Wanting to buy a vise.

[Joe100]

Hi all Thinking of purchasing a large Columbian vise No.208 someone has fixed it was welded buy some one way back in time. It looks pretty beat up from the pictures I saw but I always wanted one of these huge vises. Just your thoughts is it worth $80.00 bucks?????

 

[exmaxima1]

Need pics

 

[tool_scrounge]

Pretty cheap if it was fixed correctly. need pix.

 

[Shiftless]

Most welded vises aren’t properly welded and will likely fail again at that point.
Columbian made a lot of different models and some of them are poorly made imports.
The older USA models are great vises even though they don’t command the prices of the Reeds, Wilton machinist models, and others.
Here is a picture of a Columbian 206 from the GJ vise pages. Is the one you’re considering like this one?

 

[nadogail]

A Vise, or any other product or service, is worth what a willing seller will accept from a willing buyer.
What are similar products and services being purchased for in your area?
How bad do you want it and is the seller needing some cash to meet an obligation?

 

[Joe100]

Most welded vises aren’t properly welded and will likely fail again at that point.
Columbian made a lot of different models and some of them are poorly made imports.
The older USA models are great vises even though they don’t command the prices of the Reeds, Wilton machinist models, and others.
Here is a picture of a Columbian 206 from the GJ vise pages. Is the one you’re considering like this one?

Yes but it’s a 208

 

[Joe100]

Pretty cheap if it was fixed correctly. need pix.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks for the pix.
Indeed...It’s a 208 !
That price is about 1/10 what it would be if it was in pristine condition. I see that the cast in place jaws are pretty worn and the pipe jaws are missing. If that weld repair is OK, and the vise cranks in and out smoothly indicating that the main thread and the nut are OK, go ahead and buy it. Others around here would probably pay more than $80.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Do you get the table/stand it is attached to?

That would help make it a better deal.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Joe100...Columbian Vise & Mfg. Co. didn't make a vise model no-208. You'll need to have the width of the jaws measured to verify the correct model no.

Use the catalog scan below for a reference.

 

[Shiftless]

Joe:
Fierljeppen is an authority on such things and that catalog page he posted above is strong evidence.
Many times the cast in markings are worn and hard to read. A six can look a lot like an eight.
Even so, a 6 inch Columbian combo vise is still a great find. Buy it!

 

[exmaxima1]

I wouldn't put 100% confidence in just that one catalog sheet. That sheet also indicated removable jaw inserts while the op's vise were cast in. Or there could very well be a 208 but just so few of them that it didn't justify adding it to the catalog. I've seen that with Morgan vises where there was no catalog listing for a particular swivel jaw model. That said, the proof would be in the measurements. Others have sold Columbian "208" vises and posted pics showing 7 inches of throat height and 13 inches opening. No mention of the jaw WIDTH though, so maybe it was also a 206.

 

[Shiftless]

Exmaxima is right. Catalog pages are strong evidence but not 100% absolute proof.

 

[Fierljeppen]

I wouldn't put 100% confidence in just that one catalog sheet. That sheet also indicated removable jaw inserts while the op's vise were cast in. Or there could very well be a 208 but just so few of them that it didn't justify adding it to the catalog. I've seen that with Morgan vises where there was no catalog listing for a particular swivel jaw model. That said, the proof would be in the measurements. Others have sold Columbian "208" vises and posted pics showing 7 inches of throat height and 13 inches opening. No mention of the jaw WIDTH though, so maybe it was also a 206.

You are absolutely correct. One catalog page is just a snap-shot in time and my response was a little vague. However, I was basing my statement on the ample catalog sheets that I have in my database from (1915-2006), in which they all show the same -4- sizes. In fact, the only vintage 8" combo vise I know of is the Wilton Tradesman 1780 and they didn't start manufacturing those until the 1990's.

Either way, I'd recommend using the "vise spreadsheet" as a guide, when searching vise models. KMScott has done an outstanding job of listing all of the known manufacturers and models, with specifications and photos.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...YI7UKRpUd3aheAE86KBQRBGb9s/edit#gid=666157805

The following catalog scans are from 1915 and 2006, respectively.

 

[exmaxima1]

Looking closer at the pics of the "208" that sold for >$1000, the supposed jaw width does not scale correctly with the measured throat height. In the pic, the 7" jaw height certainly looks bigger than the jaw width and I would have no trouble accepting it was actually a Columbian 206. I guess that op needs to weigh his new vise and see if it is dramatically heavier than the catalog sheet specs. BTW, last week I passed on a rusty Columbian 204-1/2 with the old-style threaded post mount for $15. It would have been alot of work for a style of vise that nobody wants.

 

[SoonerBorn77]

Can’t go wrong with Wilton vises. Especially the older bullet styles.

 

[NUTTSGT]

No way I would spend money on that vise without seeing it in person.

That weld job looks like hack work to me, just looking at the pictures on a phone.

 

[BillK]

Not sure why anybody would even consider buying a vise that looked like that ???

 

[bad_idea]

I wouldn't give any more than $40 for it. That weld job looks terrible. Not a huge deal if you can redo it yourself. Overall the vise looks about worn out.