What kind of vise/clamp is this?

leeko · Jun 9, 2019

Hi everyone,

I found a nice old vise/clamp this week, and was hoping to get some help ID'ing it. The previous owner said he used it on his horizontal mill when making keyways, but I'm wondering if that wasn't the intended use.

It's about 6" wide and can be mounted vertically or horizontally. It has a single big hold down clamp that's spring loaded. The key slots on the bottom are 5/8".

The plate says w.w.field and son, inc. Watertown, Mass. but a Google search doesn't turn anything up.

Thanks in advance,

Lee

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PeteM · Jun 9, 2019

Sure looks like an Orange Vise

michiganbuck · Jun 9, 2019

I would say it is a round stock or pipe mill vise.

Good test, set it on the mill, put in a round part or a pipe, crank down the clamp .

Ops! I mean an orange round stock or pipe mill vise.

Illinoyance · Jun 9, 2019

Frequently used for holding shafts to cut keyways.

MichaelP · Jun 9, 2019

Add some style. Orange vise matches gray cast iron pipe or rod very well.

leeko · Jun 9, 2019

Ok, sounds like the PO had it right

What's the benefit of this over e.g. a regular vise, or setting the shaft in the table slot?

Thanks,

Lee

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sfriedberg · Jun 9, 2019

leeko said:
The previous owner said he used it on his horizontal mill when making keyways, but I'm wondering if that wasn't the intended use.

Yes, that was the intended use. More generally, for holding shafts on a mill.

fciron · Jun 10, 2019

The clamp action looks like it presses down into the V, so that's three points of clamping contact. A more secure grip. Possibly faster and more convenient than the table slot and strap clamps?

michiganbuck · Jun 10, 2019

And with it being orange if having a a shop tour of visiting armed deer hunters they would be less likely to shoot the mill.

Clive603 · Jun 10, 2019

Biggest advantage is that it can be set so the clamp doesn't get it the way when doing a longer keyway. Also holds stock too small and, possibly, too large to sit properly in a table slot. I was told that diameter between 3 and 10 times slot width was a decent rule of thumb for strapping rounds down into a table slot.

Otherwise it depends on what you have in the clamp set drawer and how often you do that sort of work. Certainly faster and more convenient than using a basic stud, strap and step block system. Likely to be pretty much a wash if you have a properly made V groove strap system.

Can also be set up on a pillar drill for doing cross holes. Take a bit of fiddle farting around to get lined up on a standard table but if you have lots of holes to do and semi-skilled help why tie up the mill? If that sort of thing is regular then doing a sub table for bolt on instant set up isn't difficult.

Clive

Froneck · Jun 10, 2019

I had a couple of them. came with a mill I purchased. Also orange painted was a 2 piece vise. Vise was very strong and worked well. I have used the clamps as seen in the photo but in pairs, quite strong and clamp well at least when a pair are used.

Joe from N.Y. · Jun 10, 2019

Here is a snippet from the Cambridge Chronicle from Jan 15, 1910 about the kid joining the old man in his machinist business.

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michiganbuck · Jun 10, 2019

The heavy spring to clear holding jaw makes it ideal for through feeding as would be an aid for part cut off. Yes for rounds and rectangular parts.

northernsinger · Jun 10, 2019

Of course the question is really about the vise but I am interested in the Field and Son history and was pleased to read Joe's 1910 newspaper clipping, especially regarding the son's Philadelphia business interests, which I'd never heard of before.

The Field firm apparently sold some new mill supply and or machinery items under their own name, though made by some one other, I think, but was it seems mainly known for reselling used machinery, maybe more wood working then metal. They were in business a long time. I think i have something labelled 'Fields,' though I can't think what at the moment.

A brief note about Field:

William H. Field Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

Thanks for the interesting information.

Joe from N.Y. · Jun 18, 2019

northernsinger said:
Of course the question is really about the vise but I am interested in the Field and Son history and was pleased to read Joe's 1910 newspaper clipping, especially regarding the son's Philadelphia business interests, which I'd never heard of before.

The Field firm apparently sold some new mill supply and or machinery items under their own name, though made by some one other, I think, but was it seems mainly known for reselling used machinery, maybe more wood working then metal. They were in business a long time. I think i have something labelled 'Fields,' though I can't think what at the moment.

A brief note about Field:

William H. Field Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

Thanks for the interesting information.

I have an amazing go-to source for old newspaper articles when I am researching something old, a name, building address, company, organization, etc. it can be found here: Old Fulton New York Post Cards

It is amazing. An old guy started collecting discarded microfilms of local small newspapers in upstate NY. Eventually, he collected any old unneeded microfilms he could find from any library in the country. He scanned them all and used an optical character recognition program on the collection.

Remember as a kid, the limitation of those was not having an index. He solved that issue. I spent days searching everything I could think of. I found my relatives getting written about going off to WWI, and coming home again three years later. I found my grandfather robbed a theater in Brooklyn with my uncle. My uncle’s photo after he fought another cab driver over a fare, and the injuries he got from fighting the cop. My father-in-law tried to escape from the Long Island City Jail in Queens, but got caught when he made it to the roof. I found my parents wedding photo in an announcement. I found out my great grandfather built racing boats. We found my friend’s grandfather was adopted.

That site is absolutely amazing. Local papers printed everything back then. Even the name and address of the jail guard my Father in law hit with an iron rod.

When we dug up next to my church to pave the parking lot, we found hundreds of broken whisky bottles buried. I looked up the address and found there used to be a rowdy bar on that lot in the late 1930’s.

Old Fulton New York Post Cards

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fciron · Jun 19, 2019

Note to self: Don't piss off Joe. Family history.

Joe from N.Y. · Jun 21, 2019

fciron said:
Note to self: Don't piss off Joe. Family history. [emoji6]

Yeah, it looks like they got down back in the day in Brooklyn.

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fciron · Jun 21, 2019

Joe from N.Y. said:
Yeah, it looks like they got down back in the day in Brooklyn.

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My family must have been in a different part of Brooklyn, or they just didn't tell those stories. I guess I should look them up in these microfiches. :-D

Joe from N.Y. · Jun 21, 2019

fciron said:
My family must have been in a different part of Brooklyn, or they just didn't tell those stories. I guess I should look them up in these microfiches. :-D

My family definitely didn’t share them. My dad denied it was his family. Flat out denied it, but I know when he lies, and he later admitted it all. He told me not to tell my son. I explained the internet again to him. He told me a few more stories now that the cat was out of the bag.

Look your relatives up for yourself. Most are from between the 1950s and the late 1800s. The papers are from all over the country, but specialize in the north east.

I gave my elderly neighbor a photo of his dad dedicating the local VFW Hall after the war. He never knew. And his mom taught bridge to local housewives.

My grandmother from Suffolk county lived on a farm, and she sent in a picture of her and her pet goat to the Brooklyn Eagle in 1910. The stuff is amazing.

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fciron · Jun 21, 2019

I found the previous owner of my blacksmith shop. Looks like his human interest story got picked up nationally in 1953 "Can't shoo this blacksmith"

What kind of vise/clamp is this?

Stainless

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Titanium

Stainless

Diamond

Stainless

Diamond

Titanium

Titanium

Aluminum

Diamond

Titanium

Aluminum

Stainless

Aluminum

Stainless

Aluminum

Stainless

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