Show us your bench vice(s)

[SteveB58]

Only if I’m a good boy.

Mother in law got me the fridge to put beer in. No mother in law jokes from me.

Yes, it is the old laundry basket that the wife’s grandma gave us for our first home. Everything gets repurposed

I know what it's like. I'm slowly becoming that character from Last of The Summer Wine whose wife puts newspaper on the floor when he comes in. Envious of the fridge, I have most mod cons, but couldn't justify a fridge. Go an old paraffin heater last year, if you put a pan or kettle on top inside 20 minutes you can have a hot drink or soup, and the workshop is toasty too. But no one seems to sell paraffin anymore, the days of the Esso Blue vending machines being on street corners or in garages seem to be long gone.

 

[Craig-SM]

I know what it's like. I'm slowly becoming that character from Last of The Summer Wine whose wife puts newspaper on the floor when he comes in. Envious of the fridge, I have most mod cons, but couldn't justify a fridge. Go an old paraffin heater last year, if you put a pan or kettle on top inside 20 minutes you can have a hot drink or soup, and the workshop is toasty too. But no one seems to sell paraffin anymore, the days of the Esso Blue vending machines being on street corners or in garages seem to be long gone.

I can’t complain but I have no heating just have to put some old carpet down for the my feet and work harder. If you can’t get paraffin then you’ll be boiling no kettles or keeping warm either.

 

[StevieO]

I've got a 4m x 1m rubber floor mat with short grey fibre pile, topped with a doormat where I normally stand. Above my bench I have a £30 cheapo Chinesium 2KW infra-red wall mount heater that gets me woolly hat very toasty, but I've still seen a brass monkey asking for a soldering iron in winter!
Could be the start of a new thread "How do you keep your gulags warm in the winter workshop?"



PS> I have a full size under counter fridge which is brilliant (Thanks to local seller on EB £31) but in winter it gets far less use. During the summer my "cold ones" rest there expectantly!
I repurposed one of the clamps in the sectional garage wall, modified to allow bottle cap opening and repurposed a red bucket to catch said caps!!
Photographic evidence below, caps only after 2 hard days at the hot bench!!!!

Woof Woof Woof

 

[slim_boy_fat]

^^ I like your style!

 

[SteveB58]

I've got a 4m x 1m rubber floor mat with short grey fibre pile, topped with a doormat where I normally stand. Above my bench I have a £30 cheapo Chinesium 2KW infra-red wall mount heater that gets me woolly hat very toasty, but I've still seen a brass monkey asking for a soldering iron in winter!
Could be the start of a new thread "How do you keep your gulags warm in the winter workshop?"



PS> I have a full size under counter fridge which is brilliant (Thanks to local seller on EB £31) but in winter it gets far less use. During the summer my "cold ones" rest there expectantly!
I repurposed one of the clamps in the sectional garage wall, modified to allow bottle cap opening and repurposed a red bucket to catch said caps!!
Photographic evidence below, caps only after 2 hard days at the hot bench!!!!

View attachment 370960View attachment 370961

Woof Woof Woof

I do have a small fridge, however, after leaving a heater on for a week I now turn the 'lecky off before locking up. The 'workshop is carpeted in what was a tasteful beige, it is now a little darker.

 

[StevieO]

C'MON GUYS - SHOW US YA WORKSHOP THEME....... KEEP IT GOING...
LOL

 

[StevieO]

I do have a small fridge, however, after leaving a heater on for a week I now turn the 'lecky off before locking up. The 'workshop is carpeted in what was a tasteful beige, it is now a little darker.

View attachment 371003

Steve, That's a busy busy workshop... is it usually "hunt the worktop space"?
and I'm having potential nightmares about the hammer.........
The brush is just 'off the scale'.....
LOLOLOL

 

[SteveB58]

Steve, That's a busy busy workshop... is it usually "hunt the worktop space"?
and I'm having potential nightmares about the hammer.........
The brush is just 'off the scale'.....
LOLOLOL

I'd just laid the carpet so that's the reason for the hammer, as for the bush, who knows. It's tidier now I've retired as I spend more time out there, but when I was working it was often a shambles. Management often asks what I do all day out there, whatever it s I do do, I have to go and do it again the next day, 'cause it's not finished.

 

[25.4_mechanic]

With his explicit permission, I am showing you today a very old vice that a friend has just sold to a museum project in an unnamed foreign country.

He writes:

"Rare historic Leinen vise, 80mm jaw width, rotating."

"The very early made vice is in good condition. The historic varnish, if not bare, is still on it. It has been cleaned, is freshly greased and in good working order.
The safe span with ~4 screw turns is ~100mm."

Greasing is allowed inside these closed thread pipes as far as I know, no chips should ever get there - otherwise just oil of course.

Regarding the yield, he wrote to me:

"(... perhaps even considerably more would have been possible if the fine hallmarking had still been visible.... )"

Nice Saturday all


Carsten

--

 

[Arc Tourist]

With his explicit permission, I am showing you today a very old vice that a friend has just sold to a museum project in an unnamed foreign country.

View attachment 371111

View attachment 371113


He writes:

"Rare historic Leinen vise, 80mm jaw width, rotating."

"The very early made vice is in good condition. The historic varnish, if not bare, is still on it. It has been cleaned, is freshly greased and in good working order.
The safe span with ~4 screw turns is ~100mm."

Greasing is allowed inside these closed thread pipes as far as I know, no chips should ever get there - otherwise just oil of course.


View attachment 371121

View attachment 371122



Regarding the yield, he wrote to me:

"(... perhaps even considerably more would have been possible if the fine hallmarking had still been visible.... )"



View attachment 371123


View attachment 371124



Nice Saturday all


Carsten

--

A lucky vice to have survived the ages undamaged and with just a bit of wear.

 

[GRW]

I do have a small fridge, however, after leaving a heater on for a week I now turn the 'lecky off before locking up. The 'workshop is carpeted in what was a tasteful beige, it is now a little darker.

View attachment 371003

Glad to see that someone else has limited space and clutter - I was concerned it might just be me.
The heavy bits in my shed are on wheels to help with limited space.
I have been making an effort to clear up somewhat lately though.... but it seems mainly so I can cram more stuff in

 

[StevieO]

Glad to see that someone else has limited space and clutter - I was concerned it might just be me.
The heavy bits in my shed are on wheels to help with limited space.
I have been making an effort to clear up somewhat lately though.... but it seems mainly so I can cram more stuff in
View attachment 371163
View attachment 371164

Super workshop envy from me mate

 

[ranger08]

With his explicit permission, I am showing you today a very old vice that a friend has just sold to a museum project in an unnamed foreign country.

View attachment 371111

View attachment 371113


He writes:

"Rare historic Leinen vise, 80mm jaw width, rotating."

"The very early made vice is in good condition. The historic varnish, if not bare, is still on it. It has been cleaned, is freshly greased and in good working order.
The safe span with ~4 screw turns is ~100mm."

Greasing is allowed inside these closed thread pipes as far as I know, no chips should ever get there - otherwise just oil of course.


View attachment 371121

View attachment 371122



Regarding the yield, he wrote to me:

"(... perhaps even considerably more would have been possible if the fine hallmarking had still been visible.... )"



View attachment 371123


View attachment 371124



Nice Saturday all


Carsten

--

Stunning piece of engineering

 

[GRW]

Super workshop envy from me mate

I've really wanted a place to tinker in for donkeys years, but it's really only in the last 2-years or so that I've got anywhere.
The building itself was built a few years back by digging out part of the up-sloping back garden - but as usual it ended up being badly piled up with stuff - so not really usable, and I had no bench, drill press, vice, welder etc.

I ended up building a smaller block shed (off the retaining wall of the rest of the garden) to shift a lot of the occasional stuff into, then I made that wooden bench, and slowly acquired (mostly s/h) some workshop tools and made bases/stands for them (like the £80 Clarke Pillar drill press).
My main vice is a nice Record 35P steel that I picked up locally for £35 looking rough and cleaned up - its on the home-made tripod Stand in the pic. I've found I really like the wheeled stand idea, as you can move the vice into space and "get at" the workpiece from all angles. In fact I've got a 4" Paramo I carry in the van on a base I made which goes into the base of a folding Lidl bicycle workstand - comes in dead useful when you just need a 3rd hand (it was used to hold a steel panel while I die-grinded holes out to accept bigger cable duct just last week).

 

[Craig-SM]

Not sure what is going on with this vice on Facebook

Record No.3 - 4" (100mm) Heavy Duty Mechanics Bench Vice – Clamps & Vises – Liversedge | Facebook Marketplace

www.facebook.com

 

[25.4_mechanic]

Not sure what is going on with this vice on Facebook

wat dis?

please show more pictures (I am not on fb) - thanks.

 

[Craig-SM]

wat dis?

please show more pictures (I am not on fb) - thanks.

Are you tempted?

 

[25.4_mechanic]

Are you tempted?

Not exactly, no, thanks - I'm not going to steal another quality vice from your island after such a short time.



No, I am simply stunned and wanted to have more pictures to confirm that I was wrong about what I had seen ... It didn't work, on the contrary, it's even worse:

Could someone please, please start a conversation with this fine gentleman (assumption), I'd love to know what makes him tick.


Carsten

--

 

[Windy Miller]

Not exactly, no, thanks - I'm not going to steal another quality vice from your island after such a short time.



No, I am simply stunned and wanted to have more pictures to confirm that I was wrong about what I had seen ... It didn't work, on the contrary, it's even worse:

View attachment 371284

Could someone please, please start a conversation with this fine gentleman (assumption), I'd love to know what makes him tick.


Carsten

--

Done. I'll let you know the response

 

[Windy Miller]

Not exactly, no, thanks - I'm not going to steal another quality vice from your island after such a short time.



No, I am simply stunned and wanted to have more pictures to confirm that I was wrong about what I had seen ... It didn't work, on the contrary, it's even worse:

View attachment 371284

Could someone please, please start a conversation with this fine gentleman (assumption), I'd love to know what makes him tick.


Carsten

--

Done. I'll let you know the response

Ok well the response was that the screws have been put in professionally (presumably by a previous owner) and they can lock the vice up totally, but they don't affect the operation if they are not used. The marks on the left of the jaws are simply saw cuts.

I didn't ask about the other areas you mentioned as I didn't feel it was worth it - afterall it's only a second hand bench vice - not a precision tool!