16" Vise...at the best garage sale ever.

Picked up this big pattern vise and laminated bench at a garage sale. The guy had a huge woodshop, full machine shop and hundreds and hundreds of high-quality hand tools. All USA iron, no junk. The sale wasn't well advertised, it was pouring down rain, so not a lot of earlies...I didn't even get there until ~10:00 after a neighbor called to tell me about it! In addition to the vise, I snagged a couple of Starrett rules; a heavy drill press vise; a big Milwaukee router with a good selection of carbide bits; a couple of Jorgensen hand screws; ~1 dozen unopened boxes of nuts/bolts/washers, a few OLD Stanley woodworking tools, and misc. other items.

The vise is a Kindt-Collins Patternmakers Vise. It's huge (obligatory coke can for scale), jaws are 18" wide x 7" high and open to 16" Weighs ~100lbs, swivels in every way imaginable (even the jaws), has both wood and metal jaws, and is in great condition- all the locking mechansims work perfectly, no cracks or grind marks, original paint. It's a pristine survivor except for the wooden handle- which I'll replace someday.

There were actually two of these vises; they were only willing to sell this one, the other was an Emmert.

Oh, yes.. the price? $80 for the vise and bench; $138 total for everything. It was all the cash I had with me; wasn't planning on going to a garage sale at all. I paid for everything I had set aside and raced off to the closest ATM for mo' money, but when I got back the rain had cleared and it was like a pack of locusts had descended....they were picked clean in about half an hour.

I can't figure out how to make the pictures larger; click on the thumbnails for a better view.

Nice score! Been looking for a wood workers vise for my bro but I can't justify the 80 bucks and up for them here, there kind of rare. The last one I saw was a harbor freight one and they wanted 60 and was proud that it was a harbor freight.

You ****!

I believe there's someone who sells refurbished Patternmaker's vises for $1000 or more. I doubt he has many takers but he must sell some to people who really need them. $80 is less than you might pay for a regular cast iron woodworkers bench vise.

That's awesome. Never seen one.

That's the steal of the year! In fifty years, I've never, ever seen a patternmaker's vise at a local sale. Emmert is the best-known, but I'd settle for yours at $80.

jack vines

Packard V8 said:

That's the steal of the year! In fifty years, I've never, ever seen a patternmaker's vise at a local sale. Emmert is the best-known, but I'd settle for yours at $80.

jack vines

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I was shocked; especially when I realized the guy had two of these vises. Mine was actually outside, the workbench was under a tarp; they'd moved it out to make room for the sale. I was carrying about $20 worth of Starrett stuff at that time, and asked about the Emmert- guy said no, but he did have another one... we ran outside in the pouring rain, he quickly raised the tarp and said he'd take $100 for it. I asked if that included what I was carrying, he said OK...so, $80 for the vise and the laminated wood bench it was mounted to.

I had no idea what the vise was worth until I got home and did a little research on eBay... The Kindt-Collins is apparently more valuable than the Emmert- a reconditioned one is listed now for $2100, last used one sold at $1550. I heard later that someone offered him a grand for the Emmert after I left.

Congratulations from Wenatchee!