who made this old Craftsman 5.5" vise?
- Thread starter 1982fxr
- Start date
Midnight_America
Well-known member
I believe it was made by Wilton.
camarotoolman
Banned
wilton or columbian, its worth about 100 bucks
Carlos Iglesias
Active member
Thanks again for all the great info on this forum.
I wanted to share the Made in USA Craftsman 5 1/2 I just picked up, looks like a Columbian-made, 51871 on the side. It's in good shape, doesn't look like it was used much actually, and looks like a decent mechanic's vise for a limited work space like mine. There are a couple of manufacturing tolerances that were apparently not too tight; one of the jaw liners sits off to the side just enough so it's flush with one side of the main jaw, haven't tried swapping them around yet to see if it's the holes in the liner or the main jaw that are machined off a bit, obviously hoping it's just the liner. That and You can rock the slide a bit to each side, it's not like it's very worn, so it was just made this way. It does close nice and square though, and pretty smooth after a lube, so for a $50 beater I'm happy.
I wanted to share the Made in USA Craftsman 5 1/2 I just picked up, looks like a Columbian-made, 51871 on the side. It's in good shape, doesn't look like it was used much actually, and looks like a decent mechanic's vise for a limited work space like mine. There are a couple of manufacturing tolerances that were apparently not too tight; one of the jaw liners sits off to the side just enough so it's flush with one side of the main jaw, haven't tried swapping them around yet to see if it's the holes in the liner or the main jaw that are machined off a bit, obviously hoping it's just the liner. That and You can rock the slide a bit to each side, it's not like it's very worn, so it was just made this way. It does close nice and square though, and pretty smooth after a lube, so for a $50 beater I'm happy.
jakemac
Well-known member
Macelius-
IDK who built it, but I bought the same vise around 1989. I've wailed on it and it still looks in the same shape as yours. The jaws should be reversible so you can have a smooth face or serrated face. The only issue I have had is stripping the hex screws to swap the jaws. Use some anti-seise to prevent that issue.
For a cast vise (not forged) it's a beast. You'll be happy with it on your bench.
IDK who built it, but I bought the same vise around 1989. I've wailed on it and it still looks in the same shape as yours. The jaws should be reversible so you can have a smooth face or serrated face. The only issue I have had is stripping the hex screws to swap the jaws. Use some anti-seise to prevent that issue.
For a cast vise (not forged) it's a beast. You'll be happy with it on your bench.
Countryhog
Member
Resurrecting this old thread
Recently mounted my craftsman 51871 vise that’s been in my junk pile for years. Discovered that the jaw inserts are in “totally worn out condition”. Can’t find any for what I consider to be a reasonable price. Would like to refurbish and paint it but before I do I need new inserts.
I’ve exhausted google. anyone got any leads?
or, has anyone made their own inserts?
Tia
Recently mounted my craftsman 51871 vise that’s been in my junk pile for years. Discovered that the jaw inserts are in “totally worn out condition”. Can’t find any for what I consider to be a reasonable price. Would like to refurbish and paint it but before I do I need new inserts.
I’ve exhausted google. anyone got any leads?
or, has anyone made their own inserts?
Tia
Countryhog
Member
Anyone home?
RTM
Well-known member
Wear them out more, and call them smooth jaws?
Yard_Fudge
New member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2023
- Messages
- 1
Every 5 years or so I look again .....
My 51871 vise is awesome but it's missing an inch of the jaw (broke at the notch)... so I look.
It's a custom part made of hardened steel. DIY-ing such a part is expensive even for a machinist. Even without the notches, they run $80-ish shipped. https://www.ebay.com/itm/155319188810
The closest thing I've seen that's cheap and OK is 3/4" square steel bar cut at 5.5" and holes drilled in. $10-$30 shipped. https://www.metalsdepot.com/steel-products/steel-square-bar After drilling the holes then you might explore hardening it.
If you want tool steel to match the old jaws, search for 820015 and 813031 on the same site and you'll see its $70 and $50 for 18" .... plus shipping
At that price, $80 for 11" of finished jaw inserts isn't that bad
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I have an 51871 Craftsman that also appears to be made by Columbian. The "5 1/2" text matches the appearance described above. The spindle nut came loose, which led to excessive wear of the nut. I found the Wilton 11115-15 nut to be a perfect match. I purchased it on Amazon (Wilton Store). The part description on Amazon is 45-1/2-4M and 11115-15, whereas the original nut was marked 45-5M-2. See attached photos. Hopefully this helps others find the right replacement part.
