Brown & Sharpe Tool Makers Universal Vise Help

[gcaldicott]

Got the screws loose thanks to benmychree! Everything is disassembled now. Will post pictures and more info later.

 

[RandyM]

 

[Rustrp]

What I use is a screwdriver commonly called a machinist's screwdriver; they are forged steel with a squared shank and wooden half handles riveted on ( a "knife handle" screwdriver) these were common perhaps 70 years ago before the wide use of socket head screws (Allen head), when older machinery was commonly held together by slotted head screws. Another feature is that they can be struck on the end to loosen stuck screws. I have several of them and commonly regrind the business end to closely fit the recalcitrant screw that I'm fighting with at the time.

Ah yes...those old screwdrivers, I can see them now.

 

[scwhite]

Read my earlier post; I have had these apart; what you think are spanner holes are actually dowel pins.

Oh ok I can't really tell
I never have had one apart

 

[benmychree]

Glad to be able to help; these are a fairly rare item, not too many folks have been around them or had them apart; I first encountered one that was broken (the vise had broken under the stationary jaw in the shop that I apprenticed in back in the 1960s; I asked that a new vice be obtained to repair it; the shop made a new one of steel and I had to finish it and mount it and then was able to use it for some toolmaking jobs; I left that shop in 1970 but maintained contact over the years and when the plant closed and the equipment was sold off, I bought the vise along with a bunch of other stuff for my machine shop; when I retired and sold out, the vise came home with me, we are inseparable!

 

[gcaldicott]

As Promised, following are pictures and details of the fully disassembled vise. I was finally able to remove the three mounting screws for the tapered center by making a custom fit screw driver with parallel sides that precisely fit the screw slot and using a large set of vise grips to provide the torque necessary to break the screws free. I made the screw driver from an old wood lathe skew chisel as shown in the last picture.

All Parts

Swivel Base

Angle Table

Tapered Pivot Center and Alignment holes

Vise Body

Screw Driver made from old Lathe Skew Chisel

Thanks for all the help!

 

[RandyM]

 

[benmychree]

Got the screws loose thanks to benmychree! Everything is disassembled now. Will post pictures and more info later.

Glad to be of help; it looks to be in very good condition, a bit of cleanup, paint and re assembly and you will have a real back breaker there; plan on figuring out some sort of hoist to handle it.

 

[Silverbullet]

Very nice vise, I'm a sucker for vises for some reason. I think I have at least twenty five all different types , but the old American Made are my choices. I jus bought a clean no dimples or dings , cardinal green 3 quick vise. A bit pricy for me but it's very nice. Good luck with you B&S it's in great shape from the pictures . I have a vise with the compound action but haven't cleaned it up so this is helping me thanks

 

[hman]

Nothing succeeds like success. Congratulations!