Show us your bench vice(s)

[MattF]

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

On the few I've seen, I've never seen a swivel base.

 

[Big Walker]

On the few I've seen, I've never seen a swivel base.

I am going to make a new bench for the garage, so I'll come up with something funky for mounting it

 

[dannysheff]

I have a swivel base (original) Vono bench vice, but it's a smaller model than yours.

I'm guessing your chance of finding one by the original maker is vanishingly small, unless the person who sold to you still has a strange cast iron ring hanging around the place. Otherwise I think you're going to go through a lot of shoe leather following that rocking horse with your bucket.

You could measure up the base of one of the cheapo import swivel vices or an Irwin Record, to check fit - may need some grinding and might not be best quality --- anyone tried this?

Or if your welding/machining skills are good, design and make something from steel plate - that should certainly be tough enough.

Swivels are very popular in the US, even for big vices, but many don't hold in place as well as they should, and are inherently not quite as tough.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Gratuitous shot of my Iron Fortis

Hard to tell from the pic, but has it been repaired [i.e. brazed or welded]?

 

[Arc Tourist]

........................................ Swivels are very popular in the US, even for big vices, but many don't hold in place as well as they should, and are inherently not quite as tough.

I think only once in my lifetime I ever had to swivel a vice, and that was when I mounted it to a narrow bench attached to a wall. Never needed when mounted on a movable bench where I had access from both sides of the corner.

 

[Arc Tourist]

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

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Be careful, the Vice thread here may become addicting.

 

[Big Walker]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Be careful, the Vice thread here may become addicting.

I can see that being the case alright though the prices of them in Northern Ireland may keep me on the straight and narrow. However I will have my eyes out for a bargain when it may arise

Once i finish building a shed I'll be having a go at making a welding table. I plan to have this on castor so should hopefully remove any requirement of having the vice swivel

 

[Arc Tourist]

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

There is a finger lever under the tommy bar which is attached to a square rod that apparently disengages a split nut in the main body of the vice, going by the photos on ebay. Haven't seen one in the flesh yet, so that's my best guess.

 

[dannysheff]

Here you go -- I've got two vices to 'show and tell' -- only 3.5ins jaw width both, but heavy, old and different, I'd say.

Picked this one up not 2 miles from home, in a place selling old machine tools/tooling - fettled and painted rather well by the seller.

It's a patented 'Fast Grip' by George Harrison (long before he learned to play the guitar he had a works in Ripon, Yorkshire and made agricultural equipment then machine tools.

I believe this is a 1902 patent.

There is a very coarse thread (<3pi) with a short tommy bar for the fast and a concentric fine thread (~7pi) with 'beater bar' built in for the grip. All working.

In a perfect specimen, the coarse thread would be more protected by a cast tube elongation of the body but this has broken off.

44lbs, 3.5ins width jaw, approx 3.5ins opening.

another on its way.

 

[dannysheff]

And here's another, also 3.5in jaw width, this time opens to 4.5ins and weighs 37.5lbs.

To me it seems like something of a 'transition' vice, like those Peter Wright 'parallel' bench vices but made mostly from castings - something of the look of a blacksmith's vice crossed with an early Parkinson's Handy. I bought it from within 5 miles of the old Parkinson's works from a young man who indicated that it was inherited from a much older relative who worked in an industrial sewing machine factory. What was Joseph Parkinson's business before Vises and machine tools? -- industrial sewing machines. As far as I can see it has no markings so any further links would be guesswork.

It's been repaired with a big weld but looks very solid and all in-line and despite the rust, works smoothly.

To attach it to the bench - disassemble, then you can attach the big lower casting by three recessed bolts to the bench and follow by attaching the workings by bolting down the 4 machine screws into the threaded holes in the lower casting.

I live about 40 miles from this part of Bradford (Keighley/Shipley/Bradford and surrounding moors) but having about 7 fairly big bench vices and the same woodworking, all probably 100+ years old, I'm amazed that about 80% have come from sellers in this golden vice triangle -- that's where the makers/inventors/innovators were then (I concede Brum was starting up in this trade) before the large volume production of Sheffield took over.

 

[Vono]

Hard to tell from the pic, but has it been repaired [i.e. brazed or welded]?

Hello
No, no repairs that I can see.

 

[Vono]

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
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Cool vices, especially the Peter Wright.
Great to have another vice enthusiast on here

 

[Gragson]

There's a Parkinson J 39 on eBay - Dewsbury, fair bit heavier than the 38 at 108lb with 7" jaws, bit of a state, if it were closer I'd still have a go.

Getting that much weld over it must have taken dedication and effort

 

[dannysheff]

Gragson -- don't see the quick release lever (will work without, but should have one to be 'perfect')

For the model J I think it's a Samsonia (steel casting) -- if it were the iron casting version it'd be poss 50% heavier

weld splatter on old bench vises -- sometimes chips off easily with a cold chisel, sometimes needs a grinder, but in the end worth taking off unless you're entering the 'ugliest vise contest' in which case it needs more (some we've seen -------)

Think it's the biggest of the Samsonia line ----- impressive lump of fine metal

Dewsbury -- only about 15 miles from its birthplace in Shipley -- someone go for it and fix it.

 

[Arc Tourist]

................................................. weld splatter on old bench vises -- sometimes chips off easily with a cold chisel, sometimes needs a grinder, but in the end worth taking off unless you're entering the 'ugliest vise contest' in which case it needs more (some we've seen -------) ...........................................

Just after watching doubleboost's video on refurbishing a Swindens, ( never saw one before) I found this ugly vice on offer with weld spatter on it for a fair price. The spatter on the face chipped off very easily in a couple of minutes.

 

[MattF]

never saw one before

Do you actually read any posts on here?

 

[Seadog]

I found this ugly vice on offer with weld spatter on it for a fair price.

Is that a baby one, about 3 1/2" jaws?

 

[dannysheff]

going to set us homework, matt ?

 

[Arc Tourist]

Do you actually read any posts on here?

Yeah, but I was relatively new on here at the time and being a tourist I haven't seen it all.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Is that a baby one, about 3 1/2" jaws?

The large jaws are 4". You have one of the little baby one's if I recall correctly ?