Post vise cleanup and stand build

[Tmate]

I recently picked up my first post vise on eBay, and cleaned it up before fabricating a stand for it. After disassembling and wire brushing it, I applied a thin coat of boiled linseed oil. I left it sit outside in the sun for most of a day to speed up drying.

The rear spindle box collar was missing. This was probably because the heavy spring made it hard to close it enough to engage the spindle box threads. Someone in the distant past chose to just get rid of the collar, which made it easier. I fabricated a replacement collar out of a 2" ID one piece shaft collar. With some effort, I managed to get it all back together.

I've had this 150 lb. press plate sitting around for close to 30 years, and decided to use it as a base for the vise stand. I used a 5" x 8" I beam for a column, and 3/8" plates at the top and bottom. The finished stand weighs upwards of 200 lbs., and the vise about 85.

 

[Eddyde]

Beautiful restoration, thanks for sharing.

 

[motormech1]

Nice job ! If/when I get time to do some bladesmithing again a post vise is at the top of my list. Thanks for posting this.

 

[piper184]

Thanks for the post, I have one laying on the shop floor that needs the same treatment. Now I know what to shoot for.

 

[RJSakowski]

Nice job on the resto! I know these as leg vises. The 1915 Sears "Tools Machinery Blacksmiths' Supplies" catalog refer to them as box vises.

I have five of them, two in service with one in the basement shop and another in the forge. They get used frequently. I make a socket for the leg and embed in concrete. The vise gets mounted to a workbench in one case and my basement staircase in the other. Both provide a solid mount for some heavy duty torque.

I suspect that the missing box collar was because the original collar broke in use. It had a concave surface to allow the screw box to pivot as the jaws were opened and under extreme load, the tendency would be to split the collar.

 

[francist]

That’s a nice stand, and the cleaned-up vise looks great.

I also have a couple post vises — one a Peter Wright and then a smaller one that I’m not sure on the make. The big one is stuck to the side of a post for stability but the smaller one I decided to make somewhat portable but mounting it on a stand as you’ve done. Instead of ballast weight though, I went with dimension and scooped a couple of circular offcuts of 1/4” plate from the local shipyard. I tacked them together around the perimeter and then built the “tree” in the centre to hang the post vise off of as well as an old combination job that someone gave me. The post vise is fixed position, but the combination one can pivot around the tree as well as rotate on its own axis and adjust up and down for height. Between the two vises, the half-inch thick worth of plate for the base, plus the fact that most of the time I’m standing on the base as well it ends up being pretty solid!

Takes up a bigger footprint though, and I like the looks of your nice compact pedestal.

-frank