Swindens vice

[MattF]

Cheers.

Just can't agree with your no overhang policy.

You're not the only one. Already had no end of being pointed in the right direction over that reasoning. I just don't tend to lean on vices these days though. For me, they're more work holding than bending or wellying devices. The little Record has a tray below it which I can easily remove if I need clearance for length, and I still have the Woden to mount as yet. That one might well be situated in standard fashion. End of the day, it's easy enough for me to resite the vice if I do decide I want it mounted in standard fashion.

 

[Cobbs]

"Mahogany" is a catch-all name given to all sorts of things. True mahogany comes from south america and has a really red hue to it. Most of the bastard (not a swear word in this context) mahoganies we see these days need a lot of stain to get them looking at all like the real thing.

 

[mfletch]

Yes it's more like sapele by the look of it

 

[MattF]

Yes it's more like sapele by the look of it

Cheers. Is that a decent, as in fairly sturdy, wood for the use I'm putting it to?

Finally finished it off today. Almost a first for me, actually completing something instead of becoming sidetracked.

The studs for securing it to the base, I made out of a piece of that old iron rod I have knocking about. That stuff really is a cow to work with. Soft as butter in one spot, and like bleedin' rock the next. I do like the stuff though. These are the studs before they had the threads cut. They're 1/2" BSW, to keep it all imperial.

 

[TAITSIE]

Matt you should look on Gumtree, someone about 15 miles from me is selling a Record 25 vice on a wheeled stand £180

 

[MattF]

Is it gold plated? You wouldn't happen to have a photo for it, would you? My browser and Gumtree just don't get on with each other.

 

[TAITSIE]

Think I have a photo on my laptop but my son has it right now, will look tomorrow

 

[MattF]

Think I have a photo on my laptop but my son has it right now, will look tomorrow

Cheers.

On a tangent, whilst I've been working on the vice, the guilt has been creeping up about that little Drummond in pieces on the bench where I was doing the vice, so finally decided to clean that up and get it put back together. Partially reassembled.

Nicknamed it Frankenstein. Not because it's a monstrosity, (quite the opposite, in a weird sort of way. It's practically a work of art in its own right), but because it's a machine of donor and additional parts. Some previous owner has put a lot of time, effort and devotion into this lathe. The spindle is Myford, as is the cross slide. The slide has been changed due to one of the clamping lugs for the original slide clamp having broken. It's had a backgear modification too, so only has two steps on the pulley instead of three.

That's why I've not stripped and repainted this one. It'd be sacrilege to do so, IMHO. This is one of those machines which deserves to stay as is, so it's just been cleaned up and coated with Linseed oil on the cast, to make up for the paint loss, protection wise.

 

[Norm]

That's really cool Matt, very nice lines to the castings, looking forward to seeing that one finished. Excellent job on the swindens it's far too good to use

 

[MattF]

Cheers. I can fair imagine me being a bit cautious the first few times I use that vice. Sod's law probably guarantees I'll take a large chip out of the paint on first use.

 

[MattF]

How's the Beaver doing btw Norm?

 

[Pete.]

Oh now come on Matt, don't go getting all gooey over a 5 quid roundbed

Get her painted and working, that's what she's made for.

 

[TAITSIE]

There you go Matt

 

[Norm]

How's the Beaver doing btw Norm?

Great thanks Matt, I am really pleased with it found some very fine metal cutting blades that I am happy with but I have also found it will take both junior and cut down full width hacksaw blades, plus a mixture of fret and scroll saw blades for wood so very versatile machine. Just need to get my lawnmower rebuilt and finish the pressure washer build and I might get the chance to use it, as ever so many projects so little time

 

[MattF]

Cheers for the photo Taitsie. That's a tidy looking base it has. Looks like it's probably OEM too. If I could weld for toffee, I might be tempted to try making something similar. Very functional, and obviously sturdy.

Great thanks Matt, I am really pleased with it found some very fine metal cutting blades that I am happy with but I have also found it will take both junior and cut down full width hacksaw blades, plus a mixture of fret and scroll saw blades for wood so very versatile machine. Just need to get my lawnmower rebuilt and finish the pressure washer build and I might get the chance to use it, as ever so many projects so little time

Glad to hear it's performing as hoped. That definitely is a versatile thing. If you can ever be stuck for a blade with that possible choice selection, you're screwed. Never enough hours in the day for everything, are there.

 

[MattF]

Oh now come on Matt, don't go getting all gooey over a 5 quid roundbed

Get her painted and working, that's what she's made for.

What can I say. I'm a softie.

 

[Epicyclic]

Been keeping an eye on a used Swindens 4" on fleabay, finally went for £257.47

 

[PaulC7]

Lovely vice, nice work.

Much better than my £16 toolstation vice that broke after a few uses and I had to bodge a washer to fix it mustn't grumble though I did pick up a record vice not long after from local car booty £4.

 

[MattF]

Been keeping an eye on a used Swindens 4" on fleabay, finally went for £257.47

Was that the modern style grey one? Saw that one the other day, but hadn't checked as yet to see what it went for.

Lovely vice, nice work.

Much better than my £16 toolstation vice that broke after a few uses and I had to bodge a washer to fix it mustn't grumble though I did pick up a record vice not long after from local car booty £4.

Cheers. Every cloud has a silver lining. That Record should last you a lot longer than the Toolstation one, and at that price you got a bargain.

I have a little Record which belonged to a chap across the road, (he's now passed on, hence why I asked if I could have the vice, as a keepsake and reminder), and that one had a fair bit of stick whilst he owned it as well as being stuck outside constantly in all weathers, and it's a bit ratty condition wise too, but it's still going strong. Only a small one, but it gets frequent use and does its job well.

 

[MattF]

I have another (un)willing victim for a fettling session here.

An old Parkinson. Been after one of these with the bolt on top section for ages. They don't tend to crop up too frequently, and all of the previous ones have been miles away. This one had postage as an option though. 3" jaws, approx. 14" overall length. That other vice in the background came from the same seller. Would have been rude to just get the one. Looks like this might be one of their earliest models from the Victorian period too. Didn't think it would be quite that old when I bought it, but it seems almost a dead ringer with an American vice in an 1891 catalogue, so it could well be one of their really early models.

This is it sat next to a Record No. 1 for size comparison. I'd attempted to gauge its size by the Record before I received it, with them both being 3" jaws. It turned out to be larger than I thought it would be, which is no bad thing.

It's had a tad of hacksaw abuse to the jaws and inserts, as you can see in the first photo, but overall it's in surprisingly good condition. It's being done in the same colour as the Swindens. Was in two minds whether to paint or not, but thought I'd go with it.

I've finally found out exactly what the original Parkinson colour was too. I'd always though it was the dark burgundy which you can just make out patches of in the first photo. It ain't. It darkens to that, but that ain't how it started. This is the original colour, in the middle side of the slide, which is somewhat lighter than I expected. It's actually quite a bright red.