Show us your bench vice(s)

[GraemeVW]

Nothing special, but looks very useful.
I bought this last weekend. Japanese, 1980s?
Just a small clamp on swiveling vice with rotating jaws. A mini swindens if you will
Seems ok for what was probably a cheap item when new.
Surprisingly hard to find an iron, swiveling, rotating, clamp on small vice though, which is exactly what I need.

It won't permanently live on the arm of my chair. One day it will make it into the workshop!
Needs a Tommy bar making for the front. I've only see on pics of one other and that had a coach built as a handle. I wonder if the original handle wasn't captive and they therefore get lost?

Still waiting for the sevo I've bought to arrive. Should be here Friday.
Suddenly realised I've no idea what size it is. They made them in a few sizes right?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Nothing special, but looks very useful.
I bought this last weekend. Japanese, 1980s?
Just a small clamp on swiveling vice with rotating jaws. A mini swindens if you will
Seems ok for what was probably a cheap item when new.
Surprisingly hard to find an iron, swiveling, rotating, clamp on small vice though, which is exactly what I need.
View attachment 317601

It won't permanently live on the arm of my chair. One day it will make it into the workshop!
Needs a Tommy bar making for the front. I've only see on pics of one other and that had a coach built as a handle. I wonder if the original handle wasn't captive and they therefore get lost?

Still waiting for the sevo I've bought to arrive. Should be here Friday.
Suddenly realised I've no idea what size it is. They made them in a few sizes right?

Very handy vice, tough as well.

I have one.

 

[GraemeVW]

Very handy vice, tough as well.

I have one.

They seem well made.

What's the front handle like?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

They seem well made.

What's the front handle like?

 

[GraemeVW]

@The_Yellow_Ardvark just like the others then really. The bottom end in your pic looks to be added. I guess the end sometimes comes off and then they get lost.
I'll make something up. Might even get all carried away and try and forge a ball on each end! (Well, some find of domed mushroomed lump of metal anyway!)

Or maybe I'll just put a nut and bolt through it.

 

[Arc Tourist]

......................... Still waiting for the sevo I've bought to arrive. Should be here Friday.
Suddenly realised I've no idea what size it is. They made them in a few sizes right?

They "are" made in different sizes. I have been watching a " Spencer Franklin " vice currently on ebay ( item # 115012516414 ), which appears to be for all practical purpose, identical to a Sevo machine vice.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@The_Yellow_Ardvark just like the others then really. The bottom end in your pic looks to be added. I guess the end sometimes comes off and then they get lost.
I'll make something up. Might even get all carried away and try and forge a ball on each end! (Well, some find of domed mushroomed lump of metal anyway!)

Or maybe I'll just put a nut and bolt through it.

Not it is as original as it could get.
I have the box, the wax paper each part was wrapped in.
Even the hand written receipt.

 

[GraemeVW]

Not it is as original as it could get.
I have the box, the wax paper each part was wrapped in.
Even the hand written receipt.

I mean added when it was manufactured, then peened on like the small handles. Rather than all forged from the same piece of metal.

Edit to say, interestingly, the handle on my records seem to be forged from one piece.
The one on my fortis looks to be threaded each end and the ends screwed on.

 

[GraemeVW]

They "are" made in different sizes. I have been watching a " Spencer Franklin " vice currently on ebay ( item # 115012516414 ), which appears to be for all practical purpose, identical to a Sevo machine vice.

I believe Spencer Franklin were just the UK distributors or sevo vices. They put their own ID plate on. I'm sure I've even seen ones with both ID plates fitted.
They are all sevo vices though.
I think ones advertised as Spencer franklin tend to make less money, presumably as less people find them as they all search for sevo.

 

[GraemeVW]

Not it is as original as it could get.
I have the box, the wax paper each part was wrapped in.
Even the hand written receipt.

Just noticed you had the receipt. How old are these and what did they cost?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Just noticed you had the receipt. How old are these and what did they cost?

The paper work is dated.
1972, £2.57.
Sales final.

 

[GraemeVW]

I said I'd post pics when it arrived.
Managed to get myself a sevo.
Few bits of drill damage but not too bad.
Mildly tempted to weld them up but might cause more grief than it solves.
ID'd As Spencer Franklin ltd, the UK distributors. Not 100% sure why these can be badged differently. Official distributor vs other direct imports?

I need to make a cam lock for it. Shouldn't be too hard and will teach me to turn off center.
But what steel to make it from? Hardened or not? I've seen a few of these for sale with broken cam lock things. Not sure if that means they need to be harder or softer.

Not in the greatest of conditions, but not too bad either, and the price was right.

 

[GraemeVW]

I just realised the front cam lock only locks one front jaw tower. Which one it locks depends on which way you turn it. Clever.
I think I know what the rear cam lock looks like, I've seen pics of a broken one, but it anyone has pictures of one removed from the vice, I'd be grateful to see them. Someone must have took one apart and taken photos of the process.

 

[SteveB58]

I said I'd post pics when it arrived.
Managed to get myself a sevo.
Few bits of drill damage but not too bad.
Mildly tempted to weld them up but might cause more grief than it solves.
ID'd As Spencer Franklin ltd, the UK distributors. Not 100% sure why these can be badged differently. Official distributor vs other direct imports?

I need to make a cam lock for it. Shouldn't be too hard and will teach me to turn off center.
But what steel to make it from? Hardened or not? I've seen a few of these for sale with broken cam lock things. Not sure if that means they need to be harder or softer.
View attachment 317679View attachment 317680

Not in the greatest of conditions, but not too bad either, and the price was right.

I remember being taught how to turn off-centre as an apprentice, it involved a four jaw chuck, clock gauge, heavy smoking and swearing. Fir the life of me I can't remember what I made or the final result but the term 'button plate' springs to mind. Now what that is or what it does I have no idea. Despite using a lathe on numerous occasions since, it's s skill I've not unutilised since.

Steve

 

[My Old Landy]

I remember being taught how to turn off-centre as an apprentice, it involved a four jaw chuck, clock gauge, heavy smoking and swearing. Fir the life of me I can't remember what I made or the final result but the term 'button plate' springs to mind. Now what that is or what it does I have no idea. Despite using a lathe on numerous occasions since, it's s skill I've not unutilised since.

Steve

That brings back happy memories Drill and tap 4ba (in my case) in the centre location you want to turn and screw in the 'button' so you can clock to that location. The button was a hardened pin with a suitable hole and counter bored for the head of a 4ba cap screw. Voila, you are turning off centre but in a location you want

 

[SteveB58]

That brings back happy memories Drill and tap 4ba (in my case) in the centre location you want to turn and screw in the 'button' so you can clock to that location. The button was a hardened pin with a suitable hole and counter bored for the head of a 4ba cap screw. Voila, you are turning off centre but in a location you want

That sounds something like it, but I doubt if I could still do it today. Always enjoyed turning, liked to use the lathe whenever I could. Sadly the only example of my work are at the bottom of the Atlantic, I made some fitted bolts for the Sheffield, everything else would be scrap now.

 

[GraemeVW]

That brings back happy memories Drill and tap 4ba (in my case) in the centre location you want to turn and screw in the 'button' so you can clock to that location. The button was a hardened pin with a suitable hole and counter bored for the head of a 4ba cap screw. Voila, you are turning off centre but in a location you want

It feels like I should understand this, but I dont.

I was just going to turn everything that's on center then using the 4 jaw, set of off center by whatever it needs and then the cam section.
At least they made them with an off center circular section and not a proper cam profile, otherwise I'd be in trouble!

 

[My Old Landy]

It feels like I should understand this, but I dont.

I was just going to turn everything that's on center then using the 4 jaw, set of off center by whatever it needs and then the cam section.
At least they made them with an off center circular section and not a proper cam profile, otherwise I'd be in trouble!

You can do it that way as there is always more than one route to take. The button helps with clocking up, you don't need to use one

 

[GraemeVW]

You can do it that way as there is always more than one route to take. The button helps with clocking up, you don't need to use one

The off center bit I need to turn just takes all the material off one side, if that makes sense. So the edge of the larger diameter and the smaller off center diameter are continuous. I'm not explaining this well.
So, I was going to do all the on center stuff in the 3 jaw as it's easy, then when set up in the 4 jaw just off set it from center whatever the difference in diameter is.
I think.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

I just realised the front cam lock only locks one front jaw tower. Which one it locks depends on which way you turn it. Clever.
I think I know what the rear cam lock looks like, I've seen pics of a broken one, but it anyone has pictures of one removed from the vice, I'd be grateful to see them. Someone must have took one apart and taken photos of the process.

That doesn't sound right, I'll dig mine out and check later.