I know its a blacksmith vise but you see more screw vise's then these.. why are they like this? do they hold securely?? is it a good vise to have ?? thanks, JT

 

Used for doing caulks on horse shoes and heading bolts when it has the heading attachments plus anything else someone likes to use it for.

thank you Thomas !!

Is that a simple cam action by the peddle lever on the bottom of end of the movable jaw? I've never come across one of these, how well do they hold compared to a screw action vice?

Holding things.

Not as well but they sure tighten fast compared to using your knee to turn the handle of a screw vise.  I sold mine on as it wasn't as helpful as a regular post vise for the stuff I do.

I have *two* of that exact same model..... but I also have a wooden box with pairs of replaceable jaws.... and both vises have adjustable-height upsetting blocks.  Very nice and very useful for repetitive bending and heading/upsetting.  One could also make jigs to fit on the jaws to allow for other quick clamping and bending.  The upsetting block(s) are moved up and down the teeth on the inside of vise, so that if you are bending or upsetting a round or flat bar you use the appropriate jaws, set the distance between the top of the jaws and the upsetting block, heat the irons, sit the bar against the top of the upsetting block, step down on the lever to close the jaws, then bend the bar.... repeat as often as you have bars for the same bend or upset. 

Greetings JT,

       I have a few and use them for various operations at the forge. They are real handy when you want to hold stock for a hard brushing or a quick tweak.  The movable jaw is very usefull for holding tapers and odd shapes. I think a reproduction upsetting block is still available from a firm that makes small swage blocks.. 

Forge on and make beautiful things 

Jim

They're not vises, they're works of real art! A few people on here could very easily make them into something really special. Reminds me of two people getting married-ie. at the altar.

 

Tom.

I'd love to have one of those! be really handy.

I  would also love to have one in my shop, last one I  saw he "would take $2500 for it", he still has it.  I used one many times to caulk up shoes many moons ago.  We had moved ours from the lean-to blacksmith shop to the carriage restoration shop and it disappeared when everything was moved in 1962.  It was our go to vise in that shop.    

I have seen these in use. There were several different jaws and he used it for upsetting.

They work great for their intended purpose.. As a regular vise not so much.. While any tool that is handy to have in a shop is great to have. 

 

The one Jim Coke shows it about the most useful there are other brands of which some don't come with extra jaws and are primarily for calking and clipping shoes..