Show us your bench vice(s)

[Chris Larkin]

Hi Chris, Welcome from the Rhondda Valley.
Not too familiar with Woden vices, but someone more knowledge will most likely chime in shortly.

Thanks.. which part?

 

[Arc Tourist]

Thanks.. which part?

Treorchy area.

 

[Chris Larkin]

Treorchy area.

Oh ok.. I have family in that area aswell.. were scattered all over.. lol.. pentre, tylors town.. alsorts..

 

[Chris Larkin]

Looks like a Cam lock wood workers vice.
The British made would indicate post 1950.

I guess that the old moulds were re-used to try and get export sales. Hence the change from Made in England, to British Made.

Paint?
Post box red, RAF Roundel Blue, Black or what one you like.

Ok thanks the original colour looks to be a grey-ish blue colour..

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Looks based on the Wilson Riley/Massey design, that would make it much older in my opinion. However I have never seen this vice style by Woden so it may indeed be more modern, in the vice catalogues I've looked through this style of vice is only in the early ones.
Any chance of a picture of the locking mechanism?

 

[dannysheff]

I think Woden made this very briefly between WWI and II - seen before, but very few around.

Woden are a most interesting company - there was an excellent Woden website which I think included this vice - unfortunately 'off the air' but may come back under the Hawley Tool Collection website (Sheffield Industrial Museums).

 

[CwazyWabbit]

I think Woden made this very briefly between WWI and II - seen before, but very few around.

Woden are a most interesting company - there was an excellent Woden website which I think included this vice - unfortunately 'off the air' but may come back under the Hawley Tool Collection website (Sheffield Industrial Museums).

Have you looked to see if it is on archive.org?

 

[Viceman]

Woden are a most interesting company - there was an excellent Woden website which I think included this vice

http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Darlaston/Woden.htm

This is one I use

 

[Arc Tourist]

http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Darlaston/Woden.htm

I wonder how many of those huge " Floor Vices " were made, and where they are ?

 

[Viceman]

I wonder how many of those huge " Floor Vices " were made, and where they are ?

Sounds like a challenge, I'm sure somebody will find one. I may need a new floor in my shed for one of those to be fitted.

 

[Vono]

Here's the pages with bench vices from the 1917 Herbert of Coventry catalogue the intro explains that if the page is headed 'Factored' then these are not made by the company.

Quite different to the later Herbert catalogue on rabbit's cloud pages - both the Ajax and Fortis are to the Parkinson's QR design overall shape and the woodwork one is a Parky as, is the one on the stand --- by the way, I lucked on one of these vice stands (just the same as this but no handle) which has no maker mark but I have now seen it in two catalogues with Parkinsons vices so assume it is a Parky - perfect for my really big one (a no. 9, but not the largest listed 9a or the near mythical 10 that an American collector has).

I like the offer in the text to send a sample for inspection - I'll have a no6 Fortis with swivel base and stand to try out please.

this is my catalogue and I give anyone permission to copy or uploadView attachment 266372 View attachment 266373

I was looking again at this & the Fortis Iron vice that apart from in the catalogue & the one I got, I haven't seen anywhere else (unless somebody out there has one ??)

Does anybody think the date of 1917 for this catalogue could be significant? It's late WW1 & there were steel shortages, perhaps that led to them making Iron ones too ?

Gratuitous shot of my Iron Fortis

 

[SteveB58]

I wonder how many of those huge " Floor Vices " were made, and where they

I've vague memory of using something like it, but it was attached to either a mechanical saw or a shaping machine. Could only be during my apprenticeship in the late 70's.

 

[dannysheff]

Been quiet here for a while -- hope you're all OK. Busy with vice restoration?

Had a look on bay-e this morning - by chance 2 'Premier' vices for sale -- fairly ordinary medium-small Parky Handy- type design but I believe one of us (Wabbit? or?) has a couple of more interesting Premiers ------- anyone know where or who they were (are?) --(made in England)

 

[Arc Tourist]

Missed out on an A.H. Colt / Wilson vice with quick release a couple of days ago, still sulking.

 

[dannysheff]

Missed out on an A.H. Colt / Wilson vice with quick release a couple of days ago, still sulking.

Never heard w QR on those - how does that work?

I missed out on a v small simplified Wilson a few months ago - looks like there were quite a few variants and sizes. Also machine-type vices by them, I think. All made in London?

 

[Big Walker]

Hello all, been lurking for a while checking out some awesome vices, some that are like hens teeth, so thought I'd show a couple of vices that I have and hopefully throw another rare one into the mix.
The smaller one is an old Record No4 and the larger a Peter Wright No5.
Anybody got any idea on the age / details of the No5? Haven't been able to find anything on the interwebnet regarding it.
Thanks in advance

 

[dannysheff]

That Peter Wright is most interesting - as you may know, they were W. Midlands based and well known (because they put their name on theirs and for some reason, most other makers didn't) for their blacksmith and general purpose leg/staple vices which were the only metal vices before about 1850s/60s, then they also made 'parallel action' bench vices - different from the cast vices starting to appear, as they were made originally from wrought iron (with cast steel screw, nut and jaw face) - good solid vices, still much in demand, especially the big 'uns. I think their later versions of these (say after WWI) had some cast parts.

This one looks basically like a cast iron (or maybe cast malleable iron or steel) vice and later than most Peter Wrights.

I also looks rather like a Vono (the W Mids maker famous for bed frames, who also made a few distinctive vices between WWI and II) - they're also quite unusual.

Just checked and the Registered Design of the Vono was 694211 - I can't quite read from your pic, but looks like it could be the same, in which case there was some collaboration - maybe to the extent that this was made by Vono.

 

[Big Walker]

Just popped out and grabbed a more detailed snap.

Absolutely spot on with that.
So maybe Vono would actually have made this Peter Wright, perhaps between WWI and WWII?

 

[Big Walker]

After a quick hunt, what I suspected was indeed the case and, there should have been a swivel base to accompany this.
Would anyone by chance have a swivel base for one of these or is this going to be like hunting for rocking horse poop?
Thanks

 

[Lewis_RX8]

Hello all, been lurking for a while checking out some awesome vices, some that are like hens teeth, so thought I'd show a couple of vices that I have and hopefully throw another rare one into the mix.
The smaller one is an old Record No4 and the larger a Peter Wright No5.
Anybody got any idea on the age / details of the No5? Haven't been able to find anything on the interwebnet regarding it.
Thanks in advance

Interesting vices there, Certainly rare

Welcome to the forum !