Everything you need to know about bench vises...

[autopts]

Looking at a Reed on Craigslist and I'm wondering what a realistic price should be providing it passes the physical inspection. Does a Reed go by the same "buck-per-pound max" guidline as other brands? This appears to be a 108. It's rough looking, but I have a blast cabinet so it could be cleaned up.

Ad text just says: "VISE Reed Mfg. 8" Bench/Pipe vise 97 year old antique Weight 165lbs Asking $300"

The 108 does not have pipe jaws. It could have 8" jaws but 'm sure those jaws are non-replaceable. If the jaws are deformed and worn smooth, keep looking.

 

[bl00]

This appears to be a 108. It's rough looking, but I have a blast cabinet so it could be cleaned up.
Ad text just says: "VISE Reed Mfg. 8" Bench/Pipe vise 97 year old antique Weight 165lbs Asking $300"

It appears to be a No 34 combination vise. You can see an old advertisement for one on page 7 of this thread. If the screw/swivel part is missing from the bottom it would probably weigh in around 165lbs.

 

[bl00]

"American Scale:
<snip>
Overall length is 36 inches. Jaws are 8 1/4 inches. The lead screw knob is about 3 inches and has an integral collar (garter). Don't know what it weighs.

That's a monster vise.
A similar one with a swivel base was on e-bay last year. It was listed at 350lbs, 8 3/8" jaws, 34" length. Here's a pic I saved of it:

 

[bedt14]

Re: Pipe jaw for Morgan Chicago #87

Hello All,

Found this forum while commencing on search for a missing part for my Morgan #87.

Found the vise in my fathers basement after he passed. I needed a good bench vise and adopted it, however I noticed I need one outer pipe jaw for this particular model.

While I have the thicker center (which mounts in the dynamic side) and one outer which is thinner and shorter than the center which two mount on the fixed side. The center jaw will not fit in the slot for the fixed outer jaws.

Dimensions on the one I need are:
overall length: 2.625" (2 5/8")
height: 2.125" (2 1/8") and
thickness .500" (1/2") thick.

For comparison, the center jaw is
overall: 3.750" (3 3/4")
height: 2.125" (2 1/8")
thickness: .625" thick (5/8")
I do not need this jaw.

In the attached image, the jaw at bottom is the one needed.

Thanks in advance to all tohse who can assist!

Phil

 

[kas_rustndust]

Sounds about right - I forgot my tape at home (using the wife's car the day we went to town. Had to measure with a rusty carpenter square. Thanks for the update!

 

[ZRX61]

Spoke with Ty at Morgan. We were talked about if all Morgans were blue.

All Milwaukee Morgans & all Aurora Morgans were blue.... but only some of the Chicago Morgans were. That Chicago 140 I have was clearly gray originally, but the Chicago 87 was blue.

Now if we can find out what date they changed the colors from gray to blue we can narrow down the dates between '29 & '47.

 

[welder59]

Hello,
I have a huge Hollands vise. At least it is huge to me.It has 8" wide jaws and opens up to about 16". It has a 24" long 1" diameter handle that was twisted like a pretzle when I got it. I replaced the handle with TGP that I threaded the ends for some 1.875 diameter steel balls that I bought out of McMaster Carr. It is mounted on a 16" diameter piece of 1" plate that has 3 3x3x1/4 tubing legs with 1/2x3 feet drilled for anchors. I chose three legs so it would always set flat. I also have a 6" Yost vise and a 5" Reed. I can't stand junk tools.
Bill

 

[bluebolt]

Hello,
I have a huge Hollands vise. At least it is huge to me.It has 8" wide jaws and opens up to about 16". It has a 24" long 1" diameter handle that was twisted like a pretzle when I got it. I replaced the handle with TGP that I threaded the ends for some 1.875 diameter steel balls that I bought out of McMaster Carr. It is mounted on a 16" diameter piece of 1" plate that has 3 3x3x1/4 tubing legs with 1/2x3 feet drilled for anchors. I chose three legs so it would always set flat. I also have a 6" Yost vise and a 5" Reed. I can't stand junk tools.
Bill

We need pictures!
Welcome to Garage Journal.

 

[chris fresh]

apparently i'm the only guy with an EMMERT tiger 40,i cannot find any info on this vise.the few things i have come across,tell me nothing.maybe the only bonus is,if someone search's for one,it will bring them here.

 

[Recoil Rob]

Anyone know if Monarch vises ever came with swivel bases?


thanks,

Rob

 

[Catalyze]

Rob....I would think that they should have since they are basically a Prentiss. However, I have only seen stationary base examples.
Craig

 

[cousinjerry]

apparently i'm the only guy with an EMMERT tiger 40,i cannot find any info on this vise.the few things i have come across,tell me nothing.maybe the only bonus is,if someone search's for one,it will bring them here.

I've just found one of my grand father's Emmert Tiger 42 vises recently.

I can't find much on these either.

Anyone know anything about these?

 

[demoman]

$300 is not bad for this reed. Try buying one at a sale and see what you pay. It looks like a 4ca which has 6 inch jaws. I have several just like it and it is a very good vise. It is a lighter version of a 4c which should weigh in at a185#. Reed, columbian and Ridgid all made vises in this style that look very much alike. Also reed never made an 8 inch (jaw) vise with pipe jaws like this one. Hope to see someone score on it.
Brad

 

[wxm]

Got this one recently, made by Sawyer Tool Co., Oswego N.Y. It has a "T" with a circle on the side, I don't know what it stands for. Anyway, other than it was mentioned in Post#1 here by mjozefow. I really don't know much about it. A nice made vise though, I am specially impressed with the details on the vise...

 

[tarbellb]

anybody help identify this vise?

found it on CL, doesnt seem to have any clear markings on from the pics?

does have a unique mounting plate, both a vertical and typical horizontal mounting surface?

 

[slipjointed]

anybody help identify this vise?

found it on CL, doesnt seem to have any clear markings on from the pics?

does have a unique mounting plate, both a vertical and typical horizontal mounting surface?

Going by the jaw shape, a parker maybe?

 

[Even 11]

WXM;

OT is Oswego Tool. Look in this thread towards the end.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80960



Tarbellb;

That is an Athol and a nice looking one at that! You can tell by the shape and size of the jaw support under the dynamic Jaw. Here's another one on CL near us too.

http://cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/2579144635.html

 

[edland38611]

Can anyone tell me the maker of this vise? Got it for ten bucks . Thanks
http://pbckt.com/pL.NoUf8d

 

[TreePointer]

Can anyone tell me the maker of this vise? Got it for ten bucks . Thanks
http://pbckt.com/pl.nouf8d

Bad link?

 

[edland38611]

Fixed it

 

[SweetD]

Can anyone tell me the maker of this vise? Got it for ten bucks . Thanks
http://pbckt.com/pL.NoUf8d

China.

 

[edland38611]

Lol that figures.....

 

[Acacia]

American vise manufacturers - 1958

Attached is a scan of the listing of American bench vise manufacturers from the 1958 MacRae's Blue Book.

There were almost 40 companies making bench vises then - and that's just bench vises, not machinists vises or other types:
Abernathy Vise
Acme Tool
Birtman
Brink & Cotton
Champion Blower
Chicago Tool
Columbian
Dodge
Emmert
Erie
Flexivise
Franklin
Hollands
Jordan
Littlestown
Majestic
Millers Falls
Milwaukee Hay Tool Co.
Mohn Machine Co.
Morgan
Odin
Parker
Phoenix Hardware
Prentiss
Production Devices
Reed
Richards-Wilcox
Ridge Tool
Stanley
Studebaker
Tesco
Twistite
US Lock and Hardware
Universal
Van Products
Will-Burt
Yost
Wilton

These old MacRae's Blue Books are great - the 1958 one is about 3,500 pages listing all the industrial manufacturers back then.

On the attachment you can see the addresses.

 

[79rallysport]

Can anybody identify this vise? I've searched google high and low and can't come up with anything.

 

[TreePointer]

Can anybody identify this vise? I've searched google high and low and can't come up with anything.

Looks like one of those Polish vises. The back jaw is the dynamic jaw.

Search here for: POLISH VISE

 

[jawdoc]

I have a Reed No. 105 any idea how old it is?

 

[Monte]

Can anybody identify this vise? I've searched google high and low and can't come up with anything.

maybe it´s the one in the upper right ?

--> http://www.fza-morsificio.com/fza2.htm


www.fza-morsificio.com

 

[Bill Vise]

I am a wannabe collector of old bench or machinist vises. This forum is one of the most informative places that I have found for old USA bench vises. Are there other sites or books that have good information on the subject? I haven't found any books on the subject of old bench vises.

 

[knagy389us]

Great thread. I have been toting around my father's Charles Parker swivel type vise for years. Now that I I finally have a garage with a workbench, I'll clean it up, paint it, and bolt it down!

 

[porphyre]

I have a Reed No. 105 any idea how old it is?

Age depends on what it looks like. Post a picture of the mounting holes, maker's mark, and handle.

105's were made from WWI into the 70's, maybe 80's with various design changes made in the 40's, 50/60's and 70's.

 

[Gigem]

Anyone know anything about this vise?

Marked JSB, and says it's made in Japan. It was in my dad's garage forever, at least 40 years...

 

[knagy389us]

I looked last nite, it's a Charles Parker model 203. It is pretty cool to have something old like this that was my Dad's, still works, and will see good usage.

 

[bl00]

From a 1959 catalog:

 

[porphyre]

From a 1959 catalog:

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAYM!

That dated material is a GOLD MINE!

YOINK. Saved into my Vises folder....

Thanks!

 

[LostHSV]

Great thread. I have a small Spear & Jackson Vise that I got years ago from my father. Any info on these?

 

[camaro8194]

hey guys i have bought paramo #6 vise does anyone know were i can get new jaws for it thanks

 

[Recoil Rob]

Anyone know what size jaws would be on a Monarch 229? I know they were made by Prentiss but I can't find a Prentiss 229 either.

 

[Mark_RP]

Here is a thread I put up awhile back about the vises I've restored with some help from this thread/forum, thanks again. I still need to get my hands on a t-handle for the swivel base of my Wilton in there, so if anyone has any leads that would be great.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133525&showall=1

also if anyone has a Howard Iron Works vise they no longer want, let me know, I would like to do one of those next

 

[autopts]

Heads up fellas if you own a Craftsman 51871 or any with the offset vertical mounting holes. The Wilton/Columbian part is 11128S41. They are 6 1/2" so they will fit any vise with offset holes 2 1/2" C-C. All you have to do is trim them down. Photos below. You can find them as cheap as $25.50 online. They are not reversable.

http://www.zorotools.com/g/00037035...ium=organic&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed

 

[paddy]

Hay all, haven't been hear for a while. I have found a most unusual vise. Looking for information about it an possible value. I intend to offer it for sale eventually. Hear are some photos. It is manufactured by Montgomery & Co. Inc. Springfield JN and is a 4" opening. Hope this link works.
Patrick