The VISES of Garage Journal

[Lump]

While running my automotive swap meet today, I saw a very large, old bench vise. When I entered the seller's booth to check it out, I learned that it is a Charles Parker No. 289-1/2. It's really big....especially TALL! Jaws are 6" wide, but the whole unit is 14" tall. Anyone know what specific duty this vise was intended for?

Seller wants $700.00. I have no idea what it might be worth, but I figured that number is too high. I've shared some photos here, and would appreciate input from the Vise Experts of Garage Journal. Thanks in advance.

 

[Outlawmws]

WAY too much for a repaired vise Lump! (weld on the slide to the D-jaw)

Good to see you posting again!

 

[Shiftless]

WAY too much for a repaired vise Lump! (weld on the slide to the D-jaw)

Good to see you posting again!

Yes, good to see you back. What have you been up to, Lump?
And I agree with outlaw, I would hesitate at half that much.

 

[colmal]

Seen on Facebook
Anybody see something in particular that screams artificial intelligence?

That's just a Bubba special

 

[Beerhippie]

That's just a Bubba special

That's a bad acid trip.

 

[micahd1997]

and I'm aware of what 'assume' makes me. I'll look more into Lewis vises to see if 'replaceable faces' are mentioned.

well at some point, assumptions are the best we can hope for without concrete evidence; I'm certainly not above that myself. My personal assumption/theory is that neither the Lewis Tool Company nor the Prentiss Vise Company (Mortimer G Lewis was a shareholder for both companies for the duration of the companies' lives, until his passing in 1915) incorporated removable jaws for any of their vises until around the time of Charles Darwin Bingham's removable jaw patent #994,240 in 1911 (filed in December, 1910). Prentiss' 1910 re-issue of their catalog No 49 (issued late that year) was their first catalog to ever mention or depict removable jaws. Beginning with Prentiss' 1902 catalog, they began including Lewis' vises (despite Lewis having issued their own catalog dating as far back as 1896, though they were incorporated in 1894). Aside from never having seen a Lewis vise with removable jaws, I've also never seen a catalog depiction of a Lewis vise with removable jaws. Prentiss continued advertising Lewis' vises until their 1917 catalog, but they finally discontinued the line in early 1919. Despite updating the visual advertisements for their own vises to depict removable jaws AND even giving the Lewis vise advertisements a refresh in the 1917 catalog, they still didn't depict the Lewis vises with removable jaws. Hope that helps!

Looking back at Mortimer Lewis' vise patents shows that he had swivel jaws from early on. The first two from 1883 and 1884 were for FRONT jaw swivelers and one of them used the commonly missing or stuck Tapered Pin. The swivel lock on the 1883 patent was on the side of the jaw not the rear. The 1905 patent was given to C Hanimann but assigned to Lewis and the swivel lock was located at the rear of the jaw.

Thanks for sharing those pictures! Beautiful illustrations. I personally don't think I've ever seen a surviving example of either of Mortimer's 1883 or 1884 patents (assuming they were ever actually placed into production). The patents that I believe would apply to @Shiftless vise would be Mortimer's Jan 5, 1892 (#466,466) and Apr 12, 1892 (#472,674) patents (see pictures). The Jan 5th patent specifically includes the swivel jaw locking pin. Given that @Shiftless vise bears the "Lewis Tool Co" name, the company was incorporated in 1894, and the swivel jaw pin patent was issued in 1892, my only reasonable explanation is that it was a mistake from the factory somehow. But it does have me scratching my head a little.

michad: While searching for swivel lock mechanisms, I discovered this 1841 patent of William Sim. In the final paragraph, he talks about casting steel faces into the iron jaws.

Very cool! I wonder if this was the very first suggestion of casting a jaw type of different material into the vise itself?

 

[micahd1997]

@Shiftless Literal seconds after making my post above, I went back to take a closer look at some of the pictures you posted. I don't think you referenced this in your post (so this may be an exciting discovery for you...), but I noticed the remnants of a "PATD APR..." stamp on the slide of your Lewis, which should be a reference to Mortimer's April 12, 1892 patent I shared a picture of above. Pretty neat! I'd be interested in closer pictures if you can discern any other markings.

The VISES of Garage Journal

Has to be a machine shop - "nothing over 100 lbs" :see: You remembered! Yes… I used to own some good examples of heavyweights like a Reed 406 and a Reed 4C. I sold those off to conform with my self imposed guideline that I invoked when I turned 70. Nothing over 100 pounds. One of my favorite...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Shiftless]

…but I noticed the remnants of a "PATD APR..." stamp on the slide of your Lewis, which should be a reference to Mortimer's April 12, 1892 patent I shared a picture of above. Pretty neat! I'd be interested in closer pictures if you can discern any other markings.

THANKS!
I never noticed that before. That pic might be the best view but I’ll try some different lighting angles to see if more stamped lettering shows up. That poor old vise has seen some rough duty over the years.

 

[micahd1997]

Friends, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the one and only Mortimer G Lewis, co-founder of the Prentiss Vise Company, president of the Lewis Tool Company, and recipient of an astounding 23 patents (16 of them vise-related) during his lifetime. I’ve searched for nearly four years to find any surviving picture of Mr. Lewis. At this time, I believe this to be the only known photograph of him.

Mortimer Garwood Lewis was born in Derby, CT on October 3rd, 1834 to Garwood and Sarah Lewis during the last term of our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, 24 years before the American Civil War, and 30 years before the birth of Laura Ingalls. He married Maria Bower Mulford in his late 20s, and by the age of 31 in 1865 was living in Havana, NY with Maria and their 3 year-old daughter, Jessie (pictured). Mortimer and Maria also bore a son named Elmer Paul Lewis several years later in 1874. It was around this time (judging by the age of Mortimer’s daughter, Jessie, in the picture) that this photograph was taken.

Several years later, lumber dealer, James F Hall, moved to Havana in 1876 to partner with longtime resident, Elbert P Cook, in the earliest-documented manufacture of Mason Prentiss’ patented vise. It’s unclear exactly why, but Mortimer G Lewis and his brother-in-law, civil war General John E Mulford, took an interest in the operation and purchased the interest of Elbert P Cook only a year later in 1877. From there, the business expanded quickly. They incorporated as the Hall Manufacturing Company that same year, moved the operation to New York City in 1878, and finally rebranded as the Prentiss Vise Company in 1881. Mortimer proceeded to issue at least 16 separate vise-related patents over the next 23 years. It was on the backs of several of these patents that he incorporated the Lewis Tool Company in 1894 (once again, alongside his brother-in-law, John E Mulford) under which to manufacture his own line of vises. However, despite what appeared to be a successful 13 year run, the Lewis Tool Company dissolved and the Prentiss Vise Company ultimately assumed ownership and production of Lewis’s vises around 1906. It was at this time that Mortimer (now 69) apparently retired and moved with his wife, Maria, to Alassio, Italy. It was here that he ultimately passed away on June 29th, 1915 at the age of 80. We learn from one of his passports just two years prior that he had brown eyes and stood 5’ 10 ½” tall.

 

[CRSINMICH]

micahd: I had fun dressing up the photo. I hope you don't mind.

​

 

[micahd1997]

micahd: I had fun dressing up the photo. I hope you don't mind.

​

Not in the least, CRS - to the contrary, thank you! It looks great.

I’ve been scanning a lot recently and have a ways to go. In my next batch, I intend to scan that photograph in HD and upload it here as well: https://archive.org/details/@micah_darwin

 

[CRSINMICH]

Shiftless: I suspect that you're old enough to know what the black triangles at the corners of the photo represent.