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My new vise!

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A_Pmech

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May 8, 2007
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IL
A vise is a vise, right? WRONG!

I'm sad to say until a few days ago, I did not have a decent bench vise. Good quality old iron is fairly rare around here, or I don't know where to look. As a consequence, I've "made do" over the years with a couple cheap farm store vises. The results have always been the same. Eventually their wretched lives were cut down by that sickening *PING* only a cheap vise user will admit to knowing well. It's the sound of a vise cracking in two.

After farm store vise #2 cracked several years ago, I never replaced it and decided that eventually I would build my own. While over at Mjozefow's earlier this week I got educated on vises and I ended up dragging home this beauty:

ridgid1.jpg


Here it is with another one of it's kind, a 36" Ridgid pipe wrench:

ridgid2.jpg


Mitch knows more about vises than anybody I know and he did a great job rebuilding this old Ridgid, getting it back into operational order. Here's what he started with!

image242.jpg


It moves smooth as silk, unlike the cheap Chinese things I had allowed myself to become accustomed to. I'm looking forward to using it! The old "foot vise" is getting old! Before I can mount it, I need to build a bench. I have a few calls in on scrap 2" steel plate, we'll see what my magnet can catch...

In the meantime, I have Mitch on the lookout for a second, *slightly larger* vise. Knowing him, he'll come up with something HUGE and OLD. :bounce:

Until then...

:beer:
 
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Mickey O

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Maybe you can find someone qualified that can make you a variety jaws. Funny, I would have guessed you already had an awesome vise, well now you do.
 
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A_Pmech

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cnc-me said:
Nice find, like the way the jaws mount.
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That's something I keyed on too! It is an elegant design.

DavidB said:
Nice vise. I kinda look forward to when you decide to mod it!
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I do need to make a second "vise nut", the lever and nut thing that clamps the vise to the swivel base. I'll make an update in this thread when I've had a chance to make one.

OccupantRJ said:
I see you made him come off something for all that Bridgeport consultation!
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When I first saw it, I had to have it. The jaw design, among other things just struck me as elegant. In the end, we worked out a trade.

MickeyO said:
Maybe you can find someone qualified that can make you a variety jaws. Funny, I would have guessed you already had an awesome vise, well now you do.
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It's one of those things I've been putting off. I was tired of the junk decided I wasn't going to buy another one until I could find a good one. It wasn't until I saw the great work Mitch was doing finding and rebuilding old vises that I decided to do something about it. He has an eye for finding good ones and has built up a network of connections to help find them. He had a dozen more old American vises in various stages of rebuilding when I was there!
 
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Shadowdog500

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Down the shore
Wow! That looks brand new!

Since you were thinking of building one, perhaps you and Mjozefow could join forces to design and build "THE VISE". Im sure you could come up with something that nothing else in current production could even touch.

Chris
 
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A_Pmech

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mooman said:
That thing is **** in her red dress!!!!
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It's a pretty color!

arkangel06 said:
Very **** indeed
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Off! Back away! Mine! :bounce:

Mickey O said:
What, he just got the thing and you guys are already making passes at his new vise, for shame, for shame.
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Bwaaaaahahahahahah! :spit:

Romanova said:
Love the color! Nice choice... treat her right now, ya' hear!?
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Yes sir! I have already received a lecture on the use of hammers and cheater bars on her handle. There will be no such rough treatment here. :)

Shadowdog500 said:
Wow! That looks brand new!

Since you were thinking of building one, perhaps you and Mjozefow could join forces to design and build "THE VISE". Im sure you could come up with something that nothing else in current production could even touch.
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It looks and works like new! Old iron was made to last and last.

That's an interesting idea!
 
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mjozefow

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Glad you like it John. You can thank Amanda for the color. She said it HAD to be red. I couldn't agree more.

Enjoy!


Where did you get the cheater bar/hammer lecture from? :)

And just to set the record straight, John did offer to pay for it. Instead he ended up spending a large amount of time instructing me on the new BP. Instruction like that is priceless. I couldn't be happier.
 
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A_Pmech

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mjozefow said:
Glad you like it John. You can thank Amanda for the color. She said it HAD to be red. I couldn't agree more.

Enjoy!


Where did you get the cheater bar/hammer lecture from? :)

And just to set the record straight, John did offer to pay for it. Instead he ended up spending a large amount of time instructing me on the new BP. Instruction like that is priceless. I couldn't be happier.
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She does have good taste, even if she saves the blue M&M's for last...

I don't remember where I got it from, but I do remember I had the distinct impression there would be hell to pay if I didn't follow orders! :bounce:

A fair trade, I believe. I'm glad to have been able to help with the Bridgeport. :beer:
 
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Bull

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That is a sweet vise.

Mitch kind of sounds like a pretty awesome dude.
 
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brimorga

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Bay Area, Ca
Nice job! All the vises I've seen around me on CL have been crazy expensive. The only good deals I have seen have been on non-swivel vises. Did you just have an extra base laying around to convert it?
 
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A

A_Pmech

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May 8, 2007
Messages
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Location
IL
Bull said:
That is a sweet vise.

Mitch kind of sounds like a pretty awesome dude.
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He has an eye for detail and the "iron bug". That awesome in my book. :thumbup:

tonydanzah said:
that is a beaut
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It's going to be a shame to scratch it up! :shocking:

brimorga said:
Nice job! All the vises I've seen around me on CL have been crazy expensive. The only good deals I have seen have been on non-swivel vises. Did you just have an extra base laying around to convert it?
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I would talk to Mitch if you're looking for a vise, he has contacts and feelers out all over. I found the same thing around here on Craigslist. The majority were over priced junk and the interesting ones sold in minutes!

While not shown in the "before" photo, this vise came complete with the swivel base. He definitely knows how to find them!

Jim Stabe said:
This would be a good place to start
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php...highlight=vise
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Interesting link, Jim!
 
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