Reading Creek Forger Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 First a small brag then a question? Yesterday while "shopping" a a local scrapyard for small pieces of square stock I looked over and saw a complete post vice standing apart from the piles. The screw worked great, the spring and mounting bracket were still in place. Unfortunately somebody over the years had cut the bottom of the leg off, then welded another large piece of metal to damaged leg, sleeved it with heavy larger round tubing and mounted the leg to an iron wagon/cart wheel with metal spokes then topped it off by filling the wheel and spokes with concrete. This configuration made the mounting plate unnecessary. Cost .35 a lb for scrap iron. I didn't want the mounting base wheel so they cut it off. Ten minutes later I was the new guardian of an 80 lb post vice with 5 inch jaws but missing about 9 inches of leg. Now for the question. How and what should I weld on it to replace the missing leg portion. I was thinking of a portion of an axle shaft (which I also found at the scrap yard) or would something less stout be OK. I would have loved to save the wheel too but I didn't want to pay for that concrete (100 lbs plus) and removing it would have likely wrecked the wheel anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Most leg vices were made from wrought iron or something close to mild steel. You do not need a high alloy steel like a axle is likely to be. That would be a waste and likely to break if not heat treated right. Use mild steel or wrought iron. If you post a photo of the vise we might be able to make a good guess if it's wrought iron or mild steel. Do not use high carbon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Ditto. Unless you need a low vise, too. Sometimes having a vise that sits low can be very handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 You might want to mount it low right at the current length. There is no "right" height for vises - I have 5 mounted around my shop from elbow height down to a little lower than anvil height - all are useful for different types of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Why not ,make a stand, flat plate with a piece of pipe welded vertical, and slide the vise into the stand. Put a piece of solid round bar inside the pipe to raise or lower the vise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reading Creek Forger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thanks to all for the suggestions, This is my third attempt to post the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 i vote for low vice/striking vice mount. You will come across plenty of whole vices and this one requires no modification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Does it look like a marriage to anyone else? The screwbox looks a bit off for the nice lipped top and beveled legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reading Creek Forger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Mr. Powers, the more I look at the picture the more I think I understand what you saying (about both marriages and this vice). The large piece of metal (screw box?) appears to be protruding beyond the leg side seat and not intruding upon the pivoting leg on the handle side. I'll check it again but I hope its merely a case of the screw box not being rotated into a locking position (The key-way on the box is in place but visible beyond the leg which doesn't seem correct) on the leg side. Hopefully its only that adjustment and not the wrong box or a damaged internal on the leg. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/nice-post-vise-225241/ looks like your vice was run into or over and bent the front leg. your washers need to be placed correctly and then see how it works and looks. if i was home I would just show my vice parts to give you an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I am more used to seeing simple short open ended screw boxes on Columbian post vises and not used to seeing beveled legs on them when having such a screwbox. No problem with a good marriage; I'm thinking of picking up a trashed 4" vice with a good screw&screwbox just to have spare parts on hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reading Creek Forger Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Both of you have a good eye for detail especially since it was only one photo. The 'washer' (the one next to the concave one at the handle ball) that you spoke of turned out to be an old throw out bearing likely put there to take up space. It seems like the screw box is a little large for the vice so it probably came from a heftier model but I think I can make it work. I will forge a new washer tomorrow with a slot for the key-way against the other leg. Seems like whoever cobbled the thing together had some spare parts and used those to make a serviceable but not completely functional vice. No surprise it looks like it was run over since it was at a scrap yard and pulled from a pile of metal by one of the equipment operators. I still think I did OK on the find but now its going to take a little longer than I anticipated to make it correct. I paid $75.00 for my other post vice but I had to make a spring and mounting bracket for that one so the $28.00 I paid for this one seems reasonable. The extra forging work will make me better at what I am trying to learn so there is benefit to that as well. Thanks for the input and any additional advice would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 sounds like a good plan. if you were closer i would lend a hand. you got the hardest part to fix or make. the rest is still pretty easy and youll wind up loveing it I am sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 *very* *reasonable*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand Tatro Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Good beginning for a low heavy duty striking vise so don't fix the leg.. You will never regret it! I have a vise with a short leg and that is what I plan to use it for. I have 2 or 3 complete vises for standard duty vise work so I can use the one with the damaged leg for a low striking vise. See Brian brazeal's discussion on buidding a striking vise and you will understand what we are talking about. By the way I may not have spelled Brian's last name right. If so sorry Brian! Armand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reading Creek Forger Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks Armand and wow. I thought i understood what others meant by a lower vice used for striking but the pics and comments made it much clearer. Much better idea than trying to weld a leg on the one I have. Now I have to go about gathering the pieces to try to put one of these together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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