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Craftsman 5197 Bench Vise

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Maui

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I just picked up this vintage Craftsman 5197 bench vise. The jaws are in great condition and the paint appears to be original. The vise opens and closes smoothly. The main bolt that holds the base to the vise is not original and for some reason the vise seems to bind a little if you try to swivel it. I'll need to take it apart and have a closer look. But all in all it appears to be in fine shape.

I've seen people discuss these Craftsman vises in this forum before, but had never run across one of these myself. How common (or uncommon) are they?

Maui
 

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Cruzan80

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That is one of the rare ones. The bigger it is, the harder they are to find, with swivels being harder to find than non. How much did it cost you?

The date stamp is on the top of the slide, right behind the static portion when fully closed.
 
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drivesitfar

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Maui,
they don't pop up often. i have only seen one, bought it and a member on the other side of the USA has it now because he needed it for his group. there are a few guys that have 5 or more, but you can count that group maybe on one hand.

nice find and yes you didn't pay too much for it. spiff it up and keep it. Well Done

i still have my 5196 that has it's original blue paint on it that i'll probably pass on to my grand kids or great grand kids if i live that long.

cheers
 
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Cruzan80

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My 5191 was $25, and I thought that was a steal.

Original list price as just under $44, and that was in 1954. So add about 55 years of inflation, and you still paid less.
 
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CNGsaves

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+1 OP that you've got a Maui Wowee score !!!! :thumbup: . . :beer:

Also qualifies due to low price of $35 for an earned . . . YOU **** !! :thumbup:

Restore that awesome C-Man as it's a lifetime keeper.
 
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Shiftless

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I enjoyed your comic understatement... "didn't pay too much" :lol:

Maui:
You got a heck of a good deal there! Fantastic score! Your suckage is well deserved. :beer:
 
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jjkrjh

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Ohio
After getting my 5191, I have been hunting for a swivel base to match it. I haven't had much luck so far. There must not be a whole lot of them out there. Nice find, make sure to post pics after it's all cleaned up. Here is a pic of mine, decided to go red to match everything else in the garage.
 

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Kilgore Trout

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Sorry to thread jack, but...

How do you ID it as a 5197? When my grandfather passed away I got his old craftsman vice. I cleaned up the rust and repainted, but maybe it turns out I got something even better than I thought! Any help on what to look for would be awesome.
 
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oldldh

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On the end of the spindle...

You STOLE that vise!!!

There is a 5197 on Craigslist,in Cleveland, for "Best Offer Over $200.00"...And according to the PM'er that told me about it, he has three of them, and he's willing to trade, albeit, for stuff I don't have...

There was a nice 5197 on Ebay, last year, that brought over $400.00 including freight...

I repeat, you stole it...
 

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OP
M

Maui

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Kilgore, it's stamped 5197 on the end of the spindle nose like oldldh mentioned.

Guys, thanks for all of the "you ****" comments. I just paid the seller his asking price. :)

Cruzan80, I looked but can't find a date stamp yet. There is still enough crud on the top of the slide to possibly hide it from view though. A thorough cleaning might reveal it yet.

Oldldh, thanks for providing the pricing info that you came across. I thought that I would be hearing from you about this vise. I guess I did steal it. :)

Maui
 
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Cooper13

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Mar 18, 2022
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We recently found this 5197 half buried in the dirt on an old abandoned farm yard. Pretty good steel; the pitting is not too bad considering the rust.20220318_215224.jpg
20220316_195601-jpg.1629366
 

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