Show us your bench vice(s)

[dannysheff]

Thanks to all for the great comments, much appreciated yes it is a beauty i'm really very taken with it. Apparently it came from Council Workshops - does make you wonder what is still lurking out there & in use. Perhaps it was sold off for "health & safety" reasons, only to be replaced by modern junk (I've heard of that happening). Incredible to think something this old was still earning its keep - a testament to how well built this old stuff was.

Danny I've attached another pic of the name details, any idea of the age of it based on it saying Vise & Parkinson's ?

Also does anyone know what the raised area that's been threaded is for underneath it ?

Many thanks

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somewhere out there there's a bit of history re the company (Shipley's history?, Companies House?) which would say when it went from just old man J Parkinson to and sons (?about 1895???) don't know about the VISE spelling but there are a few that look first gen Perfects with VICE. And before the QR there were Handy types with two rear castings but usually no cast-in name mark - how far back? I'd guess 1870s but don't know - the 'Improved' Handy (single casting rear) may have been introduced about 1900?.

So 1880 the Perfect QR patent; then wild guesses 1892 +/- for VICE>VISE and 1897 +/- for PARKINSON'S>PARKINSONS, but of course they may only have changed the patterns for the castings when they needed to, and there may have been factory stock of some parts etc etc

I stand to be corrected on any of these.

Is the threaded hole occupied at the top with a bolt holding part of the moveable buttress nut?

 

[Vono]

somewhere out there there's a bit of history re the company (Shipley's history?, Companies House?) which would say when it went from just old man J Parkinson to and sons (?about 1895???) don't know about the VISE spelling but there are a few that look first gen Perfects with VICE. And before the QR there were Handy types with two rear castings but usually no cast-in name mark - how far back? I'd guess 1870s but don't know - the 'Improved' Handy (single casting rear) may have been introduced about 1900?.

So 1880 the Perfect QR patent; then wild guesses 1892 +/- for VICE>VISE and 1897 +/- for PARKINSON'S>PARKINSONS, but of course they may only have changed the patterns for the castings when they needed to, and there may have been factory stock of some parts etc etc

I stand to be corrected on any of these.

Is the threaded hole occupied at the top with a bolt holding part of the moveable buttress nut?

Hello Danny, great info' thanks for that, much appreciated
Over 120 years old, wow.
Good thinking on the threaded hole, i'll have a look & see if I can see anything.
Cheers

 

[Rowethren]

My Record Leader 12 arrived and this is it next to a Record 0. It is quite amusing how much the vice increases in size from tiny little 2½ inch jaws to a more average 4½ jaws...



I was planning on mounting the Record 0 on a steel plate so I can use it mounted in the Leader 12. All I need now is a decent work bench to mount them on. I have been keeping an eye out for used ones but not having a van makes it somewhat challenging.

 

[Vono]

My Record Leader 12 arrived and this is it next to a Record 0. It is quite amusing how much the vice increases in size from tiny little 2½ inch jaws to a more average 4½ jaws...

View attachment 347926View attachment 347927

I was planning on mounting the Record 0 on a steel plate so I can use it mounted in the Leader 12. All I need now is a decent work bench to mount them on. I have been keeping an eye out for used ones but not having a van makes it somewhat challenging.

They look great.
Must admit i'm a big fan of Record Leaders, basic & utilitarian looking but really cool.

 

[Rowethren]

They look great.
Must admit i'm a big fan of Record Leaders, basic & utilitarian looking but really cool.

It is seriously beefy as well. My dad didn't believe me that a 4½ inch jaw vice could weigh 20kg. I particularly like that the anvil is just a massive block of steel welded to the back of it

 

[SteveB58]

My Record Leader 12 arrived and this is it next to a Record 0. It is quite amusing how much the vice increases in size from tiny little 2½ inch jaws to a more average 4½ jaws...

View attachment 347926View attachment 347927

I was planning on mounting the Record 0 on a steel plate so I can use it mounted in the Leader 12. All I need now is a decent work bench to mount them on. I have been keeping an eye out for used ones but not having a van makes it somewhat challenging.

Why not build a bench? One of my benches was built from pallet wood which can be had for nothing and my main bench was built from fence posts and a salvaged vaulting horse from a school, all it cost me was time and fixings.

 

[Rowethren]

Why not build a bench? One of my benches was built from pallet wood which can be had for nothing and my main bench was built from fence posts and a salvaged vaulting horse from a school, all it cost me was time and fixings.

I have been looking round on free cycle etc for bits of wood, nothing suitable has turned up yet but I am sure it will.

 

[MattF]

You can build a sound bench from carcassing.

 

[SteveB58]

I have been looking round on free cycle etc for bits of wood, nothing suitable has turned up yet but I am sure it will.

Fire doors and old kitchen worktops make good benches as do scaffold planks.

 

[Rowethren]

Fire doors and old kitchen worktops make good benches as do scaffold planks.

I have seen quite a few offcuts of kitchen work surfaces and they look like they would be perfect but none in the right size yet. A nice 40mm thick walnut topped workbench would probably outlive me and I am only 31

 

[SteveB58]

I have seen quite a few offcuts of kitchen work surfaces and they look like they would be perfect but none in the right size yet. A nice 40mm thick walnut topped workbench would probably outlive me and I am only 31

Glue the bits. together My main bench started life as the old garden shed, all the bits of 2x2 were glued together, regardless of length and then the planks from the vaulting horse glued on top of those.

 

[SteveB58]

One more thing. Don’t be precious about the surface of your bench, walnut sounds lovely for a dining table but could be too intimidating to use as a bench top, use a softwood so you can screw things down, attach jigs, or whatever. Holes can be filled or plugged; dings sanded. If I’m working on a guitar, I can bolt it to the bench with out worrying about the surface, then when finished fill the holes. Likewise, I can change how the bench is set up, move or replace vices etc without worrying about destroying the bench.

 

[h-dom]

I built a bench from 4x2s and some old reclaimed roof joists for the top. The 4x2s were £5 each for 2.4m and joists £14 each 8x3x3.9m

I put "shelves" underneath for crates too, total cost around £75.

But keep an eye on marketplace too because often you can pick up a whole bench for around £50, and sometimes they have a vice attached too!

Edit: just seen you don't have a van/trailer, they are often just bolted together so can easily dismantle and rebuild.

 

[Maker]

I built a bench from 4x2s and some old reclaimed roof joists for the top. The 4x2s were £5 each for 2.4m and joists £14 each 8x3x3.9m

I put "shelves" underneath for crates too, total cost around £75.

But keep an eye on marketplace too because often you can pick up a whole bench for around £50, and sometimes they have a vice attached too!

Edit: just seen you don't have a van/trailer, they are often just bolted together so can easily dismantle and rebuild.

My bench was old roof joists too, total cost was box of screws.

 

[Screwdriver]

Here's one I made earlier:

Build thread link to this forum: Workbench

 

[dannysheff]

go go benchbuilders go

but on a different topic - interesting "W&M 5 1/2" vise grip" on thebay UK - never seen these (but rather pricey, so definitely not buying)

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

This paper weight came my way today.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Bit of time, some sun and more coffee.

 

[dannysheff]

View attachment 348675

Bit of time, some sun and more coffee.

View attachment 348676

nice one cyril,

what do the cast-in words say? is it American?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

A lump of rust in the shape of a Chain Vice.