Post Vice, are a vise

[DSEL74]

I got a batch lot of dirty, dusty, rusty, poopy and broken post vises recently.

Couldn't really see what condition they were in when I got them as a barn fresh find, but they were cheap enough to take a gamble on. So after a good hose down I set to inspecting and found a few surprises.



This small one is missing the leg and I discovered was all bent out of shape. It was my first smithing project to heat it up in the forge and straighten her out.
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This one was missing the spring, and the mount and shackle etc. I forged a new spring and mage a new mount and wedges etc.
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Both now awaiting a good wire brushing and oil up.






This is the biggest one but a much heavier 4" It is complete but has a piece missing from the jaw and that same jaw has been welded on. It is quite a good weld though.



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Now on the look out for some stumps to attach them to for use.

[Ramps]

I feel there's very few of these hidden treasures over this side of the world:(
good work on the repairs/ renovations

[Ueee]

Nice work.

A nice lookin 5" has turned up on gumtree locally. I'm wondering if i should buy it. The one i have is only a 3".
Hmmmm.......

Ew

[DSEL74]

Nice work.

A nice lookin 5" has turned up on gumtree locally. I'm wondering if i should buy it. The one i have is only a 3".
Hmmmm.......

Ew
The wider vices are rarer. Note these were all forged so not 100% dimensionally accurate a 5" could easily be a 4½" . The biggest considerations are the condition and the weight. Some are twice as heavy and solid as others of the same jaw dimension. Going rate on eb** it $120-250 but the don't seem to sell just repeatedly re-listed until they give up or accept someone's lowball offer.

Not many were marked, it is nice to find one that is. None of mine are. Also the thread and box are often worn and commonly is a section of the thread relevant to the previous owners common stock size.

If you find anything over 6" or a 10" I'd grab it, or grab it for me:U (at a realistic price)

[Marc]

Nice find. Talk about abuse! ...however that is the condition of blacksmith stuff in Australia, very old and very abused.
I am glad that you like to do the fixing.

As far as installing it for use, when a stump is the traditional method of fixing this vice, a stump is a rather permanent placement and requires a dirt floor workshop, digging a rather deep hole and hope for the termites not to find it. I prefer to fix the leg vice to a 150 x 150 x 6 square post welded to a square or round plate and bolted to the concrete floor. A top plate to bolt the vice to and a small side plate with a hole for the leg to slide in. Dynabolts can be relocated and the holes patched up with a bit of sand and cement and you are bound to want to change position of anvil and vice around the forge more than once.

[DSEL74]

I was thinking to put this
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On one of these, 950mm Long. I don't see it moving in use.

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Cut from this into two
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The steel stands are quite popular and I can see the benefits, I just can't weld.

[Marc]

A leg vice has a specific purpose rather different from an engineering vice. An engineering vice keeps stuff steady for you to drill, cut, tap a thread etc a blacksmith vice is designed to hold large chunk of steel red hot and bashed them into shape with 1 or 2k hammers, hold a template and slide a one meter bar into them and twist them around in it, the amount of force the leg vice is designed to take in way of torsion, and hammering in all directions would make a cast engineering vice fly into pieces.

Therefore, the stand for the vice has to fit that purpose or you will only be able to exercise limited amount of force to it.

If you fit a leg vice to a table, the amount of force you use will be limited by the weight of the table and the vice combined. If you fix it to a log, you again will only rely on the weight of log and vice. THat may be OK for some limited use but you may as well use an ordinary engineering vice for a quarter of the price for that.

Fixing a blacksmith vice to a log, requires the log to be buried in the ground a good 600mm minimum and gravel compressed with the top of a fencing bar all around it real hard and in layers. The log needs to be cut 1/3 diameter from the top down the length of the leg up to the knob at the end of the leg. A hole in the step the size of the leg tip will hold the vice steady and stop it from working itself loose. The coach screws to fix the shelve to the top of the log need to be max size possible according to the hole diameter and a good 150mm long.

The above gives you an idea that in order to use a leg vice as it is intended to, the mounting is crucial. That is why I prefer to build a square post and flat base in steel and dinabolt it to a concrete floor, providing it is a reinforced 100 mm floor.

As far as the log in your pic, I can't tell the size of it from the picture, but any size log that is not in the ground will become a hazard, either from being in your way at the back of the vice, since you need access from all sides or it is a hazard since it can fall over and the vice being attached to the side of it does not help.