Vise squad -- pics -- let's see yours

[JoeE.]

It is in the house with me, and I have no measuring utensils.

From the top of the "teeth" to the bottom, it is just a smidge less thick than the diamter of a quarter!

I'd take $10 and you pay shipping~ that work for you?

I'd send it parcel post- that is cheepest way to ship. Probably 2 or 3 dollars at most.

[bgott]

OK, I'll go that, thanks! I'll PM you with my contact info.

[gregg-k]

Originally Posted by JoeE.

I bought a Reed vise at an auction today for 25 dollars........ My hoard is increasing.

I was looking at a 1939 Altas catalog tonight, and I found the following photo of their RI-14x series of vises ... which look very similar to yours .. especially that inverted "Devil's Horns" clamping nut ;-)



Interesting to note that the RI series of Atlas vises were made by Rock Island.
Hope this is of interest,
... Gregg

[gregg-k]

Today I was cleaning up and working on my Rock Island 596 vise (pictured a few postings back), and discovered something very interesting about it. I'd always wondered why its handle fit so nicely through the finial, and especially why it does not rattle, even after 70 (!) years of use.

Turns out that the finial has a babbit insert cast into it, to act as a bushing for the handle. What nice attention to detail! BTW, the vise handle is 7/8" in diameter ... its not about to bend any time soon.

Oh yes, I did up a CAD drawing of jaw inserts I needed for the 596, and had Bob Scherwin make up a couple. The inserts arrived today ... very nice works of art!

..> Gregg

[bgott]

Interesting stuff! That Atlas ad has a section for chipping vises. Are there any pictures? I have seen chipping vises referred to but have never seen a picture of one. I suppose they are just a great big vise?

[gregg-k]

Originally Posted by bgott

Interesting stuff! That Atlas ad has a section for chipping vises. Are there any pictures? I have seen chipping vises referred to but have never seen a picture of one. I suppose they are just a great big vise?

There were no pictures of the chipping vises .. but judging from the weights and jaw sizes listed in the catalog sheet, those vises were some *BIG* pieces of work!

.. Gregg

[Flute Maker]

Can someone ID this one. Another town dump reclamation.
Thanks,
Payson

http://s699.photobucket.com/albums/vv358/paysong/vise/

[Grey Rider]

Originally Posted by gregg-k

There were no pictures of the chipping vises .. but judging from the weights and jaw sizes listed in the catalog sheet, those vises were some *BIG* pieces of work!

That's what I'm looking for - a 9" jaw Reed 109 or Atlas. Over 300 lb of heavy chipping action.

Ryan

[Spinit]

I have learned a lot from this thread. Great pictures everybody!
Best regards

[JoeE.]

You have a P.M.~ if you hadn't noticed. Your vise base was in the mail Friday and on the way!

[bgott]

Thanks, Joe, I replied. It isn't really obvious when you have an instant message on this site, is it? I know where to look now, anyway.

[Flute Maker]

Can someone enlighten me about what a chipping vise is?
Payson

[gregg-k]

Well, the new jaw inserts I had Bob S make for the Rock Island 596 arrived, I fitted them, and that baby is now ready for action!!

Funny, I always thought my faithful old Bison 6" vise was pretty beefy, but compared against the Rock Island (shown below, taking its place on my bench), the Bison looks positively puny!



Now, to make some soft jaws ... those serrations in Bob's inserts can make a really mean bite !

... Gregg

[bgott]

Flute Maker, back in the day a common way to cut keyways in shafting was for a guy with a cape chisel and a hammer to chisel them out. They called this chipping. At least, this is what I've been able to put together from bits and pieces of what I've read. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will jump in and set me straight.

I read somewhere where a question was asked on how much work a chipper was expected to turn out and the answer was 30 inches a day.

JoeE, got the base, thanks!

[SouthBendModel34]

Flute Maker:

Chipping ! Nearly a lost art !!! There's an old photo of a man at work on the rough forging of a LARGE steam locomotive connecting rod. He's working a handsome chamfer onto the edge of the rod with an air chisel, and he's raised a chip about 18 inches long. Obviously a worker with a steady hand!

Joe Michaels once said that the cold chisel is the 'poor man's shaper'.

Good used cold chisels go for a dollar or less at local flea markets. They are often found in the bottom of a "box of rust" Get an old text, get some old chisels, and try your hand at chipping. It opens up a whole new world.

Hacksaws, Cold Chisels, Files. You'd just be amazed at what you can do if you have enough time and it is not mass production of interchangeable parts.

JRR

[J-Roc]

Hey all! I just joined the board from the recommendation of Pirate4x4...

I recently picked up this old school Reed vise from Kijiji and it has a tiny bit of damage to the jaw... I'm wondering what the best way would be to repair this crack that has started to form...








Pictures 4-6 show the damage the best... seems that the jaw teeth are forged into the vise itself, since there are no screws to attach it...

I was thinking about arc welding the crack with a nickle rod and pre-heating and post heating the weld to slowly cool it down to prevent further cracks...

I really have to clean this unit up to understand the extent of the damage but I thought I would be able to have some shared insight on the best way to fix this tiny problem... hopefully I didn't buy a piece of junk

[Johann Ohnesorg]

Hy,
I would mill out the steel jaws and make new ones. There is enough flesh for two screws that will hold the new jaws. While you´re doing this you can make another pair of jaws made of aluminum, great to have them at hand when you have delicate parts or precison surfaces that you don´t want to marr.

Cheers,
Johann