Show us your bench vice(s)

[Dilkris]

That's a Swinden's. Nice find, and worth a fair chunk of money.
I acquired one awhile back, refurbished it and find it to be a more practical and useful vice than others I have.

View attachment 449254

Thankyou Arc Tourist - and for your photo's - I can now see the correct arrangement for the pinch bolt which has been crudely adapted on mine.
As Dcal advises - they still make them and in view of its possible value it may will be worth investing money in to restore to original condition.
I will post some pictures of the progress in the days following.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Thankyou Arc Tourist - and for your photo's - I can now see the correct arrangement for the pinch bolt which has been crudely adapted on mine.
As Dcal advises - they still make them and in view of its possible value it may will be worth investing money in to restore to original condition.
I will post some pictures of the progress in the days following.

I only needed to invest time to clean the vice, and a small amount of paint. You might find a couple of tiny cosmetic voids in the surface of the castings, as I did. I just lightly hammered in bits of lead and filed it smooth to provide a nice finish for painting.

 

[Dilkris]

I have so far disassembled the vice with the exception of removing the bolts securing the parallel face jaws - whilst I have loosened them I can stop the countersunk heads from spinning - so may well be a careful Dremel job.
Have ordered all new imperial set screws and nuts (where applicable) so will replace all fixings.
Will get busy cleaning ready for painting over the next few days - doubt if I have the skill set to lead load hammer rash and imperfections in the castings though.
Main thing is it will be presentable and serviceable.

 

[Craig-SM]

When size matters

 

[Arc Tourist]

Nice Canoe !

 

[dobbslc]

One strap!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

One strap!

Yes, they only needs one strap on.

 

[dobbslc]

Right

 

[dannysheff]

Not sure on the answer to any of your questions, however I'll add that there is also a Parkinsons version of this vice.

Seems to have gone a bit quiet on this thread recently - (migration to fb UK vices? - which is mostly postWWII Records).

Here are some catalogue pages from early days - might help ID some

these are from Buck and Hickman catalogue 1894

I made this a reply to CwazyWabbit as you share your fine dropbox - resource - welcome to add these if you wish

 

[dannysheff]

and more:

these are from the Melhuish catalogue 20 -- catas 19 and 21 are more often seen but 20 focuses on metalworking and shows more bench vise types - date pre WWI

 

[MattF]

I like that sectional rack in the last image.

 

[dannysheff]

and third set - these from the Jonas Woodhead catalogue no 10 - late 1890s? - they had grown from a small outfit in Bradford 1850 (under 10 employees) called J Woodhead Bradford Cramp to a giant firm in Leeds supplying all the hardware for horsedrawn carriages - especially springs and brakes made in-house (they then expanded into railway and automobile springs and suspension and the brand exists today) -- my interest is their Bradford years, when they were possibly the first cast iron vice maker (woodwork type, non QR, before Syers, E&K and Parky) - might have to go to Leeds and Bradford to see if I can find any earlier catalogues.

I put in the 'brake' page to show how close the screw mech is to that on the early woodwork vices -- not surprising I found one of these with a wheel rather than tommy-bar - could have been a simple swap - even the nut would work.
ps imagine doing an emergency stop on your horsedrawn waggon with one of these

 

[dannysheff]

I like that sectional rack in the last image.

anyone got a couple of 'Bench Standards' to spare? (same page)

 

[Arc Tourist]

Seems to have gone a bit quiet on this thread recently -.........................................

Quiet indeed. I just recovered from the shock of seeing the price that some vice's have been sold for !

 

[SteveB58]

anyone got a couple of 'Bench Standards' to spare? (same page)

I'd like legs and base for the Buck and Hickman vice stand, got the top. Don'y even mind paying the 50 bob.

 

[Dilkris]

In my ignorance I never realized the world of vices (vicie??) was so varied and complex - fascinating really.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Seems to have gone a bit quiet on this thread recently - (migration to fb UK vices? - which is mostly postWWII Records).

Here are some catalogue pages from early days - might help ID some View attachment 451006View attachment 451007View attachment 451008View attachment 451009View attachment 451010

these are from Buck and Hickman catalogue 1894

I made this a reply to CwazyWabbit as you share your fine dropbox - resource - welcome to add these if you wish

When did you get hold of the 1894 catalogue? I've only got back as far as 1913, although admittedly I've not searched for a while.

 

[dannysheff]

When did you get hold of the 1894 catalogue? I've only got back as far as 1913, although admittedly I've not searched for a while.

I actually have it myself (not an online archive) - interestingly they seem to focus mostly on large machines for big workshops/factories in this catalogue - woodworking and other, but not so much (just price listings) on hand tools like in the later catalogues - also it's big, about 11x8ins, ~300pp, but not 'small and ~1000pp thick' like the later catalogues. I have 4 - one for every ~20 years up to 1950s.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

All the catalogues I've posted scans of except the Parkinsons one I actually have the physical catalogue for. 1913 is large format too.

 

[dannysheff]

the vice I was most pleased to see was no.1185 in the second Jos Woodhead page - never seen this in another catalogue (just a vague representation in an ad by Woodhead Bradford about 1860) - I have a couple of variants of this and I believe it to be the 'proto-vice' of the whole cast iron woodworking vice clan - not QR, but solid as a rock and v heavy (twice the weight of a Record 53.5?) - I do like QR, but it can need cleaning up and adjusting/new spring etc - these just keep going - but if buying make sure no-one has broken the static jaw by using it as an anvil