Parker Bench Vises

[Dean Romig]

Edgar, Please consider doing a nice, detailed technical article on what you have written here and expand on it if you will please. Also please include all of the pictures you have shown us (more if you have them) and send it all to either myself dsromig@aol.com or Austin Hogan austin.w.hogan@valley.net for inclusion in a future issue of Parker Pages.

Thank you in advance,
Dean

[Tim Bivens]

Lots of good info. on Parker vices here:

http://dayid.org/mediawiki/index.php...es_Parker_Vise

[Eldon Goddard]

Trying to get a guy to respond on one it is a model 202 and he wants $75. I do not know if it is a good price.

[Eldon Goddard]

I also wanted to say that Mr. Spencers story was very interesting. I think that half the problem with products today is that we do not have the generations of craftsman like we used to.

[Tim Bivens]

The link I posted in post 10 has a lot of good information on Parker vices, however it is not an all encompassing list by any means. Witness this 238 lb. # 6 monster with 8" wide jaws which is not listed. Which brings up another question. Does anyone understand the numbering system of Parker vices? It seems to have nothing to do with size or type of vice.

[Bill Murphy]

My #107 has the same problem as the #6 does, no swivel. My #107 is mounted on the end of my loading bench and there are many jobs that it can't do conveniently because of its configuration. By the way, the #107 is a 132 pounder with a 16" bar. According to the chart, it opens to 10 1/2 inches. I have a #973 on the other end of the bench that gets a lot more use.

[ahfoxman]

Here are a few photographs of a Semi-Steel, Solid Bar, 229X Parker vise, showing 1908 and 1910 patient dates, with 3 1/8" smooth jaws that came from the pattern shop at the Fox Company. It opens to 6 1/2". It has a tag on it from the late 1929 Inventory taken during the A.H. Fox Gun Company sales to Savage. I bought two work benches with them mounted at the Fox Products Company bankruptcy sale. The other photograph is of a small Parker vise, a Parker Brass Anvil, and a Parker Vise Sales bear. I also have a massive, very high Parker vise that came out of Fox's heat treating department. It is over at my son's place, I'll try and get over for a photo sometime this week. Life is Good, Treat it With Respect!

[Bill Murphy]

Tom, is the anvil marked?

[ahfoxman]

Hello Bill,

Yup, here is a photo of the mark which is in the anvil's throat. I have been told that there is one that is about 1/3 larger, but haven't seen one.

Before the lousy weather hits, I ran over and got some photos of the massive, deep throated, Parker swivel based vise, that is hiding over in my son's barn. It is about 18" high, and the jaws are about 7" wide, and from the beam looks like it will open to about 12" to 14". I used to use it to set up rear ends. I remember it takes a couple of us to move it about and an engine lift to get it up on the bench. Unfortunately, I can't easily move it where it is, so I can't see the model number, but the body's cast 'THE CHAS PARKER' marking clearly shows in the photograph, as well as on the drive screw's lynch block. Like you, I used to buy them if fairly priced. I have an original box around here somewhere for one of the bigger bench vises. About 35 years ago the company where I worked bought new ones from an industrial supply house. They were only marked 'PARKER' as I remember. Ticker meds done, so time to hit the sack.

[Bill Murphy]

Thanks, Tom. I've never seen that vise nor have I seen a Parker marked miniature anvil.