Shane FC

Irondragon - Thanks for the suggestion. I had considered adding a plate to the bottom, but I want to see how bad the twisting issue is before I go that route. All of the post vises I have used / had in the past were mounted to solid benches. I am going for portable on this one.

I finished cleaning up the Indian Chief post vise, gave it a coat of Watco Danish Oil and added a portable stand. Now it’s time to put it to work!

Frosty, glad to hear they are good strong vises. The jaws are 4-3/4" wide.

OK, I believe I have answered my own question. I shaded in the writing and cleaned off the surrounding surface. It appears this is an Indian Chief vise by Columbus Forge and Iron Company. Some of the photos I have seen online have Indian Chief stamped on the top of the mounting plate as well. Mine does not. I am looking for more information on these vises. Can anyone hazard a guess as to age? My guess is early 1900's?

Hello all. I have a vise I am cleaning up to put into use and I am hoping someone can help me identify the manufacturer. I picked the vise up in South Dakota. The owner said it had been in his family and passed down for a few generations. While cleaning it up, I came across some stamping. The screw box and the mounting plate both have the number 2 on them. The movable jaw has 45 stamped into it as well as some other stamps I can't quite make out. I assume the 45 is the weight and the number 2 represents the manufacturer's size in their lineup. Is this correct? For those of you familiar with the various vise manufacturer's, do you recognize the additional stamps on the moveable jaw (attached pictures)? Any idea who the manufacturer may be? I really appreciate any insight you all can provide. Thanks.