The VISES of Garage Journal

sselander · Jul 27, 2013

some woodworking vises, just dug these out of the garage to see what I had.
Each one around 30 lbs of made in U.S.A steel ...

Morgan 10A's, B/G 500-V's, Wilton L shaped, Wilton quick release, Columbian
A pretty good assortment

My dad is going to be setting up a space in his other garage to be a wood working shop and I thought these might be a good addition. I had already restored a Sheldon combination vise for him previously.

oldldh · Jul 27, 2013

Followed a link over the Practical Machinist web site....

And, behold, a Yost 99 on a properly made vise stand...

Rebar + concrete + manhole cover = HEAVY DUTY VISE STAND...

Said the vise weighed 285 lbs...

Toe stubber par excellance... :beer:

robmack · Jul 27, 2013

Hi,

My elderly aunt finally decided to move from her house (which they moved into in 1961) to an apartment. In the process of getting rid of her late husband's things which have lain around for decades, I acquired a Yost 104 vice and a Wilton 3-1/2" Triple Duty vice. I remember both as a child when I went on family visits to my uncle and aunt's place. My uncle was a real tool junky but always collected mid to high end tools only. That makes this thing at least 52 years old and most likely my uncle bought it earlier than that.

The Wilton is pretty cool. I had to disassemble it to clean it up. It has an ingenious mechanism that allows the jaws to be quickly opened or closed, by backing off the vice handle and pulling on the jaw. There is a spring-loaded nut inside the body which has only partial threads and which is able to rotate slightly in a cradle. When you clamp the work, the Acme thread rotates the internal nut, engaging the partial threads, which causes the vice to function as normal. Really simple to manufacture but effective.

Anyway, this weekend, I spruced up the Yost and set it on my secondary bench, replacing the cheap PowerFist 5" vice that occupied that spot previously. I'll probably sell the Wilton and the PowerFist since I have more than enough vices around the shop.

bigcaddy · Jul 27, 2013

Thats the first time ive ever seen a Wilton Triple Duty vise. That thing looks nearly identical to a WIlton SHop King

autopts · Jul 27, 2013

bigcaddy said:
Thats the first time ive ever seen a Wilton Triple Duty vise. That thing looks nearly identical to a WIlton SHop King

That one does look like a Shop King. I have a triple duty for parts .Mr. Big!!!

jusridin · Jul 27, 2013

I just brought this home today , paid 40 off cl
Its a craftsman no. 51-51830 4" jaw , 48 pounds
Missing the logo

Does anyone know who made this vise?

Duct Tape Man · Jul 27, 2013

oldldh said:
Followed a link over the Practical Machinist web site....

And, behold, a Yost 99 on a properly made vise stand...

Rebar + concrete + manhole cover = HEAVY DUTY VISE STAND...

Said the vise weighed 285 lbs...

Toe stubber par excellance...

Wow, the vise alone weighs 285? What does the whole setup weigh now? That looks like something that would require a forklift to move!

Hogger · Jul 27, 2013

Mine came in a $10.00 auction grab box.

va.grouseman · Jul 27, 2013

jusridin said:
I just brought this home today , paid 40 off cl
Its a craftsman no. 51-51830 4" jaw , 48 pounds
Missing the logo

Does anyone know who made this vise?

Go to page #321 and read post #6405 through #6409.----- coolreed and Outlawmws say Columbian. They're probably right, Columbia did a lot of contract work, and if they are , their the best thing that Columbian ever produced.

rusty65 · Jul 28, 2013

jusridin said:
I just brought this home today , paid 40 off cl
Its a craftsman no. 51-51830 4" jaw , 48 pounds
Missing the logo

Does anyone know who made this vise?

Here is a picture from a old 1960 craftsman catalog with your vise in it.

Outlawmws · Jul 28, 2013

jusridin said:
I just brought this home today , paid 40 off cl
Its a craftsman no. 51-51830 4" jaw , 48 pounds
Missing the logo

Does anyone know who made this vise?

So far we are still on those being Colombian and they posted in the catalogs from at least 1949 through 1968.

PghJKB · Jul 28, 2013

My latest from a garage sale - was in an outdoor shed beside the garage, sitting on a shelf behind some gardening tools - $5.00. It is complete vise, center screw, swivel plate, "washer" and fancy wing nut. Looks very old, they just don't make wing nuts like that anymore. Possibly a Prentiss, except the nose is round rather than a ball.

Three inch jaws, opens to three+ inches, but the screw is very short relative to the slide.

Anyone have any thoughts on it's manufacturer? There is a good deal of paint on it, none looks to be original (can't anyone keep white paint from spattering all over the place)? Am hoping to find PVC stamped some where on this guy once the paint is gone.

Put it in with my Prentiss Jeweler's vise for comparison.

JKB

bigcaddy · Jul 28, 2013

PghJKB said:
My latest from a garage sale - was in an outdoor shed beside the garage, sitting on a shelf behind some gardening tools - $5.00. It is complete vise, center screw, swivel plate, "washer" and fancy wing nut. Looks very old, they just don't make wing nuts like that anymore. Possibly a Prentiss, except the nose is round rather than a ball.

Three inch jaws, opens to three+ inches, but the screw is very short relative to the slide.

Anyone have any thoughts on it's manufacturer? There is a good deal of paint on it, none looks to be original (can't anyone keep white paint from spattering all over the place)? Am hoping to find PVC stamped some where on this guy once the paint is gone.

Put it in with my Prentiss Jeweler's vise for comparison.

JKB

Try looking on the portion of the slide that sticks out past the "anvil horn" There might be a stamp on the top side of it. It looks similar to a Stanley vise.

jusridin · Jul 28, 2013

Thanks for the info guys! Seriously dig this forum and all the members.

454ragtop · Jul 28, 2013

PghJKB said:
My latest from a garage sale - was in an outdoor shed beside the garage, sitting on a shelf behind some gardening tools - $5.00. It is complete vise, center screw, swivel plate, "washer" and fancy wing nut. Looks very old, they just don't make wing nuts like that anymore. Possibly a Prentiss, except the nose is round rather than a ball.

Three inch jaws, opens to three+ inches, but the screw is very short relative to the slide.

Anyone have any thoughts on it's manufacturer? There is a good deal of paint on it, none looks to be original (can't anyone keep white paint from spattering all over the place)? Am hoping to find PVC stamped some where on this guy once the paint is gone.

Put it in with my Prentiss Jeweler's vise for comparison.

JKB

Wow, that's strange, I recently picked up a very similar vise, at a yard sale, for $5. I'd been meaning to post it here to attempt to ID it as well. Don't see any markings on it anywhere. Looks like they're even the same color.
Jim

Outlawmws · Jul 28, 2013

Those are GREAT finds, and both are early 20th C if not late 1800's. Almost certainly at least 100 years old! Those are both the "original swivel base" vise.

A hole the size of the round boss is drilled or counter bored into the bench top, and the wing nut clamps it down so it won't rotate. the plate with the three holes is a spreader plate so the wing not is not sucked through the bench.

Some of this style vise also has a hole in the side flange of the main base and you would drill a corresponding hole in the bench, and drop a bolt or pin in the hole it "lock" it in place. Several holes would be drilled in the bench to provide lock down at different angles.

Outlawmws · Jul 28, 2013

454, that is VERY similar! But the final jaw shape is different between the two. I wonder if one is older than the other and they changed the design to make it easier to make or have fewer casting losses? :dunno:

certainly the other features are very close if not the same! I would expect the same manufacturer in both cases.

454ragtop · Jul 28, 2013

Just went out and looked at mine again, jaws are 3" wide, and as JKB mentioned, the screw is a lot shorter than the slide. At 3" opening, my screw is just about out of the nut.
Jim

Outlawmws · Jul 28, 2013

Well, either people broke them by going too wide, or the factory used that to limit how far the slide could be out. At 3" open, it looks like the slide would not have a lot left outside the main body.

PghJKB · Jul 28, 2013

454 Wow
Yes, they are definitely at least cousins. And yes, the same color - I thought mine was repainted with whatever paint was leftover from before they went nuts with the white...

BigCaddy, YOU ARE CORRECT - Yes, it is a Stanley! A short session with the wire brush and out came:

VICTOR JERSEY
No, 776
STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL CO
NEW BRITAIN CONN U.S.A
PAT'D JAN. 28, 08

BTW mine weighs in 10+ lbs and has smooth jaws, no inserts, which is one of the reasons I thought it older than me (Am slightly younger than dirt).

Thanks Bigcaddy and Outlaw

J HAV · Jul 28, 2013

Minature vises are the best! Keep them coming guys! Both nice scores fellas :thumbup:

demoman · Jul 28, 2013

J HAV said:
I got another small Athol today

Athol No. 0
Pat. Nov 14 1871
1" quick adjustable jaw

Very nice small vise. It is well made.
You ****!

EOC_Jason · Jul 28, 2013

J HAV said:
Minature vises are the best! Keep them coming guys! Both nice scores fellas

Waiting on paint for my Wilton Baby Bullet, UPS tracking shows it's not going to show up until Friday... I've just about got it completely taken apart. The screws in the jaws were rusted in there pretty good. Two came out okay, the other two in the end had to drill some and use an easy-out. Got one of the jaw inserts off, taking a break before trying some more to get the other jaw insert off. I can't believe they pinned that tiny little thing. With the insert edges smooth to the vise there's no real way to get a good lip to hit or anything.

Went to the hardware store and got some new stainless screws though to replace the damaged and mis-matched ones.

454ragtop · Jul 28, 2013

PghJKB said:
454 Wow
Yes, they are definitely at least cousins. And yes, the same color - I thought mine was repainted with whatever paint was leftover from before they went nuts with the white...

BigCaddy, YOU ARE CORRECT - Yes, it is a Stanley! A short session with the wire brush and out came:

VICTOR JERSEY
No, 776
STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL CO
NEW BRITAIN CONN U.S.A
PAT'D JAN. 28, 08

BTW mine weighs in 10+ lbs and has smooth jaws, no inserts, which is one of the reasons I thought it older than me (Am slightly younger than dirt).

Thanks Bigcaddy and Outlaw

Just went out and wire wheeler the top of the slide, mine is engraved exactly the same. Thanks men. So while I was out there, shot a pic of another mini in my collection, 1 1/4" wide jaws. Actually have another even smaller, but couldn't put my hand on it. That's the problem with the super mini's, lot harder to misplace a Wilton C3.
Jim

Mark in Indiana · Jul 28, 2013

Hello Vise Friends,

While cleaning up my American Scale 75 pivot jaw vise (I'm so glad that I can finally work on it), I discovered a flaw in the casting that was filled with bondo. I assume that the factory did this because the flaw looks like a short shot in the casting. I've heard that the import manufactures do this to their vises but I've never seen one on an old iron one.

Has anyone else come across this?

Attached are some pictures. I have a little helper examining it as well:

EOC_Jason · Jul 28, 2013

Yeah, that would probably be a casting issue, would be a very odd spot to take a torch to it or something similar.

I would clean it out good and fill it with JB Weld or another good epoxy. Don't use Bondo because it doesn't have any real strength.

Usually I see the opposite, where some of the sand broke free and you get a high spot with a weird texture.

Maclin · Jul 28, 2013

Spent Saturday Morning with KMScott in his shop troubleshooting my Wilton 450SJ. The Swivel Jaw would not disengage. Kevin drilled out the locking pin with his CNC and made the new pin with a precision grinder and the CNC. A painstaking craftsman, gracious host, with skills to make Carroll Shelby blush. He made me polish the Swivel Jaw and mating surface with a stone, tolerances for the pin at .001, it's just a vise. Thanks for the education, chuckles, and efforts, Kevin.

ritzblitz · Jul 28, 2013

Hey Guys,
First post in this thread, but I've loved vises for a while and have a few.

I started restoring this 974 Chas. Parker this weekend, decided on hunter green, I think it looks decent. Plus, it's different.

Heres the only before I have, along with a columbian 605 and a Veit and Young (rare I think.)

Here it is today, partially completed. I am making a new handle since the old one was wrong. I chose to restore it because it has nice flat jaws, I just ground them a little to freshen them up. I will letter it with black lettering.

Here is my Reed 4C, which is truly a used workhorse vise. It had an ear broken off of it when I first bought it, so I repaired that by copying the way I saw one dude do it here (mill, drill, tap).

When I brought it home (you can see broken ear):

Making new ear:

Completed restoration, less jaws (i am going to make new jaws)

You can see all of the scars, even through the hammered paint. I'm going to make a pedestal for it from some 8" pipe and use it to death

I have other vises too, but these are the ones I am working on currently.

jusridin · Jul 28, 2013

Nice work Ritz!

EOC_Jason · Jul 28, 2013

Very nice work on the vises.

I think that might have been the correct handle for your Parker. The ends just kind of mushed out, nothing special. That's how I've always seen them. Oh well, at least now you can put in a little thicker and longer handle...

ritzblitz · Jul 28, 2013

It certainly could have been the correct handle, but I didn't like it so I'll make one I like. It was also a little bent.

My other 974 has a more conventional handle with ballish ends. But I also think that one may be older. Maybe someone can tell me the vintage of this green one, the rear does not have the decorative casting like most other ones do. The lettering is also different, and does not say Pat. 1930 on the one side.

J HAV · Jul 28, 2013

EOC_Jason said:
Waiting on paint for my Wilton Baby Bullet, UPS tracking shows it's not going to show up until Friday...

What color, and type of paint are you waiting on?

KMScott · Jul 28, 2013

ritzblitz, took notes on your repair of the broken tab, really nice job. I am making handles to and purchased 1144 cold drawn bar stock. I researched it some and found the 1144 bar is pretty rugged stuff. I think 4140 is a good choice to. 1018 would bend pretty easy.

Maclin, I had a ball working on your vise, thanks for the visit, do not get many visitors up here. Learned that Wilton's Swivel Jaw pin, has a angle that is a odd ball. Just in case anyone makes one it is 2-1/8 of taper and the angle is 1-1/4 per side. Not like Prentiss's that is 3 degrees per side. The lighter angle is one reason Gregg's pin was froze in and boy was it stuck.

Mark in Indiana · Jul 28, 2013

I would clean it out good and fill it with JB Weld or another good epoxy. Don't use Bondo because it doesn't have any real strength.

The JB Weld is currently dry. I plan to file & sand it down tomorrow. All of the other components have been painted. Aside from disassembling the pivoting jaw, it has been an incredibly easy vise to restore.

Provincial · Jul 28, 2013

KMScott said:
ritzblitz, took notes on your repair of the broken tab, really nice job. I am making handles to and purchased 1144 cold drawn bar stock. I researched it some and found the 1144 bar is pretty rugged stuff. I think 4140 is a good choice to. 1018 would bend pretty easy.

Maclin, I had a ball working on your vise, thanks for the visit, do not get many visitors up here. Learned that Wilton's Swivel Jaw pin, has a angle that is a odd ball. Just in case anyone makes one it is 2-1/8 of taper and the angle is 1-1/4 per side. Not like Prentiss's that is 3 degrees per side. The lighter angle is one reason Gregg's pin was froze in and boy was it stuck.

Brown & Sharpe taper is almost exactly 1.2 degrees per side, except #10, which is 1.232 degrees per side. Pretty close.' but then .05 degrees per side is a lot of deviation for a tapered pin! :pimpflash

va.grouseman · Jul 28, 2013

Hello ritzblitz ------ Nice collection of vises, and excellent machine job on the 4C.
Wish it was mill, drill, and tap for mine, but I don't think that is going to cut it here.

Any suggestions?

COJOE · Jul 28, 2013

This is a great thread. Love all the old iron. I do have one question maybe a someone here can answer. I have an old Columbian No 43 vise that was my grandfathers. I have not really found any info about how old it could be. Anyone have an idea? Thanks.

J HAV · Jul 29, 2013

VA.GROUSEMAN- Man I can't get over the chained up vises of yours! Too cool :beer:

I bet it's a nice sight to see.

Outlawmws · Jul 29, 2013

va.grouseman said:
Hello ritzblitz ------ Nice collection of vises, and excellent machine job on the 4C.
Wish it was mill, drill, and tap for mine, but I don't think that is going to cut it here.

Any suggestions?

That should not be that difficult a repair. you have the piece, (I wish I had that part of one of mine that is missing) and it is actually a non-critical part of the vise. That section of the slide isn't really used when the vise is cranked down even at full extension.

grind it fixture it, heat it up in an oven at 500 deg, weld, and bury in a bucket of hot sand. After its cool grind the excess weld off...

Outlawmws · Jul 29, 2013

COJOE said:
This is a great thread. Love all the old iron. I do have one question maybe a someone here can answer. I have an old Columbian No 43 vise that was my grandfathers. I have not really found any info about how old it could be. Anyone have an idea? Thanks.

That looks pretty much identical to the Dunlap/Sears vises from the 60's and I know Colombian had history with Sears making Craftsman vises on contract. So that would be my guess.

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