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post/leg vise


Wolf's Den Armoury

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I scavenged three ACME threaded lead screws, say 3/4 inch diameter and 18 inches long, out of a trash compactor for this purpose. They have big square steel nuts too, and a separate set of plastic nuts. Since everybody says vises are cheap and plentiful I am not highly motivated to try right now. I am sure these screws can find another use quite easily.

Phil

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Maybe you could convince the wife to have a family vacation in Pennsylvania, and do a bit of shopping for anvils and vises. :D



Well it just so happens that I'm not married, so no one to convince. Maybe a vacation will be in order. And I could use a bigger anvil. Hmmmmmmmm......:D

Adam
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  • 1 year later...

I've been smithing for a long while, but I haven't yet attempted to forge a leg vise. To do so, you would need to be considered super-advanced in this craft. I do have some references, not all of which I can find on the net.

> 'Restoration of Leg Vises' Parts I,II,III,IV by James R. Melchor & Peter M. Ross. "Anvil Magazine" Vol. 26 #7 July 2001; Vol. 26 #8 August 2001; Vol. 26 #9 September 2001; Vol. 26 #10 October 2001. [hard copies] These articles are excellent source material with good sequential photographs of Peter Ross working.

> http://www.anvilfire.com FAQS, "Blacksmith Vises" by Jock Dempsey

> "Complex Hand Forging: Bench Vise" by Tom Latané January 2001. I don't have a source for this four page
handout. It was given to me by a student. Latané shows the leg vise forging procedures with some line drawings, except he
does not complete the leg length, because this is a bench vise. These two addresses came with the handout: Tom
Latané, P.O. Box 62, Pepin, WI 54759. Contact Charlie Bateman for a square threaded nut and bolt. 6201 Edgewood
Avenue, Woodburg, MN 55125.

> "An Adventure in Leg Vise Rebuilding" by Tom Suter is currently on line from the home page menu of the New Jersey Blacksmiths Association. Suter has some good information with a few line drawings.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

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Just wondering...


Has anyone here ever made one? I know they're fairly easy to find if you know where to look, be it flea markets, ebay, or what have you.


But it might make for an interesting project. (much more advanced than *I* am personally ready for :D)


David


Go to page 5 or 6 on the Hammers forum at this site and look for topic Steam Hammer Demostation. Clifton Ralph and his friends are in the process of forging a new leg vise with a steam hammer. This was the Tipton co. fairgrounds at Tipton, In. this past summer. They were still working on this vise at the Central States Threshermans show at Pontiac, Il. Laboday weekend, 2010. Lots of pictures from the Tipton show. Armand
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Go to page 5 or 6 on the Hammers forum at this site and look for topic Steam Hammer Demostation. Clifton Ralph and his friends are in the process of forging a new leg vise with a steam hammer. This was the Tipton co. fairgrounds at Tipton, In. this past summer. They were still working on this vise at the Central States Threshermans show at Pontiac, Il. Laboday weekend, 2010. Lots of pictures from the Tipton show. Armand


By the way where are you lacated? I am south of Kankakee, Il. at Ashkum, Il. Armand
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Forging a post vise can be beyond the means of the average back yard blacksmith working alone. Nevertheless, go to this link to see how one can be built by anyone with some tools and a good eye for scrounging:

http://www.abana.org/downloads/education/VerticalVise.pdf

. . . guess it depends if you need a working vise or an "authentic post vise". There are more examples on the internet. I would check with some of the existing blacksmith organizations. Seems to me that I have seen a couple of other examples of self built vises at those sites. Also, go to the "Show Me Your Vise" section of this forum and you will find at least two shop made vises that will handle most blacksmith work.

Have fun!
Tim

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