Thread: Old engineering vice

Originally Posted by mspil

Bob,
Thought it might be of interest to let you know how my vice came up. I decided to scrap the original handle, and made a new, extra long one of 19mm bright steel. I think it will not bend any more. I managed to borrow some lathe time and turned up some push-fit knobs for the ends, each locked with a set screw through the end into the handle. (Probably unnecessary, but I am a belt and braces type).
The vice itself needed little or no other work, apart from cleaning and painting. It is as smooth as silk, with no apparent wear on the screw or nut, although at some stage the end of the slide has been extensively used as an anvil. I have not tried to repair this, as it has no bearing on the usability of the machine.

Wow, that milled and polished handle knob is the way to go.
Looks very nice, ill do that to mine
Regards.

Thanks, Picon. It does work very well. Help yourself to the design, and if you need any measurements, feel free to ask. Incidentally, I polished the big knob of the main shaft in a lathe. I made up a wooden steady in a steel frame to hold the knob end, and mounted the other end in the chuck. Then started with a file, followed by various grades of emery paper, until it was gleaming as you see. I think it was worth the effort.

Hi All,
Yes. I think my Vice could be classed as an Engineering Vice.
It is 4½ in Dawn, bought at an Auction House for $71. I thought Christmas had come.
I looks to me that mspil's Vice is a bit bigger than mine, but almost exactly the same.

Issatree, I am attaching a photo of my Parkinson vice with the 4 inch Dawn that I was using before I purchased the big one. I think you will agree that there is something of a size difference. Also the weight difference is noticeable. I can comfortably lift the Dawn with one hand, but nearly bust a gut getting the big one up onto the bench to work on it. Once I got it into two main pieces, it became manageable.