caintuckrifle Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I recently purchased a 5 inch iron city post vise that is missing the mounting plate. I am looking for a replacement if someone has one to sell or a tracing or outline of what the original bracket would have been shaped like so I can reproduce another. Any help is appreciated, -Caintuckrifle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Mounting plates tend to wander. If you want a specific plate looking at the old ads and then making a reproduction is probably your best bet. There are probably a lot more vises out there than mounting plates---at least I see a lot more plateless vises at conferences than I see loose mounting plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Mounting plates are probably the most commonly replaced and changed parts of post vises. It's seriously much easier to just make a new mount on the vise to screw into or bolt to a vertical post than say dig and bury a post so it can be screwed into the top. Heck, that may be just the option for you. Blacksmiths were pretty renowned for modifying tools to sit their needs, not their shops to fit the tool. Looking through old Uncle Dudd's garage after he passes a person would have to already know what blacksmithing tools are in detail to spot a post vise mounting plate where ever it is if it's not on a post vise. There may be a post vise mounted to a post with a home made bracket Uncle Dudd made 50 years ago but if you don't know what it is, it's just junk and goes in the "everything for $1.00 box." So, if you want it original equipment be prepared to wait till fortune shines on you. Even if that was my goal I'd make a bracket and use it till fortune felt like smiling. Just food for thought. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I actually hunt for postvises missing the mounting plates as they are so simple to build, (especially the angle iron and U bolt variety), but knock a bunch off the cost. However there are people who are trying to get their set up "stock" and while that's not for me it's ok for them. If I get a chance Friday I'll stop by a junktique store on the way out of town and see if the broken postvise they have is A and iron city and B looks to have the original mounting plate. If so and they still hold to the parting out price for it I'll pick it up. The screw and screwbox are just about worth what they want and so a mounting plate would nudge it over to buy---unless someone is actively hunting a screw and screwbox? IIRC it was a 4"vise before someone broke the entire back jaw off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Hi Thomas, would you have any pictures of the mounts you've made and what stock material you started with? I'm going to look at two vises today that I'm considering restoring in order to sell/use and would like to have a clearer idea of what I'm going to need to do to put them back into service. I might've just found an answer to my question here and here, but would appreciate any pictures you might have. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Well 10 out of 12 of my vises are 200 miles away, I work away from my shop... The simplest post vise mounts are made with a piece of angle iron---having one leg longer than the other is a nice touch and a U-bolt that is dressed to fit close to the sides of the viseleg (I keep an eye open for rusty U bolts just for this purpose as if it's rusting I can stick it in the forge!---*not* the threaded ends!) This type of mount is pretty much what a lot of columbian vises used. As an oddity I once used a piece of 4" structural tubing as a vise mount with the u-bolt going into the center and bolts to a I beam coming in the other side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Something similar to this? Looks like it'd be very simple and quick to make if needing something fast. Could split the side of the mount that bolts down and make it more Y shaped to add stability without adding too much time or effort. '> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Ayup, that's a fine mount. You don't really need to try making it like the factory mounts though. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 That picture probably *is* a factory mount for that columbian! (short screwbox wide open end, legs not beveled, ubolt mount all point towards columbian) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now