Whitney Chain Vise

[Howard Raymond]

I have this unique spring loaded hand vise. I guess it is for removing pins from roller chain? Does anybody have any info on it? A web search came up empty except for another like it on Fleabay. 

[Jim Coke]

Greetings Howard, 

Looks to me like a vice to hold a chainsaw bar for in field sharpening., I noticed the cut out on the face..  Just a guess..

forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

[ThorsHammer82]

I'll second the chainsaw vise theory. The open throat in the clamping surfaces would allow the bar to be clamped but the chain to move freely.

[ThorsHammer82]

https://www.google.com/patents/US2207892 was directed by a friend on another forum. here are the patent filings. definitely a chain vice. but actually intended to hold the chain while driving pins out/in.

[Kozzy]

Interesting.  And not a great idea.  Pounding the pins from a riveted roller chain tends to mushroom them and can cause problems. One slip and an easy job turns into a nightmare. That's one reason they usually use screw type breakers for field work these days (or hydraulic for the big stuff).  We use standard punch presses to punch the pins from many thousands of chain links a year for our products--on the bench in specialized jigs.

My 60's era Whitney chain catalog doesn't show that device.  Not sure if that means it was just dropped for better options or it was a bit of a failure.  50's era REX catalog has nothing similar either and I don't remember seeing it in the era catalogs of the lesser brands that I have on the shelf.

I do collect roller chain related stuff so if you ever decide to sell, PM me.  Whitney used to be considered a top US brand until the chain wars moved most to overseas manufacturers (Japan at the time).  It's mostly a case of not upgrading the WW2 era processes and machines in the USA, not that the Japanese were simply undercutting.  Chain manufacturing in the USA was, for a while, protected by anti-dumping duties but was decades behind in tech.  Current cost for a USA made chain is usually 3+ times a Japanese which is about 2-3 times what Chinese chain costs.  We DO NOT use the Chinese stuff at our place because the quality is inconsistent (toward awful).

Just because Frosty keeps saying IFI loves pictures--here is a Chinese chain sidebar that was electro-galvanized at too high a current, causing embrittlement cracking around the pin location.

I guess I rambled...what can I say:  I am a chain guy.

[CofRed]

Would this vise still be available?

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains. In case you haven't noticed the OP hasn't logged in since Dec 2019, so T doubt he will see this. You might try sending him a PM.

 

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sails. ~ Semper Paratus

[lary]

 

I was going to load the image of the patent that ThorsHammer posted but couldn't get it to work. I find the suggestion it has something to do with chainsaws a bit humorous.  Considering the OP is living in Nebraska. 

[Glenn]

 

Claims.
This invention relates to a novel and improved form of portable chain vise, the novel features of which will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawing, in which I y have shown a selected embodiment oftheinvention and in which:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the selected embodiment as viewed from the left of Fig. 2;
Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation of the vise as viewed from the right of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the vise showing a section of chain in place;
Fig. 4` is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a section of chain in place in the vise;
Fig. 5 is a view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The vise described and claimed herein is designed for use in making repairs or `replacements of parts of chains, more particularly roller chains. For example, in a truck employing a roller chain drive it oftentimes happens that the chain must be repaired by replacing parts thereof and one of the rst things that must be done is to remove the pins which connect the parts which are to be removed. It is the object of this invention to provide a vise which is portable and which may 'be used to hold. a roller chain of any size in such a position that the pins may be easily removed. Those pins are oftentimes riveted at both ends or have driving its in the holes of the side plates of the chain and to remove them a firm support or anvil must be provided which will firmly en.
gage the side plates while' the pins are being vdriven out of the chain. With the vises now in use it oftentimes happens that the hammering on the pins will actually bend the side plates or other parts of the chain and damage them enough so as to require replacement. These and other disadvantages are overcome by the vise now vto be described.
For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the vise as comprising two plates I and 2 which are preferably of the massive construction shown so as to provide a relatively heavy anvil and to withstand the rough-usage to which the vise is subjected. The plates have edges 3 and I which are in the same plane, and at those edges the plates are provided with relatively narrow jaws 5 and 5 which extend toward each other and which when in contact, as best shown in Fig. 2, will hold the major portions of the plates apart.
The one plate I is provided with a pair of holes 'I through which extend the parallel legs 8 of a U-shaped rod. The ends of the legs 8 are anchored in the other plate 2 as by pins 9, and the bottom of the U indicated at I may conveniently be used as a handle to carry the vise from place to place.
Adjacent the upper end of each leg there is secured an abutment II, between which and the top surface of the plate I is disposed a compression spring I2. These springs are under compression so as to yieldingly force the jaws and 6 together.
Anchored in the plate I is a grip I3, which for convenience may likewise be made of a U-shaped rod having its legs anchored in holes in the top plate 'by pins I4.
In operation, when it is desired to use the vise, the operator may raise the plate I against the action of the springs I2 by taking hold of the grip I3 and pressing it upwardly towards the handle I0. that if the palm of the hand is rested on top of the handle I0, then the fingers of the hand may conveniently take hold of the grip I3 and raise the top plate which will slide upwardly on the guides formed by the two legs 8. The plate I is lifted far enough so that the jaws may be vput in place over the part of the chain which is to be repaired, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The edges 3 and 4 of the plates I and 2, being in the same The parts I0 and I3 are so spacedv gage the side plates I5 of the chain. As is well known in the chain art, a roller chain is usually formed of a succession of blocks, each block being formedV of two of the plates I5 and associated rollers I6 usually mounted on bushings which connect together a pair of plates I5. A series of blocks are fastened together by outside plates I'I which overlap the plates I5 and then the blocks and plates are pivoted together by pins I3 which pass through aligned openings in the overlapping plates I5 and I'I. These pins are fastened in place in the chain by various means (not shown), but usually they have a tight fit in the outer plates I'I and in fact sometimes are riveted or upset to hold them in place.
When a length of chain is engaged by the jaws, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the plates I5 may engage the anvil faces formed by the edges 3 and 4 and then the pins I8 may be driven out of the chain by a hammer. oftentimes the force necessary to be applied to the pins is so great that with 1 not in contact with either of the anvil surfaces adjacent the center of the plate, but in any event such plate is always uniformly supported at at least four places, that is to say, the places adjacent the pins I8, where the greatest impact occurs, so that when one of those pins is hammered out of the chain, the chances of the plate l 5 being bent by that hammering are reduced to a minimum.
While I have shown the invention as embodied in a specific form, it is to be understood that various changes in details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

l. A portab-le chain vise comprising two massive plates disposed generally parallel to each other, a U-shaped rod having parallel legs loosely extending through holes in one plate and anchored at their ends in the other plate, one or more springs arranged to urge said plates towards each other, and a grip on said one plate on the side opposite said other plate, whereby said grip and the 'bottom of said U may be grasped in the hand to overcome the effect of said springs and move said plates apart, said plates having narrow jaws adjacent one edge contacting with each other under the action of said springs, and said plates inwardly of the jaws being spaced apart.
2. A portable chain vise comprising two massive plates disposed generally parallel to each other, said plates having edges substantially in the same plane, narrow jaws on said plates at said edges and extending towards each other and adapted to engage each other to hold the rest of the plates apart, a handle having parallel legs loosely passing through holes in one plate and anchored' and extending towards each other and 'adapted to engage each other to hold the rest of the plates apart, a guide slidably engaging one plate and secured to the other plate, spring means urging said jaws together, and means engageable by the hand to pull the jaws apart against the action of said spring means.
RICHARD L. MULLANEY. l

[jlpservicesinc]

that is very cool.   Thanks Glenn for clueing me in. 

[Frosty]

Thank you Glenn, I learned to do it over a sprocket but a vise would've made it easy. 

Frosty The Lucky.