So I picked this leg vise up today..... I don't really know much about leg vises other than the small amount of research i've done on Iforgeiron. Might have been a bad buy but i'm not sure. Not really sure what I've got here but it seems to be in working order. Thought I would share with ya'll good or bad its now mine! Let me know what you think good or bad can't hurt my feelings I promise. Pics below

 

       

Well so far you have asked us to give a report on the car you just bought without telling us if the engine and transmission work.

 

The state of the screw and screwbox make all the difference as that's the one part that generally not an easy fix---and you haven't shown us that.

yet again my lack of knowledge has made me look silly again... will post pics once i find out what it is=D. Thanks ThomasPowers


Hopefully this is better
         

Screw&box look quite decent do a thorough clean on them and re-lube when you assemble it again.

Looks like all the parts are there except the spring.  

 

You can probably straighten the tightening/loosening rod cold (and if not well it needed replacing!)

 

Bit of a cant on the leg I'd be likely to straighten it HOT and eschew the temptation to do it cold as there is often a forge weld a bit under the pivot cheeks and they do tend to fail there---easy to fix by welding (arc or forge)

 

Do the jaws meet at their base instead of their top?  Vises usually meet at the top so that their jaws are parallel when opened to a commonly used distance

 

If you paid a reasonable amount you done good!

Thanks Thomas! I paid 90$ for the vise. I have been looking for 5-6 months or and haven't seen one for under 125$. Not sure whats reasonable but considering I haven't seen one for under 125$ I felt ok coughing up 90$. I'll check the forums for vise repairs and replacing the spring after I get the clean up done. I will have to check the jaws once i'v cleaned and put it back together. Thanks again for the speedy input.

What is the width of the jaws? (it actually doesn't matter, You are the owner)

If the jaws don't line up, the outer leg has a slight bend from the thread being tightened a lot.

It looks like a thrust washer was missing on the threaded rod, between the handle and the outside of the outer jaw.

A trick that I use, is to put a car/truck throw-out bearing there as well. It is a roller thrust bearing, quite often thrown out when someone replaces a clutch assembly. :) :)

 

The post vise you have is 100% better than the one you didn't have!!

 

Happy New Year!!!

Neil

US$90 in your neck of the woods is a reasonable price.  I picked up a postvise at Quad-State cheaper but it's missing the mounting and the screwbox has some damage---but the vise body is quite heavy, (definitely robustus and not gracile!),  and I have others to use while I get that one gussied up.

I saw a thread on making a spring for leg vises... any input on this?

Doesn't even need to be high carbon! Simple ones tend to work pretty much the same as fancy ones. Usually the throw doesn't need to be much as you tend not to work with very large pieces in a postvise. Some of the later Columbians have basically a bent piece of strap stock and they work as well as a lovely curved/tapered/eared antique one.

nice that shouldn't be to hard to create, I also noticed that it is missing one of the tapered pieces to help lock the vise in place. I'll make one of those as well and it should be good to go. I cleaned it all up today and oiled it down really well. I can't wait to use it!

I also noticed while taking the vise apart and putting it together that each part had a number on it. To me it seemed like someone had bought the vise as a kit and then put it together themselves I dunno maybe not tho. I havne't seen any other makes/names on the vise.

Manufacturers often number the parts for an item too...

 

Don't make the wedge until *after* you make the spring as the top of the spring fits between the bottom of the U bracket and the non-moving shaft of the vise and so will take up some of the excess room.