My father-in-law gave me this post vise for Christmas.  A relative gave it to him 40 years ago and it has sat between two trees ever since.  I had to remove part of it from inside the tree.  I took it apart and cleaned it up, a little grease and it is good as new.  A real testament to the old days.  Anyone have any idea of maker and or age?

 

 

 

I suppose while part of Sherman's troops were breaking the horns and heels off of anvils, the rest were over-tightening the leg vises to warp them........NOT!

This is why you never let a corn-fed farmboy use a length of pipe as a cheater handle on your vise. Now the jaws do not close flat.

You may need to heat and hammer straighten the body below the jaws when it is apart. Or, if you know someone with a platen table and fixtures, or hydraulic press, you may be able to tweek it cold.

Looks like weld stringers below each jaw.  Maybe the jaws had actually been broken off at one time and welded back?

"...A relative gave it to him 40 years ago and it has sat between two trees ever since.  I had to remove part of it from inside the tree. ..."

A possible source of deformation? Which part had of the vice had to be removed from the tree?

4 hours ago, Smoggy said:

"...A relative gave it to him 40 years ago and it has sat between two trees ever since.  I had to remove part of it from inside the tree. ..."

A possible source of deformation? Which part had of the vice had to be removed from the tree?

Yeah, that's possible, plants exert enormous amounts of pressure if confined while growing, think roots under a sidewalk or house foundation.

I only hope the wood block you have it mounted to is one of the trees!

Frosty The Lucky.

The post was in the tree not the jaws.  I know it was in a local smith's shop at some point in history.  Then a relative gave it to my FIL and he has never used it.  I will most likely use it as is, it works well enough for me.  The piece of metal in the vise is far from straight and I used my grinder on it and it did not move.  Plus it is great to not have to grind in my garage any longer, I hate shop fires.  After 40 years on the ground all it needed was a little TLC and it is up and running.  Saved me some money...

 

Should be a good useable vise.  Down he road if you need to or want to you can always make it straight again.  Best point is it is useable as is and you are using it.  Way to go!!

If it works well enough and you are happy with it then there is little point in "renovating it". I'd be happy to have it as is.

I have been blessed since starting to learn, a friend donated an anvil, railroad track, two stumps and a table top (he has a sawmill) now the post vise.  I made my first forge and bought a few hammers and another friend fixed the anvil up for me.  All of this has allowed me to purchase a Diamondback forge which is much easier to work with.  This is how community is supposed to work.