Here is my bench currently. Wilton 800S, Reed 108R 106R and 105R with an older Craftsman and a Reed 4C and Colombian 206M3. I spend time fixing and restoring these when my Cruiser projects stall or get done.
Any Vise Collectors Here? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter FARMAN33
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- #3
238 pounds and 42” fully extended. It is my “lifer” vise. Made a month before I was born.
Little baby compared to those but have had this Athol Machine Co. 712 for a while that gets a lot of use
Ratcheting handle
Ratcheting handle
- Thread starter
- #5
That’s a new one for me. Love Athols. Not a lot of those where I am. Mostly Reeds and Wiltons around here (East Texas).
I'm not a real vise collector, but I like old iron. I found myself a biggish Prentiss that I think dates back to around 1900. Just looking at it feels special thinking about how many different people of all kinds must have worked with it over the years, going back to handlebar moustaches and tweed caps.
I am diggin' that 800S....bad ass and it looks like a good restoration top it off. Nice job!
Very cool, I have never heard of a ratcheting handle on a vise before.
- Thread starter
- #10
sterling
SILVER Star
What is everyones source for these?I went down the rabbit hole on YouTube about restoring them.
Craigslist search was not very successful. Jet owns Wilton and Columbian I believe.
Craigslist search was not very successful. Jet owns Wilton and Columbian I believe.
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- #13
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are the best places to find big American iron. The big unique ones are "just now" beginning to be scooped up. Time was when you could just go to your local dump and find these all day long. They are timeless and simple machines. I have a couple that are close to 100 years old and still work as intended. For a generally "abused" tool, that's pretty incredible.
these things are really useful for how simple they are. I imagine it must have been tempting for a blacksmith to want to design and sell one in late 1800s or early 1900s. No wonder there are so many different brands. And they all look basically the same. This wasn't exactly an iPhone's worth of complexity if you knew anything much about steel and basic shapes, of course. (Mmm... which, come to think of it, may well be a bit of an underestimation given I've seen some chinese no name vises broken in two.)
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- #15
Really cool Youtube video of a guy who builds vise and destroys a dozen vise of various manufacture.
Nice collection. I'm liking all of them but that 800S is my fav!
I have a few vises laying around, not quite sure why. I restored a few bigger ones but they are just too big and heavy for me to work with so I decided to stick with 4 inch and smaller.
Wilton #3, Reed 103, Reed 202 1/2, Rock Island 571, Reed 403 1/2, Parker 271.
Reed 206 but without the swivel base so kind of a 106.
Wilton 400 and a Columbian 504. I just "remodeled" my bench so the Columbian is getting replaced by the Wilton.
Wilton #3, Reed 103, Reed 202 1/2, Rock Island 571, Reed 403 1/2, Parker 271.
Reed 206 but without the swivel base so kind of a 106.
Wilton 400 and a Columbian 504. I just "remodeled" my bench so the Columbian is getting replaced by the Wilton.
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- Thread starter
- #18
4” are a lot easier than the 8s that’s fo sho!!! These are the baby Reeds 103 103.5 104 and original paint 104.5
as many Reeds as I have and the big Wilton... my favorite are Colombians!
as many Reeds as I have and the big Wilton... my favorite are Colombians!
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- #19
Finished the 4C today. Ready for some lighter projects. This guy tips the scales at 185 pounds!
It was a Reed 4C that made me decide to stick to smaller vises.