The VISES of Garage Journal

[Outlawmws]

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

In the Email thumbnail I assumed Statue of Liberty - I guess it s different liberty..

 

[CRSINMICH]

A patent apropos for today
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[micahd1997]

A patent apropos for today
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I had no idea this was a patent. So cool! Thank you for sharing

 

[dannyr]

A patent apropos for today
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remembering, on this great day, she stands for -- Magna Carta, --- Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite, and THESE TRUTHS WE HOLD TO BE .....--- best wishes from a limey on your anniversary

 

[colmal]

colmal: Reed classified their #90 as a Kit vise. It was meant to be carried to a jobsite and clamped to whatever was handy.

REED also marketed something they called a Strap Vise. It really stretched the definition of "vise". It had no jaws. The user tightened the "linen webbing" strap by advancing the screw.



Can a proper vise really have parts made of linen? lol​

While having a look around also noticed the Lock Tools (Australia) pipe vice I have pictured above (yet to put it back together, have just scrubbed it down and removed the crappy paint job, left some original paint on it) is a near identical copy of a Reed No 0 pipe vice, the front claw is the bending mechanism I'm presuming,not sure I'll ever use that, but still curious how it works.

 

[neophyte]

While having a look around also noticed the Lock Tools (Australia) pipe vice I have pictured above (yet to put it back together, have just scrubbed it down and removed the crappy paint job, left some original paint on it) is a near identical copy of a Reed No 0 pipe vice, the front claw is the bending mechanism I'm presuming,not sure I'll ever use that, but still curious how it works.

I think some “strap vises” may still be made for use with softer materials, or materials one might not like to mar, like plastic tubing, or highly polished tubing.
The straps are likely made from a higher strength fiber like nylon or kevlar nowadays, and possibly coated with rubber, or another grippy substance.

 

[colmal]

So, how common are the Goodell Pratt/Millers Falls Vise/drills ?

I've been keeping an eye out ever since I got a Goodell-Pratt clamp on, haven't seen any even in US, a few clamp on Drills is all.

Does every vise aficionado on here have one ? is it even a bucket list item ?

 

[Outlawmws]

Does every vise aficionado on here have one ? is it even a bucket list item ?

Never seen one personally.

 

[RTM]

Does every vise aficionado on here have one ? is it even a bucket list item ?

The real question: Does anyone even know it exists? (Before now obviously)

 

[micahd1997]

So, how common are the Goodell Pratt/Millers Falls Vise/drills ?

Does anyone even know it exists? (Before now obviously)

I only know of a couple, but thankfully they do exist

 

[gamescastspencer]

Picked up a Prentiss No.21 and Reed 404½ from a friend's father a few weeks back.


About $50 each is what I gave for them (sort of a package deal with other stuff). He had saved them years ago from Curtis-Toledo where he had worked. They were going to end up in the scrap bin along with some other Reeds that my friend kept for himself.

 

[Shiftless]

Spencer scored big time!
Not one but TWO swivel jaw vises from 2 of the most desirable companies. For just $50 each… that deserves a “you ****” if you ask me.

 

[ChefRex]

Times 2 on the you ****, I have yet to get my hands on a swivel jaw.

 

[Outlawmws]

Times 2 on the you ****, I have yet to get my hands on a swivel jaw.

Yep! Double ***** for that!

 

[gmiguy78]

Looking at my used Athol 924 1/2 swivel. Is it worth much more than a 924

 

[zanyad]

Picked up a Prentiss No.21 and Reed 404½ from a friend's father a few weeks back.
...
About $50 each is what I gave for them

Yep, you ****! I've wanted a swivel jaw since I first found out about them!

They were going to end up in the scrap bin along with some other Reeds that my friend kept for himself.

Wow, lucky him!

 

[micahd1997]

Yep, you ****! I've wanted a swivel jaw since I first found out about them!

Wow, lucky him!

You’re in Ohio? I have a couple friends you should talk to who could help get you a swivel jaw vise, basically any brand you’d like

 

[micahd1997]

These are a couple vises I was thrilled to receive recently:

Prentiss № 31 (Nickel-Plated): 1 ¾” jaws, 1 ½ lbs

Prentiss № 32 (Pin-Striped): 2” jaws, 3 ½ lbs

The № 31 came from a friend of mine who is a watchmaker-in-training. The № 32 came directly from the jeweler’s bench to which it was originally attached.

 

[gamescastspencer]

Thanks guys! I was quite pleased to get them. They need a little cleanup and love, but that’s easy enough.

I’ll add in my Humpty Dumpty sad ******* ‘Reedsman’ project I have been slowly working on as time allows.

It was a $5 buy from a friend (I shrewdly got him down from the $10 sticker price).


This poor thing had been abused bad, surprisingly, the nut and screw were in fine shape and the tail of the dynamic while showing signs of being used like an anvil, wasn’t too mushroomed and not cracked. Take a look at what was left of the jaws.


New handle, bronze bushing for the handle, bronze bushing n the screw thrust surface, made up and brazed in new pieces For what was broken and missing.



And machined out the remains of the cast in jaws, making insert jaws.

 

[micahd1997]

New handle, bronze bushing for the handle, bronze bushing n the screw thrust surface, made up and brazed in new pieces For what was broken and missing.

Your work looks immaculate

 

[Shiftless]

New handle, bronze bushing for the handle, bronze bushing n the screw thrust surface, made up and brazed in new pieces For what was broken and missing.

You’ve got the tools and you’ve got the talent. Great job!

 

[KMScott]

And machined out the remains of the cast in jaws, making insert jaws.

Nice work. Look forward to seeing your finished Reed and your insert jaws.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Question for the big Wilton bullet gurus here:
I came across a set of Wilton 404-6-1/2 Brass Soft Jaws.
I have a 6" Wilton C3. Can I make them fit my vise?

 

[micahd1997]

Mechanically speaking, one of the neatest vises I’ve ever personally owned.

This is a 4 ⅛” jaw, 58 ½ lb. № 30 Barrett “Adjustable Jaw Machinists’ Vise”. What’s amazing about this vise is that unlike any other adjustable vise you’ve ever seen, the dynamic jaw swivels…NOT the static jaw (unlike Mason Prentiss’s patented vise). It is truly a one-of-a-kind mechanism that I’ve never seen another manufacturer copy, and probably for good reason - the amount of machining involved combined with the ultimate limitations on the adjustable travel of the jaw from side to side seemed to have landed the design on a lower rung compared to other vise brands.

It’s in fantastic condition for its age, and it’s one of the only unbroken survivors I’ve ever seen. The last 100+ years of dry, Colorado weather have been exceptionally kind to this piece, and an outer layer of accumulated oil, grease, and shop grime have protected it well from rust.

The origins of the company source all the way back to 1858 when a man by the name of James Hazlet established the Crawford Iron Works on the corner of Arch and Mulberry St. in Meadville, PA. Hazlet eventually sold the business in 1880 to Harper & McKay who operated it for less than a year before brothers James and Charles Barrett purchased the works and dubbed it the Meadville Vise Company. The company officially incorporated on September 20, 1913 and changed their name a few years prior to the Barrett Machine & Tool Company. They continued producing vises and other equipment until roughly 1955 when, sadly, their property was seized and liquidated due to delinquent non-payment of taxes.

 

[Outlawmws]

№ 30 Barrett “Adjustable Jaw Machinists’ Vise”.

I'm confused, I don't see either jaw swiveling. it has a unique looking swivel base that appears it lock up when the jaws tighten, (or can be locked with the side locks), but, despite the name, no visible jaw swivels?

 

[four.cycle]

I'm confused, I don't see either jaw swiveling.

I don't either, and I'm quite puzzled here.

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@micahd1997 -

Your history narrative above is a bit different than the information I have here:

Meadville / Meadville Vise Co. Ltd., Meadville, PA / "Barrett's Patent" vise / patent 453793 Jun 9 1891 James O. Barrett / see also J.S. & Co., New York, NY / acquired by Yost Vise Co. 1909 /



Meadville Vise at International Tool Catalog Library

@CRSINMICH - care to weigh in here?

(ALL "Meadville" I have on file below)

 

[micahd1997]

I'm confused, I don't see either jaw swiveling

Unfortunately the video that I attempted to post didn’t go through (I forgot that GJ doesn’t allow videos). I’ve attached a couple pictures that should give a better idea. Essentially, there’s an interior hub that allows the nut itself to swivel.

Your history narrative above is a bit different than the information I have here:

Whether from a newspaper reference somewhere or a mention of Yost in connection with Barrett from GJ at some point, that does sound vaguely familiar. However, I have multiple newspaper sources that indicate activity at Barrett as late as the early 50s. I’ve attached a newspaper clipping where it appears they’re even attempting to raise capital in 1947. Do you have any sources on file that specifically mention Yost buying them out? Maybe Yost bought them but they continued to operate publicly as their own entity?

 

[Outlawmws]

Unfortunately the video that I attempted to post didn’t go through (I forgot that GJ doesn’t allow videos). I’ve attached a couple pictures that should give a better idea. Essentially, there’s an interior hub that allows the nut itself to swivel.

OK, that makes more sense now and I can see how the swivel is a double swivel for both the base and the slide. (affecting the jaw)

 

[micahd1997]

acquired by Yost Vise Co. 1909

Do you have any sources on file that specifically mention Yost buying them out?

It looks like at one time, the history for the Meadville Vise Company on Vintage Machinery included a 1910 reference to Yost having bought the company, but it looks like that reference was later corrected and updated to the Williamson Vise Co. Could this be the confusion?

Meadville Vise Co. | Barrett Machine Tool Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

 

[micahd1997]

Some neat history on the Barrett Machine Tool Company from a 1912 publication: Historical and Industrial Review of Meadville, PA

 

[four.cycle]

Do you have any sources on file that specifically mention Yost buying them out?

Looks like it originated from a post HERE which no doubt came from:
erroneous press release regarding acquisition by Yost HERE at VintageMachinery.org

 

[micahd1997]

@four.cycle
I think I found the source of the confusion - it looks like the September 1910 publication of The American Blacksmith was incorrect. Hard not to go wrong when the source documents appear to be the issue!

The attached 1910-05-31 article from The Evening Republican of Meadville, PA thoroughly lays out the consolidation between the G. M. Yost Company and Williamson Manufacturing of Bradford, PA.

The attached 1910-09-00 (four months later) article from The American Blacksmith seems to incorrectly state that Yost "recently purchased the entire plant and equipment of the Meadville Vise Co., of the same city."

I have several resources that confirm that by 1905, the Meadville Vise Co. had already changed its name to the Barrett Machine Tool Company, so I'm inclined to believe that The American Blacksmith author simply got his wires crossed somewhere.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Correct. Fixed now (in my list, anyway...I think.... )

Barrett / Barrett Machine Tool Co., Meadville, PA / successor to Meadville Vise Co. Ltd. ca. 1905-1955 / see also Meadville Vise Co. Ltd., see also Barrett Vise & Tool Co., Meadville, PA /

Barrett / Barrett Vise & Tool Co., Meadville, PA / est. 1881, merged with Meadville Vise Co. Ltd. mid-1890s, inc. 1913 / patent 385834 Jul 10 1888 & 388945 Sep 4 1888 William Noble Barrett / see also Meadville Vise Co. Ltd., see also Barrett Machine Tool Co., Meadville, PA /

Meadville / Meadville Vise Co. Ltd., Meadville, PA (also "Meadville Vise & Tool") / est. 1890, renamed Barrett Machine Tool Co. 1905 / "Barrett's Patent" vise / patent 453793 Jun 9 1891 James O. Barrett / see also J.S. & Co., New York, NY / http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=3004&tab=0 /

Mark will probably get all that stuff I sent to him scanned and uploaded at ITCL soon.

 

[four.cycle]

RE: Meadville catalog pages posted above (post #96306)

The catalog pages from "Montgomery & Co." that I posted yesterday - which were dated 1930 - are actually from 1910.
Those in that post have now been corrected.
If you downloaded those files yesterday, please be aware the dates are incorrect: they are actually from a 1910 catalog
I was just advised of this by our resident catalog guru @Mark Stansbury.

Thanks Mark!

(* this is an issue I run into all too frequently. ebay sellers seem concerned more about selling than accuracy. *)]

 

[micahd1997]

Those in that post have now been corrected.

this is an issue I run into all too frequently. ebay sellers seem concerned more about selling than accuracy. *)]

Your commitment to accuracy is much appreciated, @four.cycle. Ebay sellers and others are one of the biggest reasons I rely so heavily on the OEM catalogs.

I’m sure you have too - I’ve even seen many wholesale hardware catalogs that advertise a specific model, style, or size of vise that, per the company-issued catalogs, was discontinued several years prior.

 

[four.cycle]

^ It's a common issue when stealing screenshots of catalog pages on ebay. Sellers are interested in selling, not historical accuracy. I' get that, but it can be confounding to discover something you thought you were using as a reference point was off by 20 years.

 

[PeterPeter]

Does the Float-Lock vise deserve a mention in this thread? Not sure of the history, but seeing this pat. pend. I assume it is an early example. Later versions have a quick release.
peter, peter

 

[CRSINMICH]

Certainly it does


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[Outlawmws]

Does the Float-Lock vise deserve a mention in this thread? Not sure of the history, but seeing this pat. pend. I assume it is an early example. Later versions have a quick release.
peter, peter

Certainly it does

Agreed; pretty sure it already has been here (possibly with the same Q & A)

 

[neophyte]

Does the Float-Lock vise deserve a mention in this thread? Not sure of the history, but seeing this pat. pend. I assume it is an early example. Later versions have a quick release.
peter, peter

These have been mentioned before.