Identify this old tool and win fabulous prizes

[AHI in AR]

Disclaimer: I sorta exaggerated about the fabulous prizes part. All you get are bragging rights, and they are minimal. But then, surely you guys knew that beforehand. Oh yeah, for any of you smart a$$es out there, the "old tool" is not me.

I have a bad habit of buying old tools even if I am not sure what they are. I came across this in the garage of a FSBO. The seller was following me around the whole time, so he was there as I was trying to find a single square foot of space in the garage where I could see the actual structure. That was hard to do, but I did see this. It was marked at $2.00. The seller volunteered that everything was half price since it didn't sell at a previous estate sale. No big favor to me; I assume it would have been thrown away or donated somewhere. (Since most of it was truly junk, I'd be insulted to discover it was a cheap attempt at a bribe.)

What I know:

It's old.

I love the decorative screw clamp handle.

It is marked as "No 105".

Until business picks up, I may be forced to entertain myself more with this sort of thing.

It's some sort of vise designed to clamp on to a workbench or similar.

It has a ball joint that allows for multiple positions of the jaws. The jaws don't open far enough to grip anything very thick -- only about 3/16". Since they're about 8" wide and have such a shallow depth when opened, I'm guessing some sort of sheet metal application or similar.

Anyone know what it actually is?

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[Mark P]

I have no idea, but I'll venture a guess at shoe making tool.

[Jim Katen]

Perhaps it's intended to hold a handsaw blade while you form, sharpen or re-set the teeth. Though it looks a bit flimsy for that use.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[AHI in AR]

Flimsy it ain't. It's heavy.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by AHI in AR

Flimsy it ain't. It's heavy.

How big is it? Is the throat big enough to accept a handsaw blade?

If you were to clamp a saw in there and file the teeth, would the ball joint hold or would it slip?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[AHI in AR]

Overall height as mounted on a bench would be about 18" or so not counting the screw handle that would hang down below the benchtop. (I forgot to measure the overall height and I don't want to make another trip out to the garage. But that's within an inch or so.)

The throat is 6". The jaw width is actually 9-1/4". The jaw opening is 3/16".

The ball joint controls the articulation of the jaws. It has a sturdy lever to clamp it down against a threaded stud. It's stout.

[Bill Kibbel]

Jim's the winner. They're usually manufactured by Wentworth or Disston. They're fairly common so collectible value is typically around $6-10 bucks.

[Bill Kibbel]

Saw Vise:

I just found some priced at $60.00 to $110.00!

[Les]

I have a couple if you need another! Actually used one. My Dad did his own saws.

I also have a couple of tooth setters, if you need them.

[AHI in AR]

Thanks for the info guys. Now that I know what it is, I Google'd it. With a quick search I didn't find my exact model, but I did find some selling for up to $275.

With my luck, mine's probably one of the cheap ones. But then again, I've only got a buck invested in it!

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by AHI in AR

Thanks for the info guys. Now that I know what it is, I Google'd it. With a quick search I didn't find my exact model, but I did find some selling for up to $275.

With my luck, mine's probably one of the cheap ones. But then again, I've only got a buck invested in it!

But imagine the money you can save on saw sharpening now.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Terence McCann]

Originally posted by inspecthistoric

Saw Vise:

I just found some priced at $60.00 to $110.00!

Bill - do you use Google images to mine all the images that you post?

[Bill Kibbel]

Originally posted by Terence McCann

Bill - do you use Google images to mine all the images that you post?

I had it in a file for a presentation I did about historic building materials, tools and techniques. I'm sure I originally got it from the internet when I was working on it.

BTW, I have a collection of over 450 hand tools made between 1650 & 1900.

[Les]

When Bill is traveling, lock your barn!