Repair advise on German Post Vise

[Markus503]

Hi,

 

I bought a post vise and have been working on getting it back in working order. 

Album of photos of it here: link removed

Having to fabricate some parts for it (mounting bracket hardware and spring), then started reassembling it and testing it's function.

That's when I noticed the jaws weren't lining up/parallel and I started looking at the 'cheeks' the moving jaw rides on.  It looks like they are no longer lining up. 

I'm wondering if I should cut and knock out the rivets (hopefully they're not forged pegs on the leg), and replace them with bolts so I can align the cheek plates up?

[ThomasPowers]

The only vise I have fixed a vertical offset on; I did by heat shrinking and riveting a plug in the hole in the moving arm and redrilling it slightly offset  such that it would adjust the jaws to meet. (arc welding it in would probably be better; but it has seen a dozen years of abusive use by college students and is doing fine.)

I also had to redrill all the holes to fit the next size up bolt diameter as there was some wallering of the holes.

I wouldn't touch the cheek plate rivets if you offered to pay me!

A side to side offset I would use my large screwpress to remove; working the cheekplates cold.

[Markus503]

So just try to brute force (pressure) move the plates closer in alignment?

[ThomasPowers]

Do you have a side to side offset? The picture looked like a vertical one?

If so a "controlled force". "Brute force" can make things worse.

BTW it shouldn't be riding "on" the cheeks but "between" them.  On a light duty vise; sometimes just tightening the pivot bolt is enough to reduce sideways flop.

[Markus503]

Sorry - brute force = use pressure to move the plate.

There's not a bolt for the pivot point, but a 'pin'. 

I'll take some pics with the jaw removed and use a level so the 'side to side' difference can be seen

 

[Markus503]

[ThomasPowers]

Some of the older postvises I see use a headed pin with a wedge for the pivot; If they need it I replace with a bolt and nut.  I'm a user not a collector. (You would take apart the cheek plate rivets and replace them with bolts but the pivot pin would be an issue?)

Ok you mean the top of the cheek plates are not at the same height?  Who cares, doesn't have anything to do with how the vise works as long as the pivot hole is level and not slanted.  If it is slanted. Weld it and drill a level one!  Same thing with the offset from the stationary jaw/leg. If the pivot hole is equal distance at both ends not a problem. If it's offset enough to cause problems, Fill and Drill.

Now if the cheeks have been canted so they both are at an angle to the plane of the stationary leg: I would try to adjust that cold and with a press.

The important part is that the JAWS meet nicely in the vertical and horizontal planes and in the vertical often only the tops meet as the moving jaw swings on an arc and so the jaws may be made such that they are parallel at some point on that arc and not when fully closed.

Generally we suggest folks use stuff a while to see if any little issues actually matter.  Folks who agonize over say a 64th of an inch I usually suggest they take up machining where folks pay more for greater precision.

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome aboard Markus...have you read this yet?  READ THIS FIRST   It will help in getting the best out of the forum with tips like editing your profile to show your location, because so many answers depend upon where in the world you are located. Other tips & links will help in staying under the moderators radar.

[Markus503]

Thanks!