What was this old vice used for ?

I'll start another thread.

I bought this vice at an auction a while back. Loved the look of it. Thinking maybe could mount it on my bench somewhere. Still haven't really descided where or even if I should. It doesn't have any holes in it that indicate it was bolted to a bench. So, I'm thinking maybe it was used for something else.

On the static face side there's a rebate that runs its length. Thinking for a boy cut to fit in there somewhere. But what ? Can see this rebate in this picture.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...odenvise-1.jpg


On the flip side its interesting. Cause the faces chamfers up together at 45,,,,, to aid access to your work maybe ? I thought, this probably would help when sawing something. So you can rock the saw better....maybe...but then, despite its obvious wear, there arn't any saw marks. Which mean't the guy was very careful or it wasn't used this way (for sawing that is)

Around each screw I've got a little strip of black tape. I just put the strips over the top of holes that held a small piece of dowel. Engages the skrew and makes it work. (obviously :rolleyes: ) ...see, without the tape the dowel would just drop out.


http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d7...odenvise-2.jpg


Anyway, a bit of history would be nice, before I start drilling holes in it :eek: . Hate to mess with something rare. Possibly wasn't even used for woodworking. Leather work ????.....it binds very well though.....any ideas ?

Thanks. :)

Gday Jake, could it be a vice for sharpening hand saws?

Thought this may explain the jaw shape, bit excessive though if for this purpose, don't know much about handsaw sharpening but you don't drop the file handle THAT much do you? :confused:

I can see why it appeals to you though, looks kinda cool :cool:

What are the "dog" looking bits above the wooden threads on the body?

Cheers................Sean, free of vices

Hi Jake,
That is a nice looking vice, built for a special purpose. I wonder if its something for bookbinding?

Cheers,

methinks its a bookbinding press. googled the term and came up with some similar looking tools. Wish i owned it. Noice pickup.

I think you'll find its a bookbinder's vise or clamp - I don't know enough to tell you its exact purpose with authority, but it looks like it was used to clamp the free ends of the pages before they were planed & gilded.

The rebate was probably to allow it to be in turn held in a larger vise at the bench - the binder would have had several clamps with books in them & would plane each book when bound one at a time, then gild them in a batch while still in their individual clamps - when you undid the clamp you would never get all the pages quite in the same alignment, so the gilding would not go on smoothly. Doing it in a batch would save the trouble of making several batches of size & glue, then throwing the batch out after doing one book (egg white, hide glue etc)

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Originally Posted by bsrlee

I think you'll find its a bookbinder's vise or clamp - I don't know enough to tell you its exact purpose with authority, but it looks like it was used to clamp the free ends of the pages before they were planed & gilded.

The rebate was probably to allow it to be in turn held in a larger vise at the bench - the binder would have had several clamps with books in them & would plane each book when bound one at a time, then gild them in a batch while still in their individual clamps - when you undid the clamp you would never get all the pages quite in the same alignment, so the gilding would not go on smoothly. Doing it in a batch would save the trouble of making several batches of size & glue, then throwing the batch out after doing one book (egg white, hide glue etc)

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You've nailed it, I reakon. I probably shouldn't have called it a rebate (?) more like a groove or dado...but makes good sense. This groove would sit over a matchin piece thats attached to the face of another vise, so there'd be no rocking. yes ?

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't bind books. Question is ...what do I do with it now. Really want to work wood off it. :o

My old metal work teacher used a home made one to bind sketching pads - just put a bit of gladwrap over the jaws, stack a bunch of pages together, clamp up & spread a bit of PVA along the spine. An hour or so later, you remove your new sketch pad.

Handy for making note pads, shopping list pads etc from all those nearly blank bits of paper you get when printing out some web pages. You can even ake oyur own personalized stationery or gifts.

It would also be handy for some types of leatherwork/saddlery.

Remember - paper is just highly processed trees.

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Originally Posted by bsrlee

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Remember - paper is just highly processed trees.

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Thanks Bsrlee, I suppose it is working wood..:D

I'm so tempted to attach it to the bench somewhere. Love it for dovetailing, or edge planing a long piece..

:)

Bit late, but just received this reply from a friend who was a printer/bookbinder.

This larger bench press is used by bookbinders mainly when finishing books - the book is placed in the press with the spine or back of the book facing up the gold work is then applied using gold foil or hand design lettering or fancy tooling this is applied by heating brass tools the reason for the cut away is to obviously give you easier access to the work with to the book edges.

I think someone has customised the back slot section to control slipping on the bench the metal end rods could be adapted to turn the press into a backing press this is where the shoulder on a book is formed and special plates would be used to form the shoulder - looks original to me

I used these presses at the Gov Printing office and they are still used by hand binders today - there are smaller versions about half this size that are used in book work to hold the book when you work on them - stripping off old spines and to apply new back binding.

Thanks Alex. Thats convinced me not to modify it. I might try and give it to someones whos into book binding. Somebody who'd appreciate it.

Jake.

I know I'm 16 years late to this party, but as my daughter's just become interested in bookbinding, I can say that the rebate is used to guide a "book plough", which is a blade used to cut all the pages to the same length.

The vice is used chamfer-side up to work on the spine, and chamfer-side down to trim the pages.