Everything you need to know about bench vises...

[Outlawmws]

I have a Belknap Bluegrass Vice. How much is it worth?

I have a ford, How much is it worth?

Point being you gave no specs, no pictures, or any other relevant info.

Are you trying to sell it or just want to value it for insurance purposes?

What's it worth to you?

 

[Arps]

I rescued a Hollands 52 from the scrap pile this weekend, pics tomorrow! I was born and raised in Erie, so it will keep a special place in my barn in Indiana.

 

[oldfieldcycles]

im new to this site, i build bicycle frames and a good vise is very important. that said, i have been using a Chinese made Wilton and also a no name Chinese vice for years. i have never liked either of them and i broke the no name this week and the Wilton's action feels rough and there is a lot of slop. i have been looking into both new and vintage vises and i found this thread. i am leaning toward either going with a new German made Ridgid vice or either a vintage Parker Chas., Printess, or a British made Woden. the Parker i found on craigslist is a 29x, the Printess has a working swivel jaw and the Woden is a 186 b/2. i really just want a well working vise which will do its job. i mostly clamp thin wall tubing in square tubing blocks so i can do hand filing. i will be adding soft jaws to whatever vise i go with and i dont really need the vice to swivel. i have read that some classic vices are great for collecting, but will not so good as an actual tool.
any thoughts?

 

[drivesitfar]

welcome to Garage Journal OFC. any of those old US vises are probably better than the new ones and most likely less expensive. feel free to PM (private message) me if you have any questions on specific vises or if you have pictures start a thread and see if the guys will all help you decide.

one of the new members just had a thread like that when his friend put a pipe on the handle of his Chinese vise and broke it so he needed another vise. Bareass I think was his handle and by the end of the thread he had bought a nice old US made vise from one of GJ's members that had an extra one.

also you will find thousands of pictures of nice vises with some stories if you check the Vises of Garage Journal vise thread we all post on.

take care and good luck in your search and if you are not far from Seattle I might have something for you to think about.

 

[HunterMike]

I just acquired this Torco. How do I remove the lead screw?

It appears the screw assembly is held in by this pin from the side. Does that need to be cut off, and a new roll pin inserted?

Most other vises I have seen have the lead screw held in with a C clip.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[EOC_Jason]

That's real interesting... Maybe peek down in there with a flashlight and see if indeed that pin from the side is what's holding it in...

I would think it's probably just hammered in, maybe spray some penetrating oil and see if you can grab it with some vice grips?

 

[Outlawmws]

That pin is probably riding in a groove cut into the screw. You need to pull it (not fun) as I doubt it was screwed in...

 

[Fretters]

Cut a slot in the top of the pin with a junior hacksaw or a piece of hacksaw blade, and turn it with a flat blade screwdriver. If it's a pin it's likely a taper pin, else if a screw the head has been punched to close the slot. Using the slotting method should free it either way.

 

[HunterMike]

Thanks EOC, Outlaw, and Fretters.

All suggestions were great and used all in conjunction to remove pins.

After removing pins, and lead screw, I noticed the T joint is broken. Oh well, I will finish cleaning up and use it as a beater vise.

 

[Fretters]

After removing pins, and lead screw, I noticed the T joint is broken. Oh well, I will finish cleaning up and use it as a beater vise.

That bit of damage won't affect its usefulness in any way. You'd have to be heavily beating something downwards whilst it was being gripped by the jaws and have the screws bend/snap for that to be a problem, (which is likely how it got broken to start with). It's more just a jaw insert locater than owt else.

 

[doug88]

Has anyone ever heard of a Marsland vise? It looks to me just like a Record, with 'Marsland' and 'Made in Canada' instead of 'Record' and 'Made in England'... I picked it up for $25 and was hoping to find some info on the vise. However, I have not been able to find anything about it! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

Posting so I can find this again. GREAT thread!

 

[drivesitfar]

Doug88: it looks like this is your first post so first off welcome to Garage Journal. I've seen and own a lot of vises, but not any that are made in Canada.
that does look like a Record or Paramo or other English made vises I've owned and seen though.

just in case the guys on the Vises of Garage journal thread might have more information on your vise you might want to post the pictures over there.

glad to have another member especially one with a quality vise on his bench. have fun learning and also teaching us what you know.

 

[yilai]

Good post. Thank you. I am new here.

 

[doug88]

Doug88: it looks like this is your first post so first off welcome to Garage Journal. I've seen and own a lot of vises, but not any that are made in Canada.
that does look like a Record or Paramo or other English made vises I've owned and seen though.

just in case the guys on the Vises of Garage journal thread might have more information on your vise you might want to post the pictures over there.

glad to have another member especially one with a quality vise on his bench. have fun learning and also teaching us what you know.

Thanks so much, glad to be here! I am amazed at the quality of knowledge being shared on this site! Thanks for the posting suggestion, I will do that.

 

[Craptain]

Posting so I can find this again. GREAT thread!

Beekeeper, you need to subscribe. Go to top and click thread tools. you will see the options there. Do that for ALL your favorite threads.

 

[RedVise]

Figured I would throw it here, in the "all you need to know" thread.

I am looking for a source for a replacement screw for the locking collar(?)
on a Simplex 41P vise.
Screw is a 5/16 18 tpi 5/8 long from the head down. Total length approx. 3/4.
Local hardware stores don't have, nor the big box stores.

Likely a hardened screw, but am guessing about that.
Online options so far seem to have me buying a box for $20, which I would rather not do.

Brian

 

[KMScott]

That is a pretty standard screw, my small town's hardware store carries the 82 degree flat head cap screws along with the regular cap screws in 3/4 length, just have to shorten it if it interferes. Local hardware store has them in the thin pull drawers and not in a bin. PM me if you are having trouble getting it and I'll mail you what you need.

 

[lilredex]

I have a box of them......hex-socket (82*) cap screw 1" OAL, if you need a couple.

 

[lbgradwell]

Has anyone ever heard of a Marsland vise? It looks to me just like a Record, with 'Marsland' and 'Made in Canada' instead of 'Record' and 'Made in England'... I picked it up for $25 and was hoping to find some info on the vise. However, I have not been able to find anything about it! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

That's interesting...

I would bet fairly heavily your vise is the product of Marsland Engineering Ltd. of Waterloo, ON or a sister company called Canada Alloy Castings Ltd. (that exists to this day).Both companies were founded by Stanley Marsland, the namesake of the Marsland Centre that stands in Waterloo.

I have also seen a Marsland pipe wrench...

 

[offthefront]

Acquired this old vice off of CL today and I am trying to ID it ....any clues? thanks ...otf

 

[EOC_Jason]

Acquired this old vice off of CL today and I am trying to ID it ....any clues? thanks ...otf

Pretty sure it's Chinese.

 

[Outlawmws]

Asian Import. If old enough possibly Taiwan before they got it together for (some) better tools

 

[offthefront]

So ... no parts ? The piece that the lead screw threads through is broken ....

 

[EOC_Jason]

You can probably find more on CL, they seem to be pretty common...

 

[Outlawmws]

Seen a lot of them broken; never there...

 

[cptblood]

hello all, name is michael from NM I am new to the garage and found this nice write up about vises. lately i have not been able to pass up tools (vises, c-clamps etc) and today came in posession of a couple of vises today http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/images/smilies/bounce.gif.
a small craftsman and a large (to me) red vise. it does not have any markings but wondering if anyone can identify it.

 

[Outlawmws]

Your orange vise is a Chicom (possibly some other Asian Country) special, sold under dozens of "brand' name over the past 30+ years.

 

[Lukasgofish]

Where did you find this catalog page? I've got a monarch 220 and I'd like to see how much it cost and some info about it.
Thanks

 

[Placiddoggy]

Hi great thread very informative, I just bought a Record 84 and have refurbished it in Canary Yellow.
Can anyone direct me to information on my vice? I would like to know its age please, Thank you Here's a few pics of my pimped vice
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s1027.photobucket.com/user/peter-linn/embed/slideshow/"></iframe>

 

[arnot327]

Hi, folks - just stumbled on this illuminating post yesterday; fantastic info! I see that you're dealing mostly with the "big boy" vises and, at risk of courting ridicule, want to share some pics of an old vice I inherited from an even older uncle who worked, mid-1930s 'til 1970s as a machinist in a sugarcane mill. This is a simple, portable vice that I actually use a lot when I need to clamp something wherever I'm working, and am away from the bench vices.

The sole inscription is the three letters and the number: they don't come through very well in the photo but I think they are "R H S" and "30" - they seem so primitively stamped that maybe they're just someone's initials hand-stamped in for ID purposes (they're not my uncle's initials). It's so primitive I'm wondering if perhaps this is something that they cast themselves at the mill?

Any comments appreciated. And many, many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this forum. Aloha.

 

[Outlawmws]

Arnot, I think that is the oldest looking (sorta primitive?) version of that clamp on vise I've see or seen posted using the two rods for the dynamic jaw support/guide. Many companies made /licensed or re-branded that type. Nice piece!

And no, we like vises in ALL sizes!

 

[holden94]

Hey fellow vise lovers!
Like many here I am seeking information. I just picked up a charles parker #300 machinist. 60lbs or so with intersting feature you can see in the pics. I am wondering about the round nub at the end and underside of the slide support. What is that? You can also see how the bottom of the base is angled backward under the mounting holes. I guess I haven't been around long enough to see that style. I'd love your thoughts on mounting this as well. Thanks

 

[jakemac]

It's a hitch pin so you can line them all up and make a vise train.

 

[autopts]

It's a hitch pin so you can line them all up and make a vise train.

That's funny Jake! Old, very old Parkers had to be built into their bench until Parker finally did away with that angled piece. I had that piece milled out making it a straight 90 degrees but some think it might weaken that area. I personally don't.

 

[NJ Marty]

hello all, name is michael from NM I am new to the garage and found this nice write up about vises. lately i have not been able to pass up tools (vises, c-clamps etc) and today came in posession of a couple of vises today http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/images/smilies/bounce.gif.
a small craftsman and a large (to me) red vise. it does not have any markings but wondering if anyone can identify it.

Almost exactly like the Wilton I got as a Christmas gift years ago from my brother in law. I mounted it so he sees it when he visits. It is acceptable for light work.

 

[wrenchguy]

That's funny Jake! Old, very old Parkers had to be built into their bench until Parker finally did away with that angled piece. I had that piece milled out making it a straight 90 degrees but some think it might weaken that area. I personally don't.

i think he's talking the round nub, i seen 1 with that on it too. i thought might be for a leg to the floor.

 

[Fretters]

i think he's talking the round nub, i seen 1 with that on it too. i thought might be for a leg to the floor.

With the amount of distance that vice will protrude from the bench, it's a feasible conclusion.

 

[ct71rr]

Hi all, I just got this vise from a coworker for free. I believe it is a Craftsman 506-51830. I plan on cleaning it up a bit to use. It was taken out of the GM plant in Framingham, MA after it was shut down. I have a few questions though. It has a swivel base and came with only one locking nut (I think it's called) but, there are two holes on the swivel base. Is this vise supposed to have two locking nuts? If so, does anyone know where I could get another one? So far, I can't find anything on the internet.

This is the locking nut it came with:

 

[drivesitfar]

CT: here's my Craftsman that doesn't swivel so you can see what yours would look like without the extra gray paint or shop grime on it. i'm guessing yours didn't have a swivel and one was found from another vise or did you already clean and paint your swivel base.

there are many of that Craftsman vise on the main vise thread so if somebody doesn't see your post here maybe do a search over on that thread and see what you can find out.

Holden: not sure exactly what that round protruding piece is for either, but would love to see a few more pictures of your Parker all put together. post them either here and or on the main vise thread because it it unique.