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Show me your Machinist Vise


Glenn

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Show me your Machinist Vise

We are looking for the vises that sit on the edge of the table or on a stand bolted to the floor, usually found in a machine shop, garage, or fabricators work area.

We would also like the manufacture, jaw width, weight of the vise, and any details you can provide as to the history of the vise.

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This is an old Reed vise, 8 inch jaws, and weighs about all I want to pick up (guessing at 50-70#).

I found it in the back of an open shed and rained on for who knows how long. The poor thing was encrusted in rust and nothing moved. A lot of TLC and it started moving and was wire brushed and put into service.

A year or more later the rotation plate broke loose. It was again disassembled and cleaned, only this time it was mounted as a mobile vise that would sit INTO the holes on the acorn platten, could be moved to anywhere on the platten or even removed.

See IForgeIron.com > Blueprint > BP0422 Mounting a Vise

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This is my Wilton. Only has 4" jaws but weighing in at near 100# it really can put some pressure on those 4" :) The base starts on a 16" diam x 1/2" plate with a 13" diam x 3ga tube 24" tall that tapers to about 12.5" at the top. On top of that is a 13" diam x 3/8" plate topped with a 6.5" diam x 4" x 7ga (I seem to remember)pipe. Vice finally sits on a 1/2" thick plate cut to the shape of the vise base. Second pic shows (I hope;)) the 1/4" rod I put on to hang hammers and tongs. "One of these days" I will paint it. .....along with my power hammer and belt grinder. LOL

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No fill. Not bolted down. Needs to be able to be moved semi-frequently. Anticipating the next question; It may be top heavy but the weight and diameter of the base seem to make this a moot point. Also, its just a guess, but I believe the base weighs at least as much the vise. Except tasks involving heavy twisting or removal of u-joints from drive shafts, I have never experienced a tippage problem ;) While not issued evenly, common sense must be utilized uniformly :D

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I have an 8 inch jaw width, I think Columbian on my welding bench. My father and Uncle got it a RR shop Auction many, many years ago, each one carried a piece to their vehicle which was a city block away. One piece at a time was enough for me to handle.
No Picture at this time.

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I have a Wilton that was purchased from a big box store a few years ago. It's not as nice as these older Wiltons, but I like it a lot. The jaws swivel around if I need to clamp something at a weird angle, and there are pipe clamp jaws underneath the regular jaws. It looks more like Mende's tho then the other Wiltons.

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Betcha don't have a vise like mine:D

Man is this thing great for holding plate while cutting.
10" jaw. estimated weight 175 pounds. Maker: The J.D. Randall Co. Cin. O.
No, it's not a fly press.
I'd sell it for $1,000. right now yyf
As you can see, it's in really good condition, and those threads are sharp.
It came from an industrial ironworks in my city that went out of bus in the 80's.

The top of the screw terminates in 1-1/8" square, and I use this old forged wrought iron wrench to turn it.

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I made mine in 1990 from a piece of CRS 2" W x 4 1/2" L and 1 1/2" H. Screw is just a fine thread bolt with another bolt for a handle. I made it at work while running a big lathe and the milling machine was always just sitting there so i put it to a good use. :D
The South Bend Lathe 6" rule was my great grandads and he worked at the Studebaker factory in SB Ind...Bob

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