Vise ID help
- Thread starter Vne
- Start date
Provincial
Well-known member
Looks like Hollands 5142 to me, but that may be my subconcious wishing it so.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Looks a lot like a Rock Island to me. RI made a model 514 that has 3 1/2 inch wide jaws.
Do a little wire brushing and it should be readable.
Do a little wire brushing and it should be readable.
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Man... I have been pouring over this one all night. This is a vise coming up on auction from a church. It's the only pic they've got unfortunately. I was trying to figure out how badly I needed to attend. I too thought it was a Rock Island but then I stumbled across this craftsman vise chart...
http://scuttle.dayid.org/wiki/index.php/Craftsman_Vise
It's the only lettering I can kinda make fit with my imagination. I think that says CRAFTSMAN in arched letters but I can't quite make out the numbers. 516 something. Depending on what that last number is this vise will weight anywhere from 27 lbs to 254 lbs. I just can't quite tell how big it is. I'm guessing it's probably a 4 to 5 inch jaw.
Guess I'll have to go to the auction and find out.
http://scuttle.dayid.org/wiki/index.php/Craftsman_Vise
It's the only lettering I can kinda make fit with my imagination. I think that says CRAFTSMAN in arched letters but I can't quite make out the numbers. 516 something. Depending on what that last number is this vise will weight anywhere from 27 lbs to 254 lbs. I just can't quite tell how big it is. I'm guessing it's probably a 4 to 5 inch jaw.
Guess I'll have to go to the auction and find out.
Shiftless
Well-known member
Craftsman! Even better! So it is likely a 5162 (4 inch jaws) Rock Island and Reed made a lot of vises for Sears back in the day.
That would be a high quality and very collectible vise to own. Go for it! Don't just go to look at it...bring cash! Out here it would be a steal for $50 and even in that condition, it might bring a hundred or more.
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Hemi49
Well-known member
That's a Craftsman vise.....Made by Rock Island....... Very well made, heavy vise......
Hemi
Hemi
thehorse13
Well-known member
This is a re-branded Rock Island 574 vise. Rock Island made vises for a number of other brands, including Craftsman. I don't believe this one is a Craftsman though.
Shiftless
Well-known member
I agree with Hemi on this question.
I'm betting it's a Craftsman.
Hopefully Vne went to that sale, picked it up, and will settle our little bet.
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Hemi49
Well-known member
drivesitfar
Well-known member
VNE: just saw your thread and agree with the guys that the vise is a Craftsman made by Rock Island. You can't go wrong buying that vise if it doesn't have any hidden cracks, broken parts or welds we can't see in the picture. i'm guessing it's only a 3 inch wide jaw, but i'd bet it weighs close to 40-50 pounds because Rock Island made some of the best built vises on the planet in those days. that vise is most likely from the 1930's and maybe the 1920's.
good luck
good luck
That's what I'm guessing too. Would you say this qualifies as more of a machinists vise rather than a mechanics vise? Every vise I own currently has a bs anvil on it. I'm looking forward to moving up in the world.
Man, I hope you're right. If it's a 5162 then it's supposed to weigh 51 lbs. I sure would like to see this thing take its rightful place next to my other craftsman vises. Later that day I may be picking up a Simplex 31S. Hopefully a Reed 105 at the end of the month. It's gonna be a busy summer.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
VNE: just saw your post about the vise's anvils being small or not usable. just an FYI I don't own a vise that I want to beat on like an anvil unless I were to buy a blacksmith vise that was built for that purpose. i'd mount or just have a nice piece of steel plate or RR track to beat on and save your cool old vises to use as they were intended to.
BTW the Reed 105 is a helluva vise and might quickly become a favorite and it should weigh about 75 pounds. and yes i'm certain the vise you started the thread with is a Craftsman built by Rock Island and pretty certain it's a 5162. I own one and just can't recall if the jaw width is 3 inches or not. it is fairly heavy so guessing 51 pounds is about right.
BTW the Reed 105 is a helluva vise and might quickly become a favorite and it should weigh about 75 pounds. and yes i'm certain the vise you started the thread with is a Craftsman built by Rock Island and pretty certain it's a 5162. I own one and just can't recall if the jaw width is 3 inches or not. it is fairly heavy so guessing 51 pounds is about right.
Oh yeah, no. I didn't mean to communicate that. Every vise I own has the anvil face and I have no use for it. I just see the anvil face as being representative of a lesser quality vise. I really want a smooth, precise, dyed in the wool, machinists vise.
Shiftless
Well-known member
FYI the Craftsman 5162 has 4 inch wide jaws and weighs 51 pounds.
5162 was my guess before and I'm sticking with it!
FYI the Craftsman 5162 has 4 inch wide jaws and weighs 51 pounds.
5162 was my guess before and I'm sticking with it!
I'm bettin you're right. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good screw and no cracks in the slide.
Turns out it's a Craftsman 5163! Jaws measured 4 1/2". No damage on it. It's all intact and very smooth and tight. It's just that you get rust on you just by looking at it. But I like it. If anybody beats me on this bid then they're gonna have to work for it.
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thehorse13
Well-known member
Looks like I win. The Rock Island 574 vise has 4 1/2 inch jaws. Rock Island made these for Craftsman. I have the same vises both in Craftsman and Rock Island so you could say that I have a bit of insider info. 
I went back and re-read my first post. I should have said, I *do* believe this one is a Craftsman...
lol
Getting old *****.
I went back and re-read my first post. I should have said, I *do* believe this one is a Craftsman...
lol
Getting old *****.
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Turns out it's a Craftsman 5163! Jaws measured 4 1/2". No damage on it. It's all intact and very smooth and tight. It's just that you get rust on you just by looking at it. But I like it. If anybody beats me on this bid then they're gonna have to work for it.
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Then it is indeed a RI 574. If it were a 4-inch jaw it would be a 573.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
VNE: Here's a picture of the Craftsman 5163 vise that I did own and is now owned by another GJ member who might want to post up a few more pictures after he restores it since he always does an amazing job. anyway rust isn't really too big of an issue and will easily be removed if you buy it. sorry my pics are on a different computer, but these might help some.
good luck
good luck
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Shiftless
Well-known member
I'm still licking my wounds. I was outbid by $40. I just didn't see much value in the Wilton. To me, it was a $20 vise. The real treasure in my mind was the craftsman. So I bid $110 for the lot. I thought that was fairly aggressive. But at that price level the bid increments are $10. The lot went for $150 so I was outbid probably 4 times. It's a shame. That craftsman would have looked real nice sitting amongst its brothers on my bench.
So I'm back to keeping my eyes peeled for the next lost treasure. I'm sure it won't be long before something else comes along. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cry some more.
So I'm back to keeping my eyes peeled for the next lost treasure. I'm sure it won't be long before something else comes along. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cry some more.
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Shiftless
Well-known member
We feel for you, Vne
. . .
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. . . .
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