Score! Heavy Iron; The search for the Quick release nut

Ned Bulken

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Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
Spotted 'a' $20 vise on craigslist last night. So I got a call back from the gent, and he actually has 4 vices... quick phone calls to Grizz and Mark, and sure they'll look at them for $20 each if they're available. so We wound up with these:

two Wiltons and a Marshall. I'm leaning toward the Marshall myself, only because it has a working quick release, and the wiltons need a little work, but since none of us are about to actually Build our Woodworker's bench, I figure we have good bones to work with...
DSC05973.jpg


ok,
I'm striking out on Google, let me go get better pics
 
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better photos of my vise:
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little bit of surface rust, plus some 'vintage' sawdust. These came out of the local BOCES (county wide vo-tech schools) who shut down a shop.

the Wiltons are identical, but I'm wondering if something was missing from them:

I can't find any markings or model #s on them, other than this:
DSC05980.jpg
 
Man you suck big time! I would have broke his hand putting the money in it! I am still looking for one like that. I have a small Columbia that is fine, but not as heavy as I would like. Depending on the time of the year, they bring upwards of $100 on EBay. EACH!
 
Great score Ned. You are definitely a good friend for thinking of others during a time of emotional stress!:D:thumb:
I'd say you did very well!

Wes - who still needs to install his vises. (or get rid of a few other vices to make time for the vises.):rolleyes:
 
Great score Ned. You are definitely a good friend for thinking of others during a time of emotional stress!:D:thumb:
I'd say you did very well!

Wes - who still needs to install his vises. (or get rid of a few other vices to make time for the vises.):rolleyes:

I never would have heard the end of it... ;)

if he only had One, that'd be one thing, but 4? now I wish I'd nabbed that last one when I was there.
 
Those Wiltons are nice, but are (my opinion here) better suited to be an end vise based on the "L" shaped jaws. I'm with you - go with the quick release for your bench if you have the choice. That Morgan is identical to my front vise, and it's a great thing. Mine came out of an estate sale, then sat on a shelf for several years before i had a shop and a bench to put it on.
Good get.
Paul Hubbman
 
It turns out that the Wilton vises are missing a critical part, the half threaded nut that mounts here:
attachment.php


as you can see there is a 'shadow' where something is missing... that bracket/nut is what Mark and Grizzz are going to need.

I've called Wilton tech support and they have No parts for those items, the seller doesn't have them anymore (if he did, he's misplaced them). Any parts gurus have an idea where we can scrounge two of those up? At the very least where we can find a Nut to fit that? Grainger, Fastenal?
 

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Can someone provide a pic of what the part should look like? Dimensions would be nice too (thousandths of an inch would be perfect units). I have another friend who is a machinist that might well whip up a couple for myself and Griz.
 
I posted over on woodnet, and have a lead on the part, at least what it looks like.
he's local, so I hope we can hook up and get measurements

i borrowed pics :rolleyes:
 

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Sure, Ned, lure me over here, convince me that here is better than there and then post there instead of here. I see how you are.

Well, I guess I can't blame just Ned for the convincing part - there's at least one or two (or more ...) other of you guys that helped in the convincing! :thumb:
 
hate to say it, but sometimes the answers can be found where there are more people reading the questions

Absolutely, some places are better at some things, and we all know that.

Thing is, for me, if you ask a question about something critical, and the answer will help you make a choice about something, I'd rather ask it of a group of people that I know and respect, than just a faceless mass of people.

I know when I ask a question about certain subjects and people like Bill Grumbine, Tod Evans, Steve Ash, Marty Walsh, etc etc down the list of respectable people here answer my question, it will be to the best of their knowledge, and that they will be doing to so help me out, and that includes saying "Gee Stu, I dunno.....:dunno:"

With some of the HUGE online communities out there, yes you might very well get a lot more response to your questions, but you have to have a fairly good "Filter" :rolleyes: in place to sort the chaff from the grain, or at least that is my experience.

On something like the part for the vice, yeah, throw that up on a few of the larger forums, and you will most likely have good luck, as someone out there must have that vice with that piece still attached to it :D

Cheers!
 
Absolutely, some places are better at some things, and we all know that.

Thing is, for me, if you ask a question about something critical, and the answer will help you make a choice about something, I'd rather ask it of a group of people that I know and respect, than just a faceless mass of people.

I know when I ask a question about certain subjects and people like Bill Grumbine, Tod Evans, Steve Ash, Marty Walsh, etc etc down the list of respectable people here answer my question, it will be to the best of their knowledge, and that they will be doing to so help me out, and that includes saying "Gee Stu, I dunno.....:dunno:"

With some of the HUGE online communities out there, yes you might very well get a lot more response to your questions, but you have to have a fairly good "Filter" :rolleyes: in place to sort the chaff from the grain, or at least that is my experience.

On something like the part for the vice, yeah, throw that up on a few of the larger forums, and you will most likely have good luck, as someone out there must have that vice with that piece still attached to it :D

Cheers!


which in this case is precisely what happened, another local guy bought a similar vise from the same seller, only his was complete, so we now have a picture of the part.

This is where I spend 90% of my time though, but I thought what the hey, I'll check on woodnet, maybe they locked the door to the basement this week.



ps. I grew a very thick 'skin' early online by hanging out on woodnet, which in no small part is why I value Family Woodworking and my friends here so much.
 
Bad news. My machinist friend is not setup to do Acme threads. Which McMaster part number was that? Maybe I'll stop by Hiawatha Fastener during my road trip tomorrow to see if they carry Acme thread stuff - I'll pick up a set of whatever I end up going with for Griz too.
 
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