Best vice

this is a no 3 yours for £15.00 plus postage

Edited By paul 1950 on 21/06/2015 14:37:11

Edited By paul 1950 on 21/06/2015 14:37:34

I brought home my 4" engineers vice on the back of my motorbike ( for the enthusiasts, a Francis Barnett 225cc Cruiser) back in 1962 when I was working at Ozalid in Loughton, Essex.

It was and still is a Woden 190/TA with quick release.

It say's on the side "Steel" as opposed to I suppose to "Cast iron"

I recently dumped the magnetic protective jaw protectors and fitted the version that you have missed i.e fibre and bent tin plate (or bent zinc plated steel) As you are now aware are readily available from the E-something or other website.

I recently removed that from my bench and fitted an Eclipse 4" swivel vice, beautiful vice but I think I will try to refit the Woden because I miss it !!! and I will have room once I remove the Arbour Press.

Len.P.

Hi Richard, maybe something like **LINK** or **LINK** might be what you are looking for.

Not all bench vices are made the same even be the same manufacturer, you should consider their intended usage that they are designed for, but of course the price will reflect this. Cast steel vices are far superior to cast iron but again the price difference will reflect this also.

Regards Nick.

P.S. no connection with Machine Mart or Britool, other than an occasional customer.

That's a blast from the past, we used to use Ozalid products where I used to work. Among them an EP3020 microfilm printer.

I too always bought Britool spanners and sockets, but not any more, as they are now made in the far east and sold under the "Britool Expert" banner.

The British made Britool can still be found as NOS, but it's getting harder to find.

Nick.

? Mines a Record vice.

Britool was bought from James Neill tools of Sheffield by FACOM of France in the 90s. I would not be sure they are made in the Far East, that is more like Draper-Expert.

But who knows the real answer?

Hi, **LINK** four scans of vices from 1963 in a catalogue that I have, for those who maybe interested. ( 20/- =£1.00 those days)

Regards Nick.

Hi, I have a few Facom spanners at work, they are good quality, but not as nice to use as the older Britool ones that I used to have.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 21/06/2015 17:33:22

Looking at the quality (and the price), it sounds as if Britool have gone the way of many well-known names. I have a "South Bend" drilling machine vise that was bought in North America. It was clearly made in China or India and just about up to drilling work - once the lovely cream coloured paint had finally dried. I'm sure a lot of patriotic Mercans bought these because of the name.

In its day, Britool seemed to be the UK equivalent of Snap-On ie top quality and top dollar. And if you bought Britool tools from RS Components, you could be certain of paying an arm and several legs regardless of what it was. I have several such tools acquired at a company closure that I gloat over to this day. Perhaps if Britool hadn't been so ruinously expensive, both companies would still be in business...

Murray

You and me both Alan!

Many, many thanks everyone.

It's definitely "flea-bay" and a Record 3.

Richard.

just offered you a record no 3 for £15.00 or £20.00 on ebay it just need a repaint

  eBay item number: 261920835995

Edited By paul 1950 on 22/06/2015 09:01:00

Gentlemen,

A slight step sideways, when I was an apprentice you had to spend time in all dept's including company security and one afternoon at the end of the day shift I was with the guards watching everybody leave, it was also raining, when a gentleman on a push bike rode past wearing a yellow wax cape. As he passed he was seen to fall off the bike for no apparent reason so the guards went to assist to find that he had a large bench vice tied by a rope around his neck which had been balanced on his crossbar and had fallen off dragging him with it

Martin P

Richard 2,

Don't be put off the Record 23 vice with the quick release facility. I have used various Record quick release vices for 50 odd years and the mechanism has never failed in anyway. The convenience of have the quick release is well worth having. You will find No 23 at much the same price ass No 3 at car boot sales.

Sorry post added twice.

Edited By Lambton on 22/06/2015 10:33:15

I have been buying and selling vices for years and the half nut can fail and to replace it will cost more than a second hand vice, so check it before you buy. Myself i have a record no 112 plus other vices.

My first vice was and still is my Parkinson no 5 bought at a discount via the apprentice tool club 1963/64 I surface ground the jaws smooth and the jaws are held tight with hex head bolts into tapped holes in the jaws a far better method than Records countersunk screws,this vice did get abused for around 20 years,on stationary engines,trials motor cycles,tractors and cars plus model making and is still my prime vice,most destructive was using it as a press.Eventually the quick release jaw would slip,real nuisance,I found that the nut would not fit back fully into the thread,the the screw had stretched so I had a variable pitch screw. Its now a fixed nut vice. I later bought a second hand big beast a Record no 25 for rough work and also hydraulic press.So check the screw on old used vices before purchase

Or there's one like this, based on my Record bench Vice, took an afternoon, mainly file and hacksaw work, it"s about 1" long, and it and the bench live in my model workshop. Ian S C

Ian,

That is delightful

MichaelG