My old vise

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I just wanted to share this with you.

Last night I finished welding on some hinges for my garage doors and while cleaning up I took a look at my old vise. It has been on in this family longer than I have and yet this is the first time I stopped to admire the age and patina it has earned. Until last night I didn't even notice it's name.

It's a Chas. Parker (of the Parker shotgun fame) 4" vice.

My father welded up the base using a car rim and piece of well pipe.
What's really cool is that you can "walk" it by pivoting the base. It's quite heavy, you wouldn't want to pick it up. As you can see it has suffered some abuse but I use it all the time.

I wouldn't part with it for anything.

Jon


 


 

[Banjo picker]

I have several myself.  If there is on at an estate auction, it's probably coming home with me.  Tim

[gspren]

Good idea, I have a couple of old vises mounted to benches in the barn with a wood floor so no welding. I may have to fix up something like that to "wheel" it outside for welding projects.

[K-Guy]

That is a good idea. I just bought a 6" one and may have to steal this idea.

ps. I gave up a vice when I got married. The wife had a problem with me chasing other girls!  :D

[sawguy21]

 :D That is what I thought he was referring to. The tool is a vise.

[Al_Smith]

Along with a lot of stuff I have quite a collection of vises .At least a half dozen Wiltons .My favorite vice story was an 8" I bought at an auction for 5 bucks ..frozen solid .Must weigh 80 pounds .It took some heat from a rose bud torch to free it up .The nut was missing so I made another with a brass lining .Problem was I turned  those acme threads for the wrong rotation ,had to make another .--things happen . :D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

:D That is what I thought he was referring to. The tool is a vise.

oops, spelling is not my strong point, I fixed it.

[farmfromkansas]

How many use a post vise?  I mounted my dad's outside the shed so I can use it for welding.

[samandothers]

Mine is on a 4 legged stand.  It is heavy and when I need to move a hand truck is employed.  

[Magicman]

As you can see it has suffered some abuse but I use it all the time.

Those just look like well earned battle scars.  Continue to use it with pride!!  

How many use a post vise?

Mine is still attached to the old work bench at the farm. 

[Al_Smith]

I'll show you a vise .This is a 12" machine vice I have on one of my drill presses that came off a metal shaper I found in a scrap yard .It took me and another guy my size to load it in my pick up truck .I unloaded it with a chain fall .I'll bet it goes over 200 pounds .It has a 1 1/2" screw .

  

[sawguy21]

Now that is one serious vise. What do you use it for?

[RichTired]

I bet he uses it for cracking walnuts... :D

[Al_Smith]

It's on the table  of a spotting drill press which has an x-y axis table  like a milling machine .I think the feeds and speeds go up to 2.5 inches .Circa pre 1920 . That's the machine I hobbed out a worm gear wheel for on an engine lathe ,old trick .

In the picture I was pressing a cast iron cylinder sleeve in a McCulloch 125 C chainsaw engine block .BTW I do get into some really strange stuff at times . 8)

[Old Greenhorn]

I wanted to reply to this one since it was posted, but I held off until now, you will see why in a few seconds. I have (as most of us do) a variety of vises (vices too) in various shapes and sizes, even a post vise I need to make a mount for. I have my Dad's Wilton swivle bullet out of the bench in the shed (may favosrite, and I have one very similar to weekend Sawyer's but a little smaller I an d I have not checked the markings on it lately to go on the bench in the main shop after I repair the damage my son did to it. 
 But I also have this Wilton Bullet I mounted on a stump which is very handy in the shop and to drag outside when needed. I set this up 25 years ago when I was 'wood poor' and could only get a piece of pine for the base. That pine is so dry now it only weighs around 15 or 20 pounds.


 

Nothing special there for sure and the bottom of the block is so worn that it is no longer flat. So for a few years I have wanted to replace it with an RO block, but that is real heavy. 8 months ago I 'came into' some 'surplus' wheels. When I was bucking logs last week I had to trim a big leader hump off a log and what I saw gave me an idea, so I saved out that one piece and stuck it in the shop. This is what I came up with.


 
And here is another angle. Now this puppy is heavy, so I just clamp a wonder bar in the vice and use that as a handle. The wheels only engage the floor when the front end is lifted.


 
You would think it would wobble like a duck when you move it, but it is surprisingly stable and smooth. But it is very heavy. I think that block is every bit of 90 pounds right now. The wheels are rated at something like 500# each, so I think I am OK on the factor of safety.

I am pretty happy with this for a 1/2 hour project. Another thing I have wanted to do for years and never had the time is now checked off the long list. ;D

[doc henderson]

looks great.  I think you are ok on weight. might want to get the alignment checked, looks like a little wear on the left!!! :D :D :D  . did the old one go to the burn barrel?

[Al_Smith]

I've got my rail road iron anvils mounted on a rounds of white oak that are  heavy enough I can't lift them  .One here at the house and another at my shop .

[Dave Shepard]

We've got a few Parkers around here. One like the op's, and another huge one. 7 or 8 inch jaws. Probably weighs 200 pounds. A good vise is great. A bad vise is torture!