The VISES of Garage Journal

[ChefRex]

ejot:
That‘s an amazing find and to top it off, it looks to be in excellent condition. Great score!

For any readers who aren’t familiar with big Reeds, the 208 models, the largest in the line, weigh almost 300 pounds. I have one of its baby brothers, the 204, and I think it could handle just about anything I could throw at it.

That explains the forklift!

 

[Andy FitzGibbon]

For any readers who aren’t familiar with big Reeds, the 208 models, the largest in the line, weigh almost 300 pounds.

The 209 is the largest of the line. 9" jaws and about 325 lbs.

 

[Shiftless]

The 209 is the largest of the line. 9" jaws and about 325 lbs.

Thanks for the correction…somewhere in the back of my mind I now remember hearing about the 9 inch Reed but evidently forgot. Need to switch back to full caffeinated coffee!

 

[Smitty]

That vise is beautiful, great snag, congrats. The old green repaint has a lot of character. I would probably strip the slide, refinish the meatball/handle and jaw faces, and throw a coat of paste wax over the rest of the green. Fully stripped and BLO would look great too! Heat the vise up before BLO finish for a deeper, darker finish.

I had a rotten day but it's all good cause there's a nice clean Reed 208 in my car.

Congrats on the Reed 208, it looks like it’s great condition. That’s an older model that might have a date stamp on it.

 

[KMScott]

Awesome 208 you picked up ejot. Been looking for one to add to the spreadsheet till yours showed up. Lucky guy to own one. More pic:s when you get a chance. Love to see the jaws and other features.

 

[va.grouseman]

Ejot, that is a beauty.---I've got a 208R, and they are beefy.---Yours's is nice and crisp.---Don't find many coming up for sale anymore.---You did good.

 

[compunaut]

Anyone care to comment on what a Wilton Cadet similar to this one would be worth? I think I have a line on one but not sure what to offer

 

[ejot]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I am beyond excited to call this vise mine and was so fortunate to come across it. It has indeed been very well cared after its whole life. Swivels so smooth one of my colleagues asked if it was on ball bearings while he was checking it out!

Smitty - totally forgot to check for a date stamp and will definitely look tomorrow
Dr Scott - absolutely, will do!
va - 208R or 108S is my ultimate dream big vise. Missed out on a 108S earlier this year and really regret not making it happen now.

 

[E.rodz]

just finished up putting my custom color choice down and restoring my Wilton vice and making a stand for it to finish off my bench!

 

[Bolster]

This vise has been hanging around my Dad's shop...I'll need to restore it soon...

 

[Catcher1984]

Got lucky and picked up a Wilton C1 today in great condition. It will most likely replace my 1760 once I clean it up.

 

[Duke74]

Henry is different. My dad has a 5" one. The company was called craft tools. Started by a patternmaker who made vises in a foundry in his back yard. Originally sold his vises to the military in wwii. As the war went on he ramped up production. Ended up making the majority of vises for the Canadian war effort. He sold the power tool division to porter cable around 1960, and stopped making vises then too.
Henry had no relation to rae at all. Very good vises! They basically took the best design elements from the different brands of English vises, and made the whole thing even heavier. Probably has about 15# on the equivalent record. I'd consider them my favorite of the English style vises.

Terrier is another Canadian vise. They are proper machinist style vises, but a bit lighter than the equivalent record.
I haven't seen a rae in person, but there are at least two more Canadian vise makers

Sent from my C1904 using Tapatalk

I have a few Rae vises. Henry is a good Vise too, I have one. Also, google ‘Northern King’, I have one of those also, it’s another old copycat as well as Terrier.

 

[Smitty]

This vise has been hanging around my Dad's shop...I'll need to restore it soon...

Your dad really took good care of it, the vise is in beautiful condition.
You might have to R-U-N-N-O-F-T with it.

 

[compunaut]

Just as a piece of pricing info, this Wilton 1750 (including shop-built stand) sold @ local auction for $260 today

 

[Shiftless]

That sounds like a fair price for that deal, assuming you need the stand.

 

[compunaut]

That sounds like a fair price for that deal, assuming you need the stand.

Too rich for my blood; all in my small collection were for CHEAP

 

[Shiftless]

True
I wouldn’t buy that vise and stand for $260 either. But for the open market, it’s a fair price. That set up probably went to a guy who planned to use it as is and not to somebody who collects and restores old vises.
Like you, I bought most of the vises in my collection at bargain prices.

 

[JACKUARS]

Hi everyone i have recently acquired this. Just starting to understand the vise obsession. What do yall think?

 

[akasrick]

Hi everyone i have recently acquired this. Just starting to understand the vise obsession. What do yall think?

Not a Wilton vise guy myself but I'll say...SHOWOFF!

akasrick

 

[va.grouseman]

Bolster, very clean and crisp #20.---Should clean up easy and be a real gem/eye candy when you are done.

 

[va.grouseman]

Attention, anyone in the Lonestar State, or road-tripper.---Real nice 4 pin, 4C on ePrey.---Real nice but a little pricey IMO.

Reed Mfg. Co. No. 4C Vice | eBay

<p>Reed Mfg. Co. No. 4C Vice. </p><p>Perfect conditions was got off a battleship. Anymore questions feel free to contact </p>

www.ebay.com

 

[Fierljeppen]

Hi everyone i have recently acquired this. Just starting to understand the vise obsession. What do yall think?

Very nice! The Schiller Park model no. 20 is the rarest Wilton "baby" vise by far.

Could you please post a photo of the date-stamp on the slide? It should be between (1982-1988).

 

[JACKUARS]

Very nice! The Schiller Park model no. 20 is the rarest Wilton "baby" vise by far.

Could you please post a photo of the date-stamp on the slide? It should be between (1982-1988).

Yea i can. It is 84 or 85. Will do when i get home

 

[JACKUARS]

Just cause i am learning is the model 20 go for all baby wilton’s or just the schiller park versions?

 

[FJ 432]

Just cause i am learning is the model 20 go for all baby wilton’s or just the schiller park versions?

Yes on the 20 and yours is rare because most were made/stamped Chicago. How much did you pay?

 

[JACKUARS]

Lets just say less than the cheapest vise at hf. A epic find. Very thankful

 

[JACKUARS]

By record is there a count of how many schiller’s were made? I know the chicago version were even made in schiller park cause the cases were made in chicago but assembled in schiller. Right?

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

A good friend of mine brought by this Hollands 16H the other day. About 40 years ago while his family owned the local school bus business he was tasked with cleaning out a bus barn / reair shop in a small nearby town. This was a very old building that was being emptied so the lot could be cleared for re-development. I went with him to help with the heavy items once or twice and in exchange recieved a few of the many vintage items that shop was packed with.

A few weeks back while I was at his current shop we started talking about that move and he showed me this vise. I didn't remember it but he said when we cleaned out that shop this vise had been in a closet and he didn't think it had ever been mounted. Anyway he for sure had never mounted it at his shop and it had been under his bench these last 40 years or so.

Anyway whether it was ever mounted or not it is in far and away the best condition of any 6" vise I've yet found. Most are pretty beat up. These cast in jaws are minty crisp. There was some paint drips on it, quite a bit of shop swarf, and it does have a few dings but most all the original dark green paint is still on it. I can't see any evidence of wear around the mounting holes though so maybe it wasn't ever bolted down? Here's one pic of how it showed up and a few after a couple hours of clean up. Ed.

 

[Adderall]

Shop Swarf is my new favorite garage term. If it was bolted down, they may have used bushings, but in my limited experience, i doubt anyone did. It may have just been a hand me down and pass around and never used, with the blemishes being storage and handling dings.


shop swarf.

 

[Old Radar]

Very, very nice!! So do you know how old it really is?

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Very, very nice!! So do you know how old it really is?

While cleaning it up I noticed a prominent 21 stamped under the front of the dynamic jaw slide. Doing a little searching I did find where someone had mentioned finding Hollands dates in that location. This is my first and only Hollands so I can't prove that theory out yet. I do see different versions of the Hollands name cast in the sides. This one includes USA which probably helps with manufacture dating. For now I'm going with 1921 based on the stamp and will be having a few shots to cellebrate the 100 birthday!

 

[Bolster]

Bolster, very clean and crisp #20.---Should clean up easy and be a real gem/eye candy when you are done.

Thank you sir. Can you recommend a paint that would look somewhat original and be a good choice?

 

[Shiftless]

Looks like I made it to 8000 posts now called messages. Mostly on this thread.
Thanks to all of you guys for giving me something to talk about!

 

[Raineman]

The Wilton posts are killing me. I want one so bad. I missed one this summer at a yard sale because I didn’t know enough about vises then.

That said, I finally picked up a vise for my shed that is not a mini. Got a 4” Fuller made in Japan. Also some pictures of my 3 minis, a Littlestown, a Craftsman, and a China one.

 

[ViceRoy2030]

Hollands before

Or after

 

[Shiftless]

Nice Hollands Keystone!
Is that bare metal? Did you use a wire wheel or ??

 

[Smitty]

Looks like I made it to 8000 posts now called messages. Mostly on this thread.
Thanks to all of you guys for giving me something to talk about!

Shift…Congratulations on reaching that milestone. Your contribution to this thread is huge and your willingness to share knowledge sets you apart.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks Smitty…you’re too kind.

 

[va.grouseman]

Thank you sir. Can you recommend a paint that would look somewhat original and be a good choice?

Bolster, I personally like the natural metal look, so boiled linseed oil is my preference.---There are so many options and colors of paint out there that I would hesitate to recomend any because everybody's taste is different.---I just like them with natural metal, and the BLO is a great rust protector.---But your #20 is in such good shape, you would have to try hard to make it look bad.

 

[Bolster]

Bolster, I personally like the natural metal look, so boiled linseed oil is my preference.---There are so many options and colors of paint out there that I would hesitate to recomend any because everybody's taste is different.---I just like them with natural metal, and the BLO is a great rust protector.---But your #20 is in such good shape, you would have to try hard to make it look bad.

That's a great idea...I've used BLO on cast iron surfaces, why not on a vise to keep it "natural" looking? By gum I'll do it and post up when the deed is done. Thanks for the pointer.