The VISES of Garage Journal

[Edm152]

Upward pressure from benchtop

 

[four.cycle]

^ Thanks gentlemen. I'll hold off on that Parker. I'll be out there in a month or so. Maybe they'll negotiate after it collects dust for a while.

 

[SkyPuncher]

Here's the other 2 I recently brought home. A Samson 5214, 5" jaws @ 102 pounds and an FPU 6" jaws n@ 82 pounds with a "mild" repair....

 

[PeterPeter]

I’ve seen some pretty big Athols, but this is the largest so far.

Wish I could have corralled it, but at 240#, I have no realistic way of even moving the dynamic jaw by myself.

peter, peter too pooped to pump

 

[tool_scrounge]

I’ve seen some pretty big Athols, but this is the largest so far.

Wish I could have corralled it, but at 240#, I have no realistic way of even moving the dynamic jaw by myself.

peter, peter too pooped to pump

Nice vise! Do you know the model number? I cannot quite read it from the photo.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice vise! Do you know the model number? I cannot quite read it from the photo.

Looks like 647 to me?

 

[PeterPeter]

Nice vise! Do you know the model number? I cannot quite read it from the photo.

Outlaw has it. 647. 7” jaws, 12.5” opening, 240#. It was 1/2 hour away from me and reasonably priced. I really need to get a hoist, and a small trailer. I’m not getting any younger, and my taste in vises is only getting bigger.

Besides, I don’t want to get greedy. Just picked up this Prentiss 96, 153#. I want to leave some good ones for others.



peter, etc.

 

[PeterPeter]

Outlaw has it. 647. 7” jaws, 12.5” opening, 240#. It was 1/2 hour away from me and reasonably priced. I really need to get a hoist, and a small trailer. I’m not getting any younger, and my taste in vises is only getting bigger.

Besides, I don’t want to get greedy. Just picked up this Prentiss 96, 153#. I want to leave some good ones for others.



peter, etc.

I’m returning to the scene of the crime where the Prentiss was found this weekend. You can see it sticking out on the right.

I found the Prentiss day one of the hunt, but came back the next day to find these treasures:

There’s so much more to find…

peter, peter, peter, peter (need extra peter to help sift through this stuff)

 

[KMScott]

I’d be all over that Kurt vise. Bridgeport if picked up for under a grand might be a diamond in the ruff.

 

[PeterPeter]

I’d be all over that Kurt vise. Bridgeport if picked up for under a grand might be a diamond in the ruff.

That is one of two Bridgeports. I’m sure a couple hundred would take it. First, a big lathe would have to be moved, and a wall taken down. I’ll get the Kurt, and there must be a half dozen other large milling vises about. I really want a t-slot table; so far I have only found a tilting one which is a bit large for my needs.
I wish I could deal with one of the five tool-room lathes. But they’re all too big, and besides, this is a dirt floor shop, with a 150 year old barn overhead. Water and dirt have been raining down through cracks in the floor on everything for at least a decade. Any machine will be a long row to hoe to bring back to life. I’m looking more at the peripheral tooling (no carbide; that has been claimed) like collets, steady rests, chucks, etc. I’m pretty sure a scrapper will be found to do the actual clean-out. I’m just skimming the top. I did leave out the first things I picked : OC White lamps:

peter, peter who saw the light, and grabbed them, cleaned them a little, and sold them on eBay.

 

[SoCal Vise]

Can someone please identify this vise.

 

[Shiftless]

Can someone please identify this vise.

Thanks for posting that pic. Image saved.

 

[PeterPeter]

Can someone please identify this vise.

Bed, Vise and Beyond?

 

[Outlawmws]

Can someone please identify this vise.

Has to be ACME...

 

[Shiftless]

In case people forgot, there are a few real ACME vises around. Here is one jond23 posted a few years back.

 

[CRSINMICH]

​

 

[four.cycle]

^ Thanks gentlemen. I'll hold off on that Parker. I'll be out there in a month or so. Maybe they'll negotiate after it collects dust for a while.

It doesn't make sense to blow what would come to $300 for that vise (including my fuel costs.)
I may venture out there later this summer. August for sure. No telling if it will still be there.

In the meantime, Earthwise just happened upon several large vises. Prices seem a bit steep:
6" Wilton $300 Seattle
6" Reed $400 Seattle
6" Reed $350 Seattle
4" Columbian $200 Seattle

 

[Outlawmws]

Prices seem a bit steep:

Asking and getting are two different things...

 

[a6hux]

My brother found a old Columbian 4in. Getting it mounted for some work!

 

[micahd1997]

Needing the group’s help! Can anyone show me either an advertisement of this vise (Prentiss № B161 1/2) OR another survivor like it?

This 3” vise is one in Prentiss’ line of “Shepard” vises. These were introduced by Prentiss in 1895 and were discontinued by 1936. By no later than 1929, Prentiss was manufacturing this line with detachable steel jaws. The № 161 ½ wasn’t introduced until 1902.

Now here’s the interesting part: throughout the entire advertised life of the “Shepard” bench vise line, these vises were made ROUND bases (see catalog picture) and came “equipped with a central bolt, nut, and washer for fastening to bench. Is also provided with bolt holes for permanently securing to the bench”, per the Prentiss catalogs. Not only does this 3” Shepard have a three-footed base (unlike any I’ve ever seen), but the addition of the “B” in the serial number is completely new to me as well.

In short, I’ve yet to see another “Shepard” bench vise with a three-foot stationary base or the addition of a letter in the serial number. Despite this vise being one of the lesser-quality, less-glamorous lines that Prentiss made, the number of known, un-cataloged Prentiss vises is so few that I couldn’t pass it up. I’d love to know that more of these exist, so please post a comment if you’ve seen one or own one.

 

[four.cycle]

161½ Prentiss Shepard vise

no 'B'

 

[micahd1997]

161½ Prentiss Shepard vise

no 'B'

Wow that’s for all that digging! You always come up with great catalog pictures. No “B” and no three-foot stationaries…all round bases. Realistically, I can’t imagine that my 3-foot vise is a one-off. It wouldn’t make sense that Prentiss would have an entirely new pattern made just for one vise

 

[Outlawmws]

It wouldn’t make sense that Prentiss would have an entirely new pattern made just for one vise

Not for one but for a short test run maybe. That might be a short prototype run that didn't pan out and someone took one home rather than scrap it.

 

[micahd1997]

Not for one but for a short test run maybe. That might be a short prototype run that didn't pan out and someone took one home rather than scrap it.

It certainly could be. Plenty of Prentiss’s other vises made similar design transitions over the years without looking back. Makes me wonder why this design wouldn’t have panned out.

Unfortunately the friend I received it from found it at a swap meet in Texas, so I’ll likely not be able to trace it any further

 

[Batg]

Sturdy little vice.

 

[Outlawmws]

104 Reeds are great work horses.

 

[SoCal Vise]

Interesting detail on the Rs and Ps. Well played, wish they would have done the S in USA.

 

[micahd1997]

Interesting detail on the Rs and Ps. Well played, wish they would have done the S in USA.

That’s really cool. I’ve never seen (or maybe just never noticed) that on any Reed before

 

[SoCal Vise]

That’s really cool. I’ve never seen (or maybe just never noticed) that on any Reed before

They look dead on too. Either someone really cared…or factory?

 

[micahd1997]

They look dead on too. Either someone really cared…or factory?

Me personally, I’d think factory. If a user really cared, I think they wouldn’t have missed the “S”.