If this vise could tell a story.

thistle · Sep 4, 2015

fishingpol said: ↑

I remember that vise too. Bolted block on the floor as I recall. The beauty of these vises is being forged, they could take a beating. Not like cast iron bench vises that could break under a hammer strike. Yours is in great shape complete with the spring, mounting plate and wedges. So many of these vises and early english anvils were not marked as there were a lot of manufacturers making them. It is great to see old tools still being used.

Here an interesting link on determining the age of vises.

http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/107f2.htm
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The wedge I replaced with a bigger one made from a scrap piece of 1/4" structural steel from a jobsite.Holds much better than the original.Noticed that when vise is open more than 4-5",it tends to move back & forth until you tap the wedge back in tight.

fishingpol · Sep 4, 2015

My 65 lb one is missing the mounting plate wedges and spring. The spring is almost a must. Getting the web of my thumb and index finger pinched in the jaws made me a believer.

The best hobbies are the dangerous ones.

Stihl Livin · Sep 5, 2015

fishingpol said: ↑

This thread is for anyone that likes tools or appreciates saving and restoring them. Add a story if you have one. I'd like to hear what you have.

This post leg vise was left at the dumpster at work a few months ago. I finally got around to cleaning it today. Tools like this are often overlooked and sent to the scrap pile. It is covered with surface rust and years of dust. It is complete with mounting bracket and flat spring to keep the jaws open. I needed a "softer" vise with worn jaw edges. My bench vise has hardened steel jaws with square edges that can mark up the work pieces.

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I just ran the angle grinder with a wire wheel over as much as I could reach. The tight areas were left alone for now. This vise was most likely forged in a factory by smith's using a steam or water-powered trip hammer. It took skill to turn the bars into the final shape. The slight irregularities can be seen in the chamfers.

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On this leg, heavy force was put on the vise causing it to crack almost all the way through. The handle also is bent from to much force.

The smith that repaired this used another piece of iron and forge welded a repair plate to give the leg strength. This was done in the days where tools were not just thrown away.

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Here it looks like the hatch marks on the jaw were made with a file or chisel. View attachment 63439

The screw box took a beating at some point, possibly when the leg cracked. For the type of work I do, it should not be an issue. The screw itself is really clean with no slag or filings in it. It may have been cleaned or replaced at some point. These types of vises were repaired and rebuilt frequently form spare parts from other vises.

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This is a beauty that was hidden under the rust. It is now cleaned up and wiped with oil. It is ready to get mounted to my bench and go to work. I will appreciate this for years to come.

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There are no manufacturers marks or stamped letters that I could find on it. This vise must have meant a lot to the smith who owned it. It may have been critical for his farm, home or business that it needed repair. The stories are forever lost in time.
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My grandfather had one just like this when I was growing up. I really wanted it when my grandparents passed but it was just to big for my work bench. I wish I would of grabbed it just to have.

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If this vise could tell a story.

thistle

fishingpol

Stihl Livin