here is a pic of the bottom of my Reed 31
You can see the threaded hole for the threaded rod that goes through the bench to attach. You can see the 2 tabs that engage with the notched swivel base seen in my earlier photo in post #10.
Perhaps the 2 tabs and the raised portion around the hole have been machined away on your vise by a previous owner who wanted to bolt the vise down directly. Do you see evidence of machine work in those areas?
Modifications like that are common when looking at these antique “thru the bench” mount vises. Many users don’t want to or can’t reach under the bench to tighten or loosen a swivel lock. Plus, the big cast iron wing nuts often get damaged and become unusable. I bet that sometime over the past 100 years, a guy just said to hell with it, smoothed off the base, drilled a few holes, bolted it down, and had a rock solid vise to continue using.
Here is a pic of the bottom of my Reed 31
You can see the threaded hole for the threaded rod that goes through the bench to attach. You can see the 2 tabs that engage with the notched swivel base seen in my earlier photo in post #10.
Perhaps the 2 tabs and the raised portion around the hole have been machined away on your vise by a previous owner who wanted to bolt the vise down directly. Do you see evidence of machine work in those areas?
Modifications like that are common when looking at these antique “thru the bench” mount vises. Many users don’t want to or can’t reach under the bench to tighten or loosen a swivel lock. Plus, the big cast iron wing nuts often get damaged and become unusable. I bet that sometime over the past 100 years, a guy just said to hell with it, smoothed off the base, drilled a few holes, bolted it down, and had a rock solid vise to continue using.
Attachments
Last edited:
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
Maui thanks again - the base does not appear to be be machined at all and there are no threads in the hole in the center.
Shiftless
Well-known member
So to me, that kills the idea that your unmarked vise is a Reed thirty series.
Some vises with center holes like that had a base with a blind hole the same size and a loose pin that acted as the center point axis for swiveling. Then one or 2 holes in the vise body base to accommodate swivel lock downs.
Last edited:
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
Hi Maui
Interesting, I took the rust off of the vice and what I uncovered is fairly interesting. First, on the side of the base of the vice there’s a very small stamp of the number 33. On the other side of the base of the vice there is written, Pat pending USA but it’s not imprinted nor is it raised it appears to either be polished on or annealed. The next interesting thing is on the base of the vice as you suspected the center hole does have threading but I don’t see any evidence of any machining of any other parts or evidence of taking other parts off. It appears to be cast that way now another thing is the slide has the number 31 stamped on it.
So, my theory is; this vise may have been the predecessor of models 33 and 34. This predates 1912 because I called Reed and they told me they started cataloging when they started patenting in 1912.
And perhaps someone changed the slide from a different vise. Anyway here are some photos. Let me know if you think any of that helps identify this vise. Thanks!
Interesting, I took the rust off of the vice and what I uncovered is fairly interesting. First, on the side of the base of the vice there’s a very small stamp of the number 33. On the other side of the base of the vice there is written, Pat pending USA but it’s not imprinted nor is it raised it appears to either be polished on or annealed. The next interesting thing is on the base of the vice as you suspected the center hole does have threading but I don’t see any evidence of any machining of any other parts or evidence of taking other parts off. It appears to be cast that way now another thing is the slide has the number 31 stamped on it.
So, my theory is; this vise may have been the predecessor of models 33 and 34. This predates 1912 because I called Reed and they told me they started cataloging when they started patenting in 1912.
And perhaps someone changed the slide from a different vise. Anyway here are some photos. Let me know if you think any of that helps identify this vise. Thanks!
Attachments
Maui
Well-known member
Very interesting. It appears that you may have a very early Reed from the 3x series, and based on the jaw width it is likely to be an initial version of the No. 34. I have never seen one that was labeled patent pending. Hang on to that vise if you can. You will never find another.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Here is another possibility...
I found a very old Yost for sale on that big online auction site. (Not my listing)
Notice that the threaded hole has no raised collar like the Reeds do.
The first pic here is the Yost
The second pic is the vise in question posted by Dr. Mark
I found a very old Yost for sale on that big online auction site. (Not my listing)
Notice that the threaded hole has no raised collar like the Reeds do.
The first pic here is the Yost
The second pic is the vise in question posted by Dr. Mark
Attachments
Last edited:
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
What is a yost?
Rileysan
Well-known member
Yost is another American vise manufacturer that also sold models using the same numbers (31, 33, etc).
Shiftless
Well-known member
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
I"m a newbe - this is my first vise project
Shiftless
Well-known member
Welcome! We all started somewhere.
It has been said that “you’ll always remember your first”.
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
Yes, this vise is strange and interesting. With out the pipe jaws and the base like the one on the Yost, I don't know how much value it has but it will still make a fine tool when it's finished.
One problem, no matter how many times I remove the rist fron the top of the slide it returns. Any suggestions on how to fix that problem?
One problem, no matter how many times I remove the rist fron the top of the slide it returns. Any suggestions on how to fix that problem?
Shiftless
Well-known member
My personal favorite right now is Fluid Film.
But it’s easier to find Boiled Linseed Oil which I sometimes use for bare, unpainted cast iron. Over time it turns a handsome brownish black. (Or is that blackish brown?)
Another option is Johnson’s Paste Wax. I have that on my drill press column & my vintage table saw cast iron table and it works great!
Hint: warm up that vise slide with a heat gun, hair dryer, or leave it out on a hot sunny day. The wax will penetrate much better.
Take a close look at the slide on that Yost I posted earlier. It was rusty. I hit the slide with a twisted wire cup wheel on my angle grinder. Then cleaned a bit with paper towels and paint thinner. Then rubbed in several coats of Fluid Film. To me, it looks great. Not a mirror shine but that’s not what I was going for. Just an honest preservative finish for a tool that’s ready to go to back to work in a nice clean shop. Meanwhile it looks good sitting on a shelf waiting for that time.
.
But it’s easier to find Boiled Linseed Oil which I sometimes use for bare, unpainted cast iron. Over time it turns a handsome brownish black. (Or is that blackish brown?)
Another option is Johnson’s Paste Wax. I have that on my drill press column & my vintage table saw cast iron table and it works great!
Hint: warm up that vise slide with a heat gun, hair dryer, or leave it out on a hot sunny day. The wax will penetrate much better.
Take a close look at the slide on that Yost I posted earlier. It was rusty. I hit the slide with a twisted wire cup wheel on my angle grinder. Then cleaned a bit with paper towels and paint thinner. Then rubbed in several coats of Fluid Film. To me, it looks great. Not a mirror shine but that’s not what I was going for. Just an honest preservative finish for a tool that’s ready to go to back to work in a nice clean shop. Meanwhile it looks good sitting on a shelf waiting for that time.
.
Last edited:
OP
drmarkhastings
Member
wow, thank you vert much!
Shiftless
Well-known member
You’re welcome. Guys here on GJ were generous sharing their knowledge when I was just starting out collecting vises 6 years ago.