Vise Info Thread

[CRSINMICH]

PITTSBURGH "AUTO" VISE
By the same company that made the mythical 695 pound vise​

1 3/4 inch jaws
3 1/2 pounds

A handy vise. You can mount the base to the running board of your automobile and keep the rest of the vise in your toolbox!

 

[CRSINMICH]

1/4​

FISHER & NORRIS
FISHER BROOKS
FISHER
​

Fisher & Norris were known for their Double Screw blacksmiths' style vises. They also made bench vises. Most, but not all, of their bench vises were labeled Fisher Brooks vises however it looks like at one point they dropped 'Brooks' from the name of the vises. Information about Fisher Norris bench vises is kind of sketchy and piecemeal.

Due to the limits on adding attachments to GJ posts the information will be spread across several posts.​

 

[CRSINMICH]

2/4​

Fisher-Brooks bench vises were first made in 1909. They were mentioned in a February 1909 issue of "Blacksmith and Wheelwright" magazine. More details about the vises were given in a June 1909 issue of "Railroad Age Gazette". A 1909 issue of "Railway Master Mechanic" mentions a "special woodworkers' vise". More on that later, but look at the names of Fisher & Norris representatives at the bottom. Harriet Fisher was the widow of Clark Fisher. She continued to successfully run the company for years after his death. She was also the first person to drive an automobile around the world. What a gal!

 

[CRSINMICH]

3/4​

In 1912, Fisher & Norris advertised the "Fisher" Patented Quick Acting Lever Vise. It is clearly a Stephens vise which was patented in 1864.
The phrasing is a little ambiguous. The vise was made by Fisher and it was patented; assumptions could be made. It could also be that the
Stephens patent had expired. In 1914, they advertised the Quick Acting Lever Vise with a swivel base for "scraping in bearings". It has a
model number and a patent date. The date is a bit blurry, but it looks like May 10 (or 20), 1911. Neither of those dates was a day on which
patents were awarded. In fact, none of the patents awarded in May, 1911 had anything to do with vises. Perhaps F&N jumped the gun a bit and used the date on which the patent was applied for.

 

[CRSINMICH]

4/4​

By 1913, Fisher & Norris referred to their bench vises as simply "Fisher Bench Vise". An ad in a March, 1913 issue of "Blacksmith and Wheelwright" magazine also shows the 'Woodworkers Special Vise' mentioned previously (2/4). In the October issue, an ad shows a Fisher "Combination Pipe Vise". It's a Smith's patent vise which was used by a few vise manufacturers.

In 1916, Fisher & Norris introduced a "Quick-Acting Foot-Lever Machinist Vise" which came in five sizes.
It looks like it was a device attached and adapted to selected sizes of their regular quick-acting vises.

EDIT: I just added the March 1913 ad that shows the woodworkers special vise.

 

[RTM]

. It has a model number and a patent date. The date is a bit blurry, but it looks like May 10 (or 20), 1911. Neither of those dates was a day on which patents were Awarded

This makes the day look like 23, but still nothing in DATAMP, tho it is a valid day.




Know nothing of your vise, is this the patent? Not in DATAMP.

US993181A - Vise. - Google Patents

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/27/a1/99/eed23b40d0c101/US993181.pdf

 

[CRSINMICH]

RTM: It certainly looks like the same vise and it too looks like a Stephens. There must be enough difference in the clamping mechanism to justify a new patent. I've had most of this information for some time. It took awhile to organize it and I kept running into new information - like this patent. Thanks, I'll add it to my Fisher Norris folder.

 

[KMScott]

Selic Sonnenthal A1. Guessing it's a 7-7/8 jaw width that opens to 9-3/4 and weights 174 lbs.

From the owner.
I have 2 advert for it. One is from an English machine tool manufacturer and one from Czarist Russia. But it was patented in Germany in 1891.

 

[KMScott]

Morgan 170. 7" jaws that opens to 12” and weights 220 lbs.

Thanks CRS for the spec:s.

 

[CRSINMICH]

1928 MORGAN Catalog showing specs for #170
Notice that the stationary version has an 8" size.
​

LATE ADDITION - By 1953 Morgan catalogs included an 8" swivel base version.

 

[KMScott]

Fulton #20. 4” jaws that weights 50 lbs.

 

[KMScott]

Athol 643A. 3” jaws on this welded swivel jaw vise. No other spec:s.

 

[KMScott]

Any ideas on who made this vise. Possibly a School built vise?

 

[Outlawmws]

Athol 643A. 3” jaws on this welded swivel jaw vise.

What a sad little swivel jaw!

Any ideas on who made this vise. Possibly a School built vise?

I think a good guess.

 

[CRSINMICH]

KMS: The Athol 643 model got caught up in their number changes. It used to be a 626. Here are the specs for that but I don't know what the 'A' part of the number means.

 

[KMScott]

Reed 414 Filiers swivel jaw. 4” jaws that opens to 4-1/2” and weights 57 lbs.

 

[CRSINMICH]

1912 Henry Rorig vise face patent assigned to REED.​

 

[KMScott]

CRS, I can visualize the radial cutter used to cut the serrations. Probably multi cutters on a 10” diameter cutter head. Thanks for the read.

 

[KMScott]

Vimalert. 7” jaws that opens to 10” and weights 158 lbs. Possibly made in Mexico.

 

[CRSINMICH]

VIMALERT​

Vimalert was a New Jersey company but they did have an office in Mexico. It looks like they primarily made marine engines. It also looks like they did some sketchy deals in the 1930's which makes it curious that the War Department had a technical manual for one of Vimalert's engines in 1944.

I didn't find any indications that they manufactured anything other than marine engines - and nothing about vises.

 

[KMScott]

Dewalt E269. 5” jaws.

 

[CRSINMICH]

1917 Luther Grinder Manufacturing Co
Many of these models are not on the Vise Spreadsheet
(Model 31 is easy to overlook. It's a Model 30 with pipe jaws)
​

The 1919 ad shows a machinist type vise with general specs and an explanation of their "V-Line classifications".

 

[CRSINMICH]

1885 C A Luther & Co Vise
NOT the same as Luther Grinder (see above)​

There is not much information about this company.

 

[master Zoda]

I need some help identifying this little cutie. The only markings I see is V 60. It has a design I have not seen before. The 2 pin slider thing is pretty common but on this one the bottom pin doesn't go through the jaw it just rides in a channel. It is very sturdy almost no play in the jaws.

Jaws are 1-1/2" wide opens 1-1/4" weight is 1lb 2oz.
It's a shame the clamp handle is missing.

This could be a markings but looks like a casting flaw to me.

One for the spreadsheet if you didn't already grab it. Luther V60.

 

[KMScott]

Got it. Thanks master Zoda.

 

[CRSINMICH]

MORGAN VISE COMPANY
Models 55 & 155
(Not on the spreadsheet)
​

No. 55 - Jaw width 5 1/2" Opens to 8 1/2 " Weight 100 lbs.
No. 155 - Jaw width 5 1/2" Opens to 8 1/2" Weight 115 lbs.

Page from 1928 Morgan catalog.

 

[KMScott]

MORGAN VISE COMPANY
Models 55 & 155
(Not on the spreadsheet)
​

No. 55 - Jaw width 5 1/2" Opens to 8 1/2 " Weight 100 lbs.
No. 155 - Jaw width 5 1/2" Opens to 8 1/2" Weight 115 lbs.

Page from 1928 Morgan catalog.

Thanks CRS. Just built some 6” Morgan jaws for Royce. He should get them this week.

 

[ranger08]

noticed this one is not on the spreadsheet
"record leader 10PB" 3 inch fabricated vise, all steel plate with huge steel anvil
3 inch jaws, opens 3 3/4 weight 5kg/11lb, not the original paint

 

[KMScott]

Reed 933. 5” jaws thats missing it’s pipe jaws and weights 115 lbs.

 

[KMScott]

Phoenix 5/0. No spec:s.

 

[KMScott]

Stanley 652. 1-3/4 jaws and weights 3-1/2 lbs.

 

[RTM]

Hey gang, here are some pics of an Emmert 101 4" vise that showed up on my local FB MP. Not mine, don't have that much disposable $$ laying about. Didn't see it in the spreadsheet. No notes on weights etc

 

[BlackVersa2]

Hey gang, here are some pics of an Emmert 101 4" vise that showed up on my local FB MP. Not mine, don't have that much disposable $$ laying about. Didn't see it in the spreadsheet. No notes on weights etc

That one looks to have been repaired on the top of the L-shaped slots. These vises were neat but not built to last.

 

[KMScott]

L.M. & V. Co. Lowville Machine & Vise company - NY

This is a model 20 machinists vise -
4” jaws
Opens 6”
Weighed in at 49lbs
!

 

[Outlawmws]

Hmmm I seem to have a variant here compared to the one Autopts posted:

Picked up Sunday:

Littlestown HDW FDY CO No. 2

2" jaws and opening (jaw width is fractionally under 2", but no where near 1-3/4" opening is not...

NO cast in pipe jaws, and the anvil is square; not with a horn over the lead screw as Autopts appears to have?

well under 3 lbs, couple of ounces?

Well used compared to Autopts:


FYI that big "washer is aluminum and I left it off for the weigh in, left the 2 smaller cut steel washers.





Autopts:

 

[KMScott]

I added another #2 to the spreadsheet. Does the flat anvil have a hard insert? Just curious. Thanks Outlaw.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Outlaw: Here's a cut from a 1982 Littlestown catalog showing the #2 without a horn and no pipe jaws. The other version must be earlier.

 

[Outlawmws]

Dr. Scott, It looks "as cast' but the "anvil" is surprisingly live on the ball bearing bounce test. a good 50% rebound - I'd have expected it to be near dead like other CI I've tested.

 

[Outlawmws]

@CRSINMICH 1982? I'm surprised they were still in business! but I think they lost the Littlestown HDW FDY CO. in the name much earlier?

 

[tool_scrounge]

@CRSINMICH 1982? I'm surprised they were still in business! but I think they lost the Littlestown HDW FDY CO. in the name much earlier?

Still in business, but they no longer cast vises as they stopped cast iron work in 1990.

http://littlestownfoundry.com/our-history/