Vises I Received for Free

[damnesia]

I'm re-arranging my workshop and found 4 of the 6 vises I got for free from somone ( along with a large amount of old tools ). I'm trying to decided if the two oldest ones are worth cleaning up and using. They work, but the movable jaw is pretty loose on both of them. Thought I'd post some vise ****. Enjoy.

 

[KEH]

The 3rd and 4th pics vise appears to be an older made in Taiwan import of no great value. No reason why it can't be used, looks to be in fairly good shape. The little giant looks to be old, US made, but I have never seen one before. The Craftsman with the number 5 on it looks to be in the best condition. If you can find a made in USA on it it was probably made for Craftsman by Columbian. The Littlestown one is probably the oldest and has been well used but looks to still have a lot of life in it. A vise expert can give a better opinion, and while i have no idea of their value, I don't think they are very valuable, but nice find anyway.

KEH

 

[tool_scrounge]

The 3rd & 4th photos look to be an Eron vise and if so are made by Nabeya Co., Ld of Gifu, Japan. Nabeya lists they have been in business since 1560. They make a wide variety of vise and material clamping apparatus.

Link to your vise without the swivel base on Eron's web page (joint partnership between Nabeya and their Singapore distributor)

http://erontool.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=95

Link to Nabeya's web page (in Japanese)
http://www.nabeya.co.jp/index_E.html

One theme I have heard is there vises resemble British Record vices. Overall I have found the quality to be pretty good on the few I have seen.

 

[Bcom]

The craftsman looks Chinese to me. Im thinking if that model were made in the USA it would say so under the number 5.

 

[damnesia]

Thanks for your input. The Craftsman and the Eron are both in workable condition ( I think I'm the first person who used the Craftsman ). The littlestown is so loose it's basically not good for much. The Little Giant is in okay shape.

I've never taken a vise apart, other than cleaning and lubricating, I wouldn't think there would be much else one could do to make them work better. Am I wrong?

 

[Rileysan]

The littlestown is so loose it's basically not good for much.

One of our members here was making really great bookends out of broken or worn-out vises. Your Littlestown would be a great candidate for such a project.

Brian

 

[JUNK-MAN]

Would you be interested in trading the 5" Craftsman for a 3" Wilton? PM me, Thanks! BTY nice vices!

 

[fatfillup]

Littlestown are ok vises but not work horses. I have broken 2 of them and we aren't all that hard on them. Interestingly your Littlestown has New York on it and two I have now have Littlestown PA which is where I always thought they were made. Note, I live pretty close to Littlestown and have been by the old plant many times.

The Cman does look foreign made though I am no expert. But I was at a buddy's the other night and he has an older Cman 5 inch vise and it is sweet.

To the OP, fix up the nicer ones to use and store the rest for future use.

 

[damnesia]

I cleaned up them up ( didn't paint them, probably won't ) and shimmed the worn out ones and they are good enough to use now. I also found the last "big" vice I got in the deal. It's a Dunlap made in USA that hasn't been used much but was seized up. I got it working and now it works well. The only issue I have is that I busted the swivel base lock ( 3rd picture ) when trying to loosen it. Ideally I'd like to find a replacement that isn't just a bolt and nut. Anyone know where I can find one, or what the actual name for the part is so I can search for one?

Thanks.