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There's no date stamping anywhere that I can see. Does the "Pat Pending" indicate that the vise was made in 1941? It's amazingly smooth; it's easy to open or spin it shut with one finger, and for the last few inches the handle will make two or three revolutions per spin. Brian

Well, tonights posts finally nudged me to go down to my tiny shop and take some pics of my Wilton No. 3. I bought this 4 or 5 years ago at an estate sale at a lovely house in Oakland, CA. I saw the vise as a tiny image in a pic in the craigslist posting on Friday night - the post said that the...

Love that motor. I've picked up two old drill presses with old motors, and just got an old General Motors 1/3HP motor being used as a buffer...will post pics for a laugh at the horrific wiring. But the motor is cast iron and a true work of art, and smoother that anything I've ever owned. It puts...

Just awesome! Would you post a video of it running? Any idea what it weighs?

Very nice. Any idea when it was made?

Definitely made by Hi-Lift, still in business in Bloomfield. I’ve had one, and quality is fine, but the castings have been done in Taiwan for many years.

Nice look on the garage. My thoughts...where do you find out about the AUCTION that leads to a nice $45 press etc? I hear about these mysterious auctions but never see them, at least not in overpriced NorCal. Also, a big thumbs up for your Kennedy rolling tool drawers. I'd love to get one of...

Nice cave, including the wooden chair. I love those old English-pattern workbenches. There is a huge bench like yours in the old gristmill in Stoors, CT (where my wifes family lived); the mill was built in, IIRC, 1730. The bench must be at least 150 years old, and still looks completely usable.

Looks like a blacksmiths post vise that's been modified. They usually go all the way to the ground to transmit the shock - this looks trimmed.

There's nothing else printed on the handle. The end may have been cut off, because it's not very well finished, but the entire steel shaft is much thicker and heavier than any screwdriver I've ever seen, at least relative to the size of the handle.

Picked this up at a charity thrift store yesterday, along with some nice old Vaco nut drivers. What's it for? Cheers, Brian

I picked up some fine tools at an estate sale last weekend. The owner is 93 and still pretty spry, but was a bit of a hoarder. I don't know when her husband died but there were a fair number of tools there, including this drill bit set. - Any idea who made these? All the large bits are stamped...

Picked up this old bottle jack today. It appears to be old and American-made, but I'm not sure, perhaps it was marketed by American Tube but made elsewhere? Can anyone give an estimate when this was made? It's not functioning at all - but when I lift the piston up it is sort of sucked back...

Andy - here you are. My vise is newer - I wish Record still included the oil hole and the swivel lock levers rather then the bolts that require a wrench to swivel the vise - and I completely love the way they dovetailed the anvil surface into the vise in that old catalog page! I included shots...

Success! Using liberal doses of PB Blaster and Liquid Wrench, I was able to finesse the DP head off with a stout piece of oak and a 5-pound sledge. It was remarkably satisfying when that big hunk of cast iron slowly rotated free... Thanks all for the advice. The next steps will be motor...

I've got one. Mines newer than your 75 but the dimensions are likely the same. Will find it and try to post tomorrow, but may not be able to get to it until Saturday. Brian

Thanks, all. When you mention using a "cherry picker" do you mean a rolling engine hoist (if that's the right term), or is it something else (that I can't afford or have space for?)

IainP - Good work on the restore! I don't think your vise is a re-badged Record, but it appears to be a good copy of the little Record #V175, which was the largest of their "Hobby Woodworking Vises" that were lighter duty and non-quick release. They made three sizes of these "Woodcraft" vises...

Well, I've been looking for an old American DP since I foolishly sold my late-60s Emerson-made Craftsman 15-1/2" bench top DP before a move earlier this year. Stopped by a nearby estate sale this weekend at the home of a 94 year-old amateur welder and hobbyist who is moving to a senior home...

To fill in the sad late history of Record Tools, they were bought by American Tool (which seemed a fine company; owned ViseGrips, Irwin, Marathon etc etc). American Tool seemed to keep their hands off for a few years, then was unfortunately bought by Newell-Rubbermaid. Newell-Rubbermaid didn't...