MarkDobson Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 Well all my craigslist browsing on my lunch breaks finally paid off, managed to pick these two guys up last night after work. I believe the big 8 inch is a columbian but im not 100% sure. im guessing its a later production vise based on the hinge plate being riveted on instead of forge welded. the little one is a 4 inch and looks like a toy compared to that giant. the only sad part is somehow the mounting bracket for the big vise dissapeared and the little vise is missing the spring and mount but i should be able to make both pieces without too much trouble. Both screws are nice and square and the vises seam to open and close freely. now i just have to figure out how to mount this big boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 I missed out on an 8" post vise for $80 a couple of years ago because I went to work instead of being sick (cough, cough) . How much does your large vise weigh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 I've sent my wife to pick up an anvil for me; funny the seller sent it with his wife too; the hand off was at the University so they asked a student to shift it for them, appx 112# PW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Nice find.. It looks huge on the pallet with that little one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaudry Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 It should be easy to make a new mount for the Columbian. They usually had a square cornered U bolt going around the back leg and the top of the spring and through a heavy angle bracket bolted to the bench. I think this is actually a better and stronger mounting system than the more traditional tapered wedges through a mortised mount and I've retrofitted most of my vises with this kind of bracket. Nice score ! It's useful to have both sizes of vise. Unless you really need the capacity, the big vises can be slow and cumbersome for daily use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDobson Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share Posted June 9, 2018 9 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: I missed out on an 8" post vise for $80 a couple of years ago because I went to work instead of being sick (cough, cough) . How much does your large vise weigh? weighs roughly 200lbs, i could pick it up but just barely and i know it weighs more than my anvil which is ~150lbs. i wish thats all this thing cost me lol, but i know if i didnt bring it home id kick myself for leaving it in that barn. i plan on having a plate burned at work to make a stand/ table for it. Any ideas on how large of a stand im going to need to support the thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 Depends on how you want to use it? For hammering on the force is downwards so a freestanding one will work. If you plan on doing a lot of bending or twisting you will need to secure it to a more solid stand. My 6" vise is on a 2" thick 24" diameter round with a piece of 10" pipe as the post. The stand weighs 188# and It will move on me at times. I plan on staking it to the ground at some point. With the round plate I can move it to where I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 bigGundoctor said a mouth full.. In the shop I have all the main vises mounted so they will not move at all.. The portable ones will move if you are not standing on the plate but are in no way as solidly mounted as the forging vises.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDobson Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 i was thinking of doing something like a striking vise stand. as far as how i intend to use it, probably for anything large or stubborn that would require the use of a sledge. id like to make the stand as heavy/immovable as possible and still be able to work from all sides of the vise. i cant bury a post because i will need to be able to move it (with a tractor) since we are always working on the barn and it may get in the way at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Well you could always mount it on a post that slides into one mounted into the floor so you can have a rigid mount that was fairly easily removable---I'm working on one with a set of nesting structural sq tubing to be mounted in my driveway to the shop for when I need to run a 20' stick around the vise; but it can fit in a similar floor mounted sq tube in the shop for 'regular use". I'll make a cap for both of the gazintas to keep crud out of the outer tube when not in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 That is a great idea Thomas. Post a photo when you'r done it. I may be just what I need to make. As Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 If you have a tractor that can lift heavy things.. While it isn't convenient the way a smaller stand is.. to mount it on a larger 1/2" steel plate with a few top fork tubes that you stand on with an upright of thick square tubing would work very well.. Have it large enough to have a sledge guy to.. I've tried smaller setups that were portable and frankly were terrible.. Weighted affairs and such and they are only good up to the strength load or hammer load.. the key is to always be standing on the mount at the same time as working the metal in the vise.. Thomas's floor pockets are another way of keeping things movable and well mounted I know a guy who did this and used smaller pockets with tension cables.. The vise mounted in the trailer is by far the best mounted vise I have ever worked on.. but then again it has a trailer, bottom support, angled plates and solid steel work structure supporting it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDobson Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share Posted June 10, 2018 i like the floor pockets idea thomas so i hope you post pictures when you get it done! i wish i could just bury stuff but we are still terraforming down under the barn (aka the never ending project) so if i bury anything it will either be lost forever or ill have to dig it back up. not really the end of the world since we have a backhoe i guess lol. i have probably 30ft of i think 6x6 box beam guard rail that i could cut up and bury as a socket in the ground for a post now that i think about it. this is what i had originally thought of but even if i weighted it down i thing it would still move. maybe i could mount it to a plate to stand on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 I love the stand.. get rid of that side shelf and extend a few heavy channels with a steel plate to stand on and it would be nice.. LOL.. No opinions here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 I'm just waiting till the appropriate sq tubing shows up at the scrapyard---I have several pieces for burying; need the nesting long piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Thomas, what size did you end up with for in ground? What did you find that would nest with it properly? Wiggle room? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 I have a bunch of different sizes collected; first long piece that I can source will drive which short pieces are used. I'm hoping about 4" sq for structural reasons. Since both the shop floor and driveway are dirt I plan to have a cross bolt to help prevent accidental lifting in use (and will probably be using a sack of concrete per gazinta.) I already have a 6" columbian for the vise---how most of my projects work: I assemble the piece parts on the cheap and then when the controlling piece is found: Boom a short burst of activity to get er done. Drives some folks crazy. Me it allows me to cogitate on the design ahead of time. Time to go discuss clear coating of the wasp nest in my tool shed so I can pack to teach at the Church Camp end of this week...So far they are against it but the ones protesting are down to a low number now...I started sorting a bucket to sell at quad-state in September too. It's down to 99 degF; time to get busy again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 I have a stand like Mark Dobson yet it walks when I need to bend stuff despite being over 100 kilos. . Planning to strap it down with steel cable to a small fixed point in the ground and tension the cable real hard. As for steel sizes, just checked my steel supplier. We have 100x100x5 SHS and then 89x89x5. Clearly made to fit inside the 100x100 that is 90x90 inside. Good stuff, no need to reinvent the wheel. Of course one could use any chunky size for the post, cut an 8" long section off to concrete in the ground and weld an extension inside the post that slides straight in the part in the ground. Could be a cross made of flat bar, or 4 plates welded inside each of the post faces and plug welded a bit further up the edge to keep them rigid. Perhaps a heavy plate around the edge of the pocket in the ground to prevent the post from being smacked inside the ground section ... now I hope you can see what you have done here Thomas ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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