I am wondering if anyone has any links to breakdowns of post vice I am wanting to forge one. I'm building it to use but I also am doing it mainly for the experience and fun of doing it.

Several people have forged them in demos; this may be a place where youtube might come in handy.

Not too much to them.  Do you have a powerhammer?  How is your forge welding?

I haven't built a power hammer yet my frorge welding is ok. This is my hobby so I get a kick out of building my own tools. 

 

I'm also wanting to build a small one that will slide into my Hardy hole

 

They did make quite small bench mount versions without the long leg.  I have one of those up at my northern shop/hoard/pile...

Not that hard to make..  It really depends on jaw width..  

It would be easier if you had a person to swing sledge  or as Thomas mentioned a power hammer..   I don't have any pictures of them taken apart..  

I can tell you there is a difference between German style and American style... there are also a few other designs out there or sub sets to.. 

I'd suggest giving more specs as to jaw width, weight desired and such..   Do you make springs? Do you have access to a metal lathe?  Are you going to make the screw and screw box? 

Anvil magazine had an article about rebuilding one.   Part 1 is here:

http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/107f2.htm

 

I usually get my 11yr old son to swing the sleg. As far as a lathe goes I have a 1916 model stored in my bosses barn waiting for me to get my new shop built

Thanks for the link that helps a bunch for the screw I'm wanting to use a acme or square double thread probably in the area 2-4 threads per in.

As far as jaw width probably around 4 in and guessing around 50 pounds

In case anyone is wondering I know I could buy one fairly cheap but this is how I am building my skills and I think it will be a fun project. If I was using just a lathe and a mill it wouldn't be difficult but I'm wanting to hand forge everything except the threads on the screw.

The older postvises will often show quite a bit of forge welding of the real wrought iron they were constructed with. Most folks nowadays will start with larger stock and then forge it down into the shapes they need more often with powerhammers than with strikers.  If I had to do one on my own with no help or powerhammer I would probably use my arc welder in several places to avoid issues with dramatic cross sectional area transitions.

I was thinking of forging the parts out single pieces of material by upsetting the jaw area to get the size I need my main problem is finding good breakdowns of the different vices. So I can lay it out on paper before I start.

Rather than waste anymore time on the internet; why not just grab your tape measure and measure one?  

I assume you have a lot of practice in upsetting large steel pieces by hand?

I would but I don't know of one close to me and it will be about 2 weeks before I will have access to one.

Although I'm about ready to make an educated guess.

Can't help you with one that might be real close to you as I don't know where that is.  Seems like I ran across a lot of them when I was working the oil patch back in the early '80's in OK.

Second line of attack: mock out one in wood and when you get it like you want it to look copy it in metal.  Do you have your metal forge and fuel and upsetting block already?  2 Weeks might be sooner than you think!

I have a 45 pound 4" jaw vise here but my pegboard with the grid of 1" holes in it is up north---200 miles away or I'd take a bunch of pictures of it for you against it.

You can find drawings online, some nice break downs of the parts. Print one out and use a set of dividers, all you need is one dimension to determine the rest. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks I have a coal forge done with plenty of coal and I have a propane ribbon burner about 80% complete my upsetting block is railroad tie plate mounted to the floor. Works pretty good for upsetting longer peices. I'll do some more serches when I get home this evening. By the way I am in South Central ok.

a vise can be forged pretty simply .. a 4" jawed vise depending on whom made it can be pretty beefy.. 

As always its easier to forge out than to upset.. The ideal combination is a mix between the 2..  If you think 4" vise.. What were you thinking of for starting material? 

 

Will you weld on a hardened piece of tool steel for the gripper section of the jaw? 

I was leaning towards mild steel body with interchangeable face plates. The one I want to make for my Hardy on my anvil would be out of 4140

Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

I'd just fab one but I'm too old and lazy to take on a project that heavy and I went to school to be a fabricator.  Heck, I even have a power hammer and I'd fab it.  

It's been quite a while since I got involved in heavy forging for fun. Good memories I recommend it.

Frosty The Lucky.

Me to Frosty.. But it certainly a lot easier to have a mentor, a guide or forging experience to the like..  

Understanding why they did things the way then did and then mimicking it is key.. or not depending on the results you are after.. 

That depends on the reason you're making a vise or other heavy forging doesn't it? If you just need the tool then the results are what really count. If on the other hand you're exploring the what and why of how it was done then maybe if you have enough wrought iron. If you don't have that much WI then the what, how and why isn't the same.  Of course it might be a great way to learn why it isn't done that way anymore. You know what happens if you treat mild steel like WI at the anvil and vis versa. Forging mild too HOT is a bad thing and forging WI too cold is disastrous.  No?

As you say, it depends on the results you're after.

Frosty The Lucky.

FWIW, I remember a thread on here where someone used fork truck tines to build his own vise.  Not sure that's what the OP had in mind here, but those forks could provide some decent starting steel for the project.

These threads may be of interest:

https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/47905-damion78s-diy-vise-design/

 

If nothing else there's some pics in there that may help with design.

 

Good news I had to get 2 new tires on my car this morning and the tire shop had a post vice so I was able to get pics and mesurements. I will post pics and keep you updated on the project.

Can you post the ones from the shop?  I got a large postvise, 6"+, from an auto repair place going out of business; they had been in the same place/business since 1918 and so had a complete blacksmithing set up like any early car repair place would, (also woodworking equipment).  The vise was the only part of it still in daily use  back in the 1990's; showed lots of hammering but was still in good shape otherwise.

The bottom pic is from a blacksmith museum in elk City Oklahoma

 

I had forgotten I had that one

It is a 6in

I wish I could deal them out of it but the owner would never let it go since it was his wife's dad's.

Columbian..   Nice 

The screw and box holes were die pressed..