I am new to the site and having some difficulty identifying a couple of vises. The gray one is my primary bench vise with 3” jaws. No brand, just numbers and “Made in USA”. The other one was cleaned and painted and has 4 1/2” jaws that are really tall. The only markings are “45”. I mounted it on a piece of plywood so it can be clamped on a bench. Any ideas would be helpful.
Old vise identification Wilton? and other.
- Thread starter Ats34
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Got em mixed up. Oops
Fierljeppen
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It sure looks like a Wilton no.744, but the 3" jaws make no sense at all. The Wilton parts list also recognizes the moveable jaw number as a 4" no.744 vise.
Ats34...How much does it weigh?
Fierljeppen
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It's not hard or time-consuming to remove the vise from plywood to get it weighed.
You came to right site to get information about your vises, but you may need to get involved a little in order to help the helpers.
You came to right site to get information about your vises, but you may need to get involved a little in order to help the helpers.
Fierljeppen
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Good information...I'm ready to solve this vise puzzle.
It's an early model Wilton no. 744 mechanics vise, which is a very decent vise. The Wilton 744 vises were first introduced in 1968, as seen in the following Wilton brochure scans. They had 4" jaws and weighed just a little more than your vise. We'll get to that later.
The casting numbers are paramount with regard to me determining that your vise is a Wilton no. 744. From the numbers on the jaw towers to the one's on the bottom of the swivel base, they're all the same numbers as a Wilton no. 744.
The only difference with your vise though, are the 3" jaws. This is why I referenced the 744 as weighing just a little more than your vise. For some reason, someone has ground down the sides of the jaw towers on your vise and installed 3" jaws. They did a pretty good job, but it's obvious in the photos when you look closely.
With the modification, it has become a super-duty 3" vise that should serve you well for many decades or more.
Just to add...
I believe this was a standard offering by Wilton, or perhaps in a special-purpose catalog. I have one just like the one originally posted. Same thing--casting numbers align with the 744. It uses a steel washer-shaped thrust collar held on with two screws (which I don't see with the same configuration on newer versions) that is held in place on the main screw using a snap ring.
Another similarity is that instead of swivel handles, the swivel lock bolts have nuts on them. If there was just one that way, we'd be confident they had been replaced at some point. But with two, it opens the possibility that they were supplied in that configuration. I've ordered swivel handles for mine--keeping the wrench handy is a pain and I use the swivel of my vises frequently.
Also, both mine and the one pictured by the OP are not equipped with pipe jaws, and in my case, the screw holes that would keep the jaws in place are not present. Were I to install pipe jaws, I'd have to drill and tap the castings.
But the key thing is the spacing of the holes for the replaceable jaws. The holes are not spaced at 2-1/2" the way that 4" jaws are spaced, but rather at maybe 1-3/4" (I can get precise measurements if anyone is interested). The screws are the same narrow-head 1/4"-20 that they all use, and I was able to find some narrow filister-head screws at McMaster that work perfectly. (My vise was missing two of the screws.) That tells me that Wilton made this vise with 3" jaws on purpose. Fortunately, the jaws on mine are perfect.
In my case, the vise was mounted on a MB Century work cart (Metal Box and Cabinet Corp of Chicago--who made Snap-On boxes in the day) that was labeled "Elevator Shop" in painted stencil letters on the side. Both were painted the same color that I call Janitorial And Building Maintenance Office Gray. The cabinet itself is very beefy and solid, and has a roll-down cover for the drawers. It sits on casters with 4" wheels, and has Colton corner bumpers all around. Finally, it has a 120-V receptacle that is fed by a recessed male NEMA 15-3 receptacle into which any extension cord can be plugged. It was dirty as hell when I got it--I didn't find rodent parts in it but I was surprised not to. Bought it from a local guy in Virginia for less than either the cart or the vise would be worth separately, so I'm pleased. It was the cart I was after--the vise was a bonus. It's a far better vise than the sloppy 90's-era 6" "Wilton" homeowner vise I bought a couple of decades ago (that has "Columbian" and "Made in USA" cast into it).
I'm prepared to believe without further evidence that these were special versions sold in catalogs marketed to building maintenance professionals and the like, at a slightly reduced price to account for the missing pipe jaws and chrome-plated swivel handles.
Rick "outfitting a new shop with old stuff" Denney
I believe this was a standard offering by Wilton, or perhaps in a special-purpose catalog. I have one just like the one originally posted. Same thing--casting numbers align with the 744. It uses a steel washer-shaped thrust collar held on with two screws (which I don't see with the same configuration on newer versions) that is held in place on the main screw using a snap ring.
Another similarity is that instead of swivel handles, the swivel lock bolts have nuts on them. If there was just one that way, we'd be confident they had been replaced at some point. But with two, it opens the possibility that they were supplied in that configuration. I've ordered swivel handles for mine--keeping the wrench handy is a pain and I use the swivel of my vises frequently.
Also, both mine and the one pictured by the OP are not equipped with pipe jaws, and in my case, the screw holes that would keep the jaws in place are not present. Were I to install pipe jaws, I'd have to drill and tap the castings.
But the key thing is the spacing of the holes for the replaceable jaws. The holes are not spaced at 2-1/2" the way that 4" jaws are spaced, but rather at maybe 1-3/4" (I can get precise measurements if anyone is interested). The screws are the same narrow-head 1/4"-20 that they all use, and I was able to find some narrow filister-head screws at McMaster that work perfectly. (My vise was missing two of the screws.) That tells me that Wilton made this vise with 3" jaws on purpose. Fortunately, the jaws on mine are perfect.
In my case, the vise was mounted on a MB Century work cart (Metal Box and Cabinet Corp of Chicago--who made Snap-On boxes in the day) that was labeled "Elevator Shop" in painted stencil letters on the side. Both were painted the same color that I call Janitorial And Building Maintenance Office Gray. The cabinet itself is very beefy and solid, and has a roll-down cover for the drawers. It sits on casters with 4" wheels, and has Colton corner bumpers all around. Finally, it has a 120-V receptacle that is fed by a recessed male NEMA 15-3 receptacle into which any extension cord can be plugged. It was dirty as hell when I got it--I didn't find rodent parts in it but I was surprised not to. Bought it from a local guy in Virginia for less than either the cart or the vise would be worth separately, so I'm pleased. It was the cart I was after--the vise was a bonus. It's a far better vise than the sloppy 90's-era 6" "Wilton" homeowner vise I bought a couple of decades ago (that has "Columbian" and "Made in USA" cast into it).
I'm prepared to believe without further evidence that these were special versions sold in catalogs marketed to building maintenance professionals and the like, at a slightly reduced price to account for the missing pipe jaws and chrome-plated swivel handles.
Rick "outfitting a new shop with old stuff" Denney
Fierljeppen
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rdenny...Very interesting and informative! I'll have to check out some of the old Snap-On catalogs from that era. There's one other Wilton mechanics vise that I still haven't been able to identify from any catalog, also from that era, as seen below.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
Interesting—different casting numbers and no anvil surface.
Neither mine nor the OP’s has “Wilton” cast into the label plate. Just as well for me—the seller knew that “Wilton” was marketable and might have upped his price. I told him it was a Wilton only after money changed hands.
But mine has “Wilton” stamped lightly into the surface of the anvil. I didn’t see it until looking it over back at the shop.
You can barely see it in the photo. My suspicion is it was sold to a government spec or purchase order, and that may have required no brand marking beyond minimal identification. Or it had a sticker nameplate like pics and catalog pages above, though mine is in good enough shape that I think some residue of a sticker would remain.
As I sort out my new shop, I’m deciding where my vises will go. This one will end up wherever I decide will be the spot for small, precision work. The cart itself it getting an Armor Tools bench top with an array of dog holes for woodworking assembly, and that will hang over one end and use an end vise. The front vise on that will be an old Brinks and Cotton woodworking vise. This Wilton will probably end up on my Craftsman clean bench that will have a stool in front of it. My Chinesium vises will end up on the dirt bench that I have not yet moved into the shop.
Rick “waiting for warm days and less wind for moving that bench” Denney
Neither mine nor the OP’s has “Wilton” cast into the label plate. Just as well for me—the seller knew that “Wilton” was marketable and might have upped his price. I told him it was a Wilton only after money changed hands.
But mine has “Wilton” stamped lightly into the surface of the anvil. I didn’t see it until looking it over back at the shop.
You can barely see it in the photo. My suspicion is it was sold to a government spec or purchase order, and that may have required no brand marking beyond minimal identification. Or it had a sticker nameplate like pics and catalog pages above, though mine is in good enough shape that I think some residue of a sticker would remain.
As I sort out my new shop, I’m deciding where my vises will go. This one will end up wherever I decide will be the spot for small, precision work. The cart itself it getting an Armor Tools bench top with an array of dog holes for woodworking assembly, and that will hang over one end and use an end vise. The front vise on that will be an old Brinks and Cotton woodworking vise. This Wilton will probably end up on my Craftsman clean bench that will have a stool in front of it. My Chinesium vises will end up on the dirt bench that I have not yet moved into the shop.
Rick “waiting for warm days and less wind for moving that bench” Denney
Last edited:
Machinistwannabe
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I have one i am restoring that has the 3" jaws and the numbers also align with the early editions of the 744. My question is this: where can I source the thrust washer? Mine is badly damaged and I do not see screw holes in the dynamic jaw that would receive them.anyway. but there are holes in the sides as though it may have been pinned in place with drive pins or roll pins.
Attachments
Take a look at this thread:
Wilton early 744 materials question
Posted elsewhere but that thread coughed up a catalog page that in my beginner ignorance has attracted my curiosity. The vise in question is a Wilton, but not exactly like any regular 744. The jaws are narrower at 3" with 2" jaw-screw spacing, pipe jaws are not provided, and the swivel...
www.garagejournal.com
Rick “not wanting to **** on the OP’s thread further” Denney
I have one of the 3 inch versions also.It sure looks like a Wilton no.744, but the 3" jaws make no sense at all. The Wilton parts list also recognizes the moveable jaw number as a 4" no.744 vise.
Ats34...How much does it weigh?