Hijacked vise thread

For "relatively inexpensive" there are the porta-power clones, but they mostly press apart. The 6 ton A frame hydraulic press is small and light enough to take to the job.

lengthened the side rails to increase the working height.

The Greenlee hydraulic knockout tool is adaptable, and these are rated at 8 tons:

jsw

There are some manual gadgets once used for pressing track pins out on tanks that probably could be adapted, have seen them for sale at various surplus joints, Surplus Center in Lincoln, Ne, was one place.

Or get a hydraulic press. I use mine all the time for holding barrels in a barrel vise. With air-over-hydraulic, there's no pumping. Wheels can be added, the basic frame is adaptable. Just depends on what you need it for.

Stan

I watched one in use on an excavator recently. It was heavy enough that they had to handle it with a crane, and didn't look like it would adapt well to other jobs because the frame had only enough throat depth to clear the treads.

jsw

air over hydraulic press. Or buy a used set of Jaws. They run about 5K for a well used tool and add another 5K for the power unit!

Oh, sure. They give them away:

Cha CHING!

We had a large hydraulic C-clamp for the porta power in the old frame and collision shop. It was larger than this, maybe a 6" clearance:

This spreader is more like the Jaws of Life: There are also numerous pneumatic vises available for lighter work, like drill press positioning:

-- One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. -- Sophocles

After writing this request for information, I had a brain movement, and actually googled. It is amazing what's out there. Prices seem to run $1, to $2k for good ones with any capabilities. I guess if a guy hit the lottery, or had a lot of work where these would save time, they would be worth it. They DO look interesting, though. I was surprised not to see a double set of controls to keep wayward thumbs out, but I guess they figure you need one hand to hold the work in place. I wonder what the accident rate is on these. That would have to hurt big time.

Steve

Check with your friendly neighborhood blacksmith. Both jaws of traditional smith's leg vises are forged with a largish opening into which the separate, floating screw parts are inserted. As decades go by, vises get abused, the threads get stripped or deformed -- especially hard to fix in the traditionally blind-hole female part -- and the vises get retired as useless but too good to throw away.

I think it should be pretty straightforward, even easy, to install a hydraulic cylinder in the jaw openings -- usually 2" or maybe 2-1/2" diameter -- if you have a good collection of hydraulic miscellany in your parts bin. Could be pump- or foot-powered .

I've never done any hydraulic work so I don't have a suitable collection of oddmemts but I do have a couple of leg vises with no screws. One of these days (RSN) I'd like to cobble something up and try it.

For hot work, the same caveats as for a press: Don't put the hot stuff on the hoses. Which may be why I haven't seen it in a blacksmith shop. Only place I've seen such a thing was in an optical repair shop

In New England blacksmithing equipment seems to have developed collectible antique value. Either I was lucky or my stuff wasn't pretty enough.

jsw

Although not portable, I use my HF 20 ton "H" press for squeezing from time to time. Of course, I have added a few extra features.

Pete Stanaitis

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P.S. already had the heart surgery.

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Jim Wilkins quoth:

Yeah, I know. Pretty hard to collect up a whole blacksmithing kit on a more or less zero budget as I did, starting in the mid-60s.

Still, a really rusty, crappy looking leg vise with no screw parts isn't going to attract dealers or collectors very strongly. And a working smith that has one might turn down cash but go for a swap if you have some old forge shop items that he doesn't.

Getting back on topic, the OP wanted to make/have a hydraulic vise. I've done the trick with an old leg vise and a pneumatic cylinder but the air just didn't have enough gumpties. What I got was a rapid-acting clamp that was good for taking off straying fingers but not for holding stuff Real Tight.

How about this one?

Pete Stanaitis

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