Biggest bench vise ever made?
- Thread starter A_Pmech
- Start date
bsaint
Well-known member
holy excrement
don-vee
Well-known member
That's ridiculous! Is this yours? If so, I'm jealous. Not that I'd ever find much use for it, but it's just badass to own.
rwhite692
Well-known member
GJ member Jopickens has this one. Prentiss Bulldog #58.
Although he has it post-mounted, it is a bench vise.
Thread with his restoration of the vise:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26813&highlight=vise+jopickens&page=2
Although he has it post-mounted, it is a bench vise.
Thread with his restoration of the vise:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26813&highlight=vise+jopickens&page=2
Last edited:
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
I'm curious... What is the biggest (and / or heaviest) "bench" style vise ever made?
The biggest I'm aware of is a Hollands 18, which is supposed to be in the 350-400 lb range:
DO WANT!
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
A Hollands 18, although large, is in the mid 200 pound range. It is a pretty standard 8" vise. Mitch had a bead on one a while back and at the time, we were tricked into thinking it had 10" jaws and that's why I guessed so high. GJ member demoman has the biggest vises on record right now (and I hate him for it!) with a Reed 109 and a couple big Hollands vises.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1131870&postcount=1063
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1024546&postcount=685
As for the largest ever made, that is a great question and someday I hope to own the answer.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1131870&postcount=1063
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1024546&postcount=685
As for the largest ever made, that is a great question and someday I hope to own the answer.
mjozefow
Well-known member
Big honkin Columbian:
Romanova
Well-known member
American made = bigger and better! Those vises are awesome!
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
Yeah I forgot about that one, too. At first I had trouble believing the weight he gave, but I helped my friend move a No. 57 the other day and that thing was STOUT. A No. 58 very well could be well over 300 lbs.
SCscoutguy
Well-known member
Man I had to do a double take at first. I thought that was a lion in the background of your picture.
mjozefow
Well-known member
IIRC that Prentiss was right at about 300lbs.
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
Ooh yeah I think you are right, my bad.
woody 73
Well-known member
I don't know about you boys but how in heck do you lift those monsters??? If I lift a small grapefruit for my breakfast I can not feel my lower testicles for a week.
emeraldcoupe
Well-known member
I'm curious... What is the biggest (and / or heaviest) "bench" style vise ever made?
The biggest I'm aware of is a Hollands 18, which is supposed to be in the 350-400 lb range:
Big honkin Columbian:
without a doubt those are the most AWESOME vises i've ever seen
At that point, it's really got to be more of a conversation piece than functional piece of shop equipment... at least for the home shop mechanics among us.
But hell, I like talking as much as the next guy, so I'd snap up a huge one!
-Brad
But hell, I like talking as much as the next guy, so I'd snap up a huge one!
-Brad
mjozefow
Well-known member
I don't know about you boys but how in heck do you lift those monsters??? If I lift a small grapefruit for my breakfast I can not feel my lower testicles for a week.
But how about the upper testicles?
Lump
Well-known member
At first glance, that Hollands 18 in the pic looks as big as the pony! Ha.
So, what are its measurements, please? What does it weigh?
VERY cool!
So, what are its measurements, please? What does it weigh?
VERY cool!
TheGrooveking
Well-known member
I don't know about you boys but how in heck do you lift those monsters??? If I lift a small grapefruit for my breakfast I can not feel my lower testicles for a week.
Well first off you have to have testicles the size of grapefruits....
TheGrooveking
eyeboltman
Well-known member
You can crush some very BIG cans in that thing
The largest vise that I ever saw was a Rock Island. It was sold at an Iowa farm auction many years ago. I did not put a tape to it, but it made a Wilton 800 look rather petite. This thing looked like it had been to hell and back. If I remember correctly, it brought around $400 which was alot more money back then.
mjozefow
Well-known member
Does anyone actually have the weight on that big Columbian?
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
It's just about the same size as Behemoth. I think it looks bigger in the pic than it actually is, but it's still a big honkin vise. I've studied the pics of it very closely and I'm convinced that Behemoth is a Columbian 108 1/2.
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
Anyone have the catalog page for that beast?
See post number 12 by member carla: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/large-vise-115742/. I wish we could get her to post over here.
The grey Columbian is a 108 and actually has 8.5" jaws, so it's no stretch to think they could have made Behemoth a 108 1/2 with 8" jaws.
Very nice, thanks for the link.
rwhite692
Well-known member
The Prentiss Bulldog #58 (JoePickens) that I mentioned earlier has to weigh more than 300 pounds, I'd bet closer to 400. That thing is a beast.
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
I'll have to respectfully disagree. It is really big, but 300 lbs IS really big. I have yet to see a vise that's even upwards of 350.
mjozefow
Well-known member
It was just a hair over 300 IIRC.
BanjoSavesTheDay
Well-known member
mjozefow
Well-known member
Well I'm consistent! 305 seems to jump out at me from a dark corner and take my lunch money.
Really?
mjozefow
Well-known member
I have a really hard time using the quote button properly. This is probably due to my lack of intellectual bandwidth.
Wow John, feel good to get that off of your chest?