The Monarch 224 was another brand from Prentiss. 224 has 6" jaws, opens 9" and weighs 115 lbs. Compared to the Prentiss BullDog 96 which has 6" jaws, opens 10 inches and weighs 155 lbs. People love the lion's head emblem on them and are a "lower" grade vs the BullDog but still respected here from what I have read (have never had one). Here is a 1917 catalog page of the set of fixed and swivel designs like yours.
www.garagejournal.com
i suspect a nit line (I also see the term cold shut) when casting. They crack too consistently in the same location.
vietnamcastiron.com
May be to do with casting technique, and it's made worse by people using the top of the slide as an anvil.
Andy, you beat me to it. I have a few Prentiss vises in my collection (Not even close to the number Smitty has in his) but as far as cracked slides go, the number of Prentiss I have seen with cracks seems greater than other brands. I stay away from cracked slides but I’m a bit picky.
to what Shiftless said.---Nothing on a vise is an anvil.---Nothing on a vise should be used as an anvil.---Not even the anvil on a vise.---It's not hard steel like an anvil is required to be, they're just added selling points for that particular brand of vise.---Get an anvil, or if it's not feasible, get some plate steel, or a chunk of railroad.---I know I'm beating a dead horse because people are still going to beat on their vises.
What you aren't going to tease us with the "free stuff" you had to take to get the vise?Unfortunately they had it in a lot that contained all the contents of a workbench that I really had no interest in taking....... First I have to sell all the stuff that came with it.
Yeah… those bulk buys often make great stories.
Thanks guys. I’m still sorting and cleaning all the other stuff and will post that up in the GS thread.
Drives, yes at the moment the pin is not moving. I have sprayed it with some penetrating oil and am letting it soak. I’m focusing on getting rid of the extra stuff that came with the vise before I really get into it.
That is an amazing find. Congrats!
Thank you!
Wow. Here is a 1902 Catalog page of the 90, 92, 94 and 98 vises. Also 3 pages from 1912 catalog on them. And the Hall patent from 1873 (it is in PDF, so I hope you can see it here). Else, I can convert the pages to JPG.
WOW, beautiful vise! Well done!I was asked to cross post my ultimate vise project for you all to see. You can read more about it here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/my-ultimate-bench-vise-a-long-journey.504985/
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In my shop, I’ve found that my most used tool is my bench vise. I’d long wanted a larger, more precise vise that I could use for everything from holding machined parts right out of the mill for tertiary operations to pressing components together to holding parts for general fabrication. Because I tend to do so much grinding (largely with a 2x72 belt grinder on the same bench as my vise) I’ve long appreciated the sealed construction commonly seen on Wilton bullet vises. I spent a while looking for one that would suit my desires but between the prices in my area and the features of the vise that I wished were done differently, I decided to turn this into a rather ambitious project: building my ultimate bench vise from scratch.
This started as a rather simple list of requirements:
I spent about a year tinkering with the design in CAD before deciding to commit to trying to make it. Over that time I came up with a number of fairly unique designs to help achieve my goals with the equipment I had access to.
- 5” jaws with the same screw pattern as my current vise so I could share soft/hard jaws between my vises
- 10”+ maximum capacity for holding large parts
- Sealed slide/screw assembly to keep grit out and grease in
- Thrust bearing in the dynamic jaw for more efficient transfer of applied torque to clamping pressure
- Fine pitch (8 tpi) ACME lead screw for high clamping pressure
- Removable handle with hex on lead screw for operating vise with a drill
- Swivel base with dowel pins locking the vise at 45˚ increments so it can’t swivel unintentionally under high loads
- Hardened and removable (for resurfacing) anvil
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Final photos after paint and assembly:
As a confirmed admirer of vises over 100 years old, all I can say is -- unlike most modern vises, that is very, very impressiveI was asked to cross post my ultimate vise project for you all to see. You can read more about it here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/my-ultimate-bench-vise-a-long-journey.504985/
---
In my shop, I’ve found that my most used tool is my bench vise. I’d long wanted a larger, more precise vise that I could use for everything from holding machined parts right out of the mill for tertiary operations to pressing components together to holding parts for general fabrication. Because I tend to do so much grinding (largely with a 2x72 belt grinder on the same bench as my vise) I’ve long appreciated the sealed construction commonly seen on Wilton bullet vises. I spent a while looking for one that would suit my desires but between the prices in my area and the features of the vise that I wished were done differently, I decided to turn this into a rather ambitious project: building my ultimate bench vise from scratch.
This started as a rather simple list of requirements:
I spent about a year tinkering with the design in CAD before deciding to commit to trying to make it. Over that time I came up with a number of fairly unique designs to help achieve my goals with the equipment I had access to.
- 5” jaws with the same screw pattern as my current vise so I could share soft/hard jaws between my vises
- 10”+ maximum capacity for holding large parts
- Sealed slide/screw assembly to keep grit out and grease in
- Thrust bearing in the dynamic jaw for more efficient transfer of applied torque to clamping pressure
- Fine pitch (8 tpi) ACME lead screw for high clamping pressure
- Removable handle with hex on lead screw for operating vise with a drill
- Swivel base with dowel pins locking the vise at 45˚ increments so it can’t swivel unintentionally under high loads
- Hardened and removable (for resurfacing) anvil
---
Final photos after paint and assembly:
I too would have been tempted. Maybe set off a smoke bomb on the far end of the shop for a diversion and pull out the wrench you usually carry in your pocket.
Two vises, including Parker 289½, at the historic East Broad Top RR roundhouse and the separate machine shop. This shop tour was the best $10 I ever spent. The line ceased regular operations in 1956, then has been a tourist line on and off since 1960. I doubt the machine shop has been used since '56, since it ran on a stationary steam engine and line shafts. The narrow gauge line was quite profitable in the early 1900s so bought a lot of machine tools and was largely self-sufficient for repairs and even car construction.
I corrected the manufacturer from Prentiss to Parker, my apologies. Weight in 1912 catalog is 155 #.I too would have been tempted. Maybe set off a smoke bomb on the far end of the shop for a diversion and pull out the wrench you usually carry in your pocket.
Prentiss 289 1/2 is listed in the big vise spreadsheet at nearly 200 pounds so I don’t know how many guys I’d need to help me run away with that vise.
If anything they they share a same foundry.I picked up this cute little Erie Tool Works 2 1/2". Erie has always interested me as a company... they appear to have been smallest of "The Three" (Reed, Hollands, Erie) and their tools and vises seem to turn up the least. Their oval slide design is interesting as well.
It would appear that both Hollands and Erie contracted with Reed to make some of their product. Reed had the largest facility by far, and seems to have rebadged their own machinist vise line for both companies at various points. Perhaps they manufactured other exclusive products as well.
Yes it is, va.
