Laertius Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 This is my first leg vise and an awesome addition to my shop. As the subject line says it is a 6x42 Columbia of Ohio vise, it weighs around a 100 lbs....but that is a guess as I have not weighed it. It seems to have been went over: paint, new u bolt to hold mount, and freshish grease on screw - I say ish because it is probably old, but not as old as the the vise. The best part is I received it as a early Xmas present from my parents. My dad made some calls and found a guy who had one in his garage....anyway not sure what he paid but it works well and looks great and its huge! A couple of questions: 1. How old is it roughly? 2. Is it missing a piece on the back side? And if so is it a crucial part? 3. There seems to be too much slop or play in the guide tube between the jaws that holds the nut....how can this be fixed? If iopen it far enough to expose the screw, the tube falls and prevents reclosing the v7se without 2 hands. See pics for details 4. The jaws are in good shape, but not perfectly parallel. ?. when one side is tight the other is off by about 1/8th. Again...how to fix? Thanks in advance for any information. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 A few opinions: 1. The vise was made before WW2, maybe as early as the teens. 2. I don't understand what you mean by "the back side". The vise looks complete. 3. You will probably only open the vise 0- 2" for most of your work. 4. When you tighten something in the vise, does it hold securely? Slight mis-allignment can be cured by taking the vise apart and bending the mount for the pivot bolt slightly. But, if it holds the work securely, I would not mess with it. Just a few thoughts on an early Saturday morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted November 30, 2013 Author Share Posted November 30, 2013 Thanks! By number 2, I mean is there not usually a cap of some sort on the back? And by back I mean the opposite end from the handle, where I can look inside to see the back end of the screw shaft(pic 4). It does close and hold work fine, as far as I can tell, I will know better when I mount it more solidly. And I hear you on only opening it about 2 in most times, I was wondering if this(the slop) is normal, or should be fixed.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Some of my vises have caps covering the screw end, some do not. It you need to cap it, it will be a relatively easy thing to fabricate. After mounting the vise, try using it before you mess with it. If it has problems, deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Scrub off the grease and instead use a weekly application of heavy oil. Grease plus scale makes a grinding compound that will eat the threads over the years. Aside from that I'd not worry about the slight misalignment that I see in your photos or slop when opened up , this is not a precision machinist vise, it's a blacksmith's vice and is designed for, has been, and hopefully will continue to be hit by heavy hammers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 In pic 4-5 it looks like someone roughly cut the butt end of the screw box off. No idea why they'd do that except to get access to that area for some reason. The tube protecting the threads when you open the jaws doesn't look like it's from the factory. That it drops down so much, jamming against the moving jaw, tells me that it's an add-on by some shop. Could be that the entire screw box was replaced at one point, and that the guy doing it just used parts that he had on hand, not too worried about doing a complete refit. For 90% of the stuff you do in a vise, you won't need to open the jaws that wide, though. I would use it for a few months before deciding on what modifications you might need to take on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Thanks for the advice! I think I will leave it as is, from what I have seen / read, I can fix it if and when i NEED to. My next hurdle, is to mount the thing so I can use it. I was hoping / planning on fabbing up a portable mount: base plate with a heavy wall tube mount with maybe a little table/ rack on it. But I really do not think I would be able to use it to its potential without finding a permanent mount -- Thoughts -- anyone have a vice this big mounted to a portable stand? Right now my shop is 20/30feet, nice concrete floor and cinder block walls. As it stands It is set up as a mechanic's shop, not a smithy.......I will take a couple pics and post a new thread in the shop design forum asking for suggestions on how I can best use my space in a way that I can have a fab/smithy without losing the necessary space I need to service vehicles. Thanks again jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I put both a four and five inch post vises on round steel plates. I used 1 or 1 1/4" thick x about 15" + diameter. Drilled a hole to match the end of the vise in the exact center of the plate. Then welded a post out of 2" x 4" x 1/4" steel tubing and a top plate of the same tubing to match the height of the vise mounting plate. I took off the original mount, and bolted the vise with all thread rod through the top tube, after notching the tube to fit the vise. I used 1/2" steel plates drilled about 3" apart for 1/2" all thread, putting one plate over the spring, and one plate at the end of the tube. The beauty of putting the vise right in the middle of a round base is that you can tilt if roll it very easily to where it is needed. If it moves, I can stand on the base and add weight to it. Or pile on other weights. These work for a lot of jobs, but I also have two big vises on permanent mounts that will never move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 My dad works at a shipyard here in Thunder Bay and we were talking a similar idea-- Average plate that is used there is around 5/8 -3/4 -- anything bigger is a bit hard to come by -- unless the boat in the dock decided needs repair in areas where they use the big plate. He said I should be able to pick up a 24'' d plate for scrap price or better as they cut these for man holes / access holes on a regular basis. If I don't get around to re-organizing the shop, and I feel the vise still moves too much for my liking, I suppose that I can still anchor it to the concrete.....I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Columbians have the back end of the screwbox open. Neatest trick I've heard was to braze a cap on the back end and drill and tap it for a zerk and then grease it pushing the crud *out* of the screwbox! Alignment is fine for a smithing vise---remember the faces of the jaws will only be parallel at a single point of opening as the moving jaw swings an arc . Now make some spacers to keep it from twisting in use/abuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Half-inch plate would be more than enough for the base and table, especially if you can get it for scrap prices. I'd love to have access to something like that! Another option that gives you weight and stability is to make a tripod stand that uses rail track for the legs. Very heavy and a bit tricky to weld, but it will be very stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 If 1/2" or 3/4" plate is all you can obtain and want something thicker, just stack two together and weld the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Update, all the pieces are cut for the stand: 31in d x 1in thick base, 6in d x 1/4in tube, and a 12 x 15ish x 1/2 plate for the mount on top of the tube. All I need is a friend with a bigger welder to help me weld it all together. Cannot wait to put this to use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluidsteel Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Don't foget a metal lip around the top plate and a hammer rail along the edges while you have your friend helping with the welding. Looks good! I have an almost identical set up with a square base and I love mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 That is the plan! 3/4 by 1/4 bar for lip, and I was thinking of trying some fancy twists on some bar for the racks (one low rack, and one on the table) Once she's all welded solid do you think this baby will tilt and roll with one person doing the work? That was my hope, but after some rough match the whole works will weigh in around 400lbs..... I think I may have to weld a little axle and some steel wheels for mobility......(the kind where you tilt with a bar and the wheels touch only when tilting the unit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 That's a gorgeous setup, Laertius. I'd dearly love to find a round piece like that! I'd definitely build in some wheels if you could. It wouldn't be anything to slide a hand truck under it when you wanted to move it, but attaching some iron wheels wouldn't be a problem, either. I've seen them cut from 2" round stock and they work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 400# with a round base should still be moveable, and the weight is down near the base unlike on an upright compressor where the weight is up in the air. Its gonna be a little hard to just throw in the back of the truck to take to demo's but still doable;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Here is the base my Dad made. Base is a 24" dia. round that is 2" thick. The upright is a chunk of 10" pipe. All of the material was scrap that the community college had donated from Kaiser Steel that they sold for 10¢ a pound. The round base makes it easy to move from place to place. Just tip, and roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laertius Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Got it all put together yesterstay, with a little help from a friend. I will try to get out there and get pics by the weekend. Seems really solid so far! In spite of its roundness....it is still a beast to move, so I may end up puttting the wheels on ( I have a a few sets of casters laying around -- one of the many things I hoard -- never know when you might need a wheel for something --big or small) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.