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Unusual Vice

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Unusual Vice

#1

Unusual Vice

Todd Hughes

>Went to my Wed. auction and about the first thing I saw was this rather unusual Chain Driven double screw Vice. I have another one of these only smaller but have only seen I believe 2 or 3 others so was pretty happy to get this one.These were made by I know Fisher the Company that made cast Anvils ,[I work on a Big Fisher Anvil and love it] but haven't seen a name on this vice , maybe it's not marked or perhaps I have missed it.Vice is a big 5 in. one and is in excellent condition.The idea behind these is that you could have a sturdy vice like a common Post Vice but still have jaws that open parallel.Imagine new they were quite a bit more expensive then a common Post vice or a Bench vice and judging by the few I have seen couldn't have been to popular. I pulled it out of the row and put it with a nice Yankee Brace, about Mint Millers Falls Egg Beater and some etc. and got the whole lot for $50 which I was pretty happy about. Didn't get much else today, was interested in a powder flask and a decoy and both went high, the goose an Ira Hudson ,[I think!] and rough went for close to $6,000.I held up a rather rough older 4 1/2, nice Disston Back saw and a Starret Combo square and they went for $100 which i thought was pretty amazing.A friend wanted me to bid on a Stanley 278 that was while complete was very rusty and ugly as home made sin.I went to $170 and it sold for $180 to the guy who I think was the consigner.Probably figured it was worth alot if I was bidding on it but I went $50 past what I would of spent on it because I was bidding on it for my friend and figured I would run the SOB up that was bidding against me on his own stuff.I would have gone higher but I couldn't force myself to bid that much on somthing so rough, even if a desirable plane. My friend told me later he would have gone $200 but I think he would have been crazy. Well got some good stuff and missed some good stuff too I guess but I do like that vice.My girl Joanne was quite impressed that I could carry it all the way to the truck too.Almost killed me but I didn't let on !.....Todd


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Re: Unusual Vice

#2

Jim in Burlington Ont.

Re: Unusual Vice

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Looks like a dream for iron working to me. Nice find.

Re: Unusual Vice

#3

Re: Unusual Vice

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Cool vise Todd! Glad you made a good score. You sure find some neat stuff. Whatcha' gonna do with it, toss it in with your Emmert stash?

Now than, Showing off for the Ladies is a young mans game. ;~)

Todd O.

Re: Unusual Vice

#4

Seems like you've got lots of unusual vices

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

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Re: Unusual Vice

#5

Re: the idea...

paul womack

>...could easily be adapted to wooden leg vices - high gizmosity and fun to make.

There's very little force being transmitted to the lower arm.

BugBear

Re: Unusual Vice

#6

Re: Unusual Vice

Roger Nixon

>That is a cool vise. I'll bet you are right about the cost factor. That has often kept a great design from becoming popular.

Re: Unusual Vice

#7

Re: Unusual Vice

Todd Hughes

>I do like the vice, and have to say it is pretty high on the "Neato Gizmo Scale " but I can't really say it is all that great of a design. I used a reg. post vices for smith as well as bench work for years and never felt that not having the jaws exactly parrelel was any handicap.Seems to me this vice went to extreams,[chain drive, twin screws, etc.] to fix basicaly a non existing problim.I think this had somthing to do with them being rare today as well as the higher price.I would be interested to see how these chain vices compared originaly in price with an emmert pattern makers vice, bet they were simular but the emmert is fairly common today because it does have useful design features.....Todd

Re: Unusual Vice

#8

Re: the idea...

Todd Hughes

>I think it is the "work Bench Book that shows some chain driven double screw wood vices.I have seen more then a couple Wooden Leg vices that have a "Scissor" type mechanism that keeps the jaws parrelel.....Todd

Re: Unusual Vice

#9

Re: Unusual Vice

paul womack

>I used a reg. post vices for smith as well as bench work for years and never felt that not having the jaws exactly parrelel was any handicap.

I think Landis makes the point that for holding round work, you don't need parallel jaws. For precision engineering, or rectilinear woodwork projects, you need parallel jaws.

The chain idea seems neater than the scissor jack approach - the scissors approach get unstable at either extreme of its travel, like lazy tongs.

Anyway, it's wonderful gizmoidal.

BugBear

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