Shortly after I got my first house, my Dad came for a visit and brought me this old iron vise and said “you’re going to need one of these.” He was absolutely right. That vise has been a fixture in my workshop for nearly 30 years now. Out of all the old tools I own that I have researched and learned about, I never really gave that one a second glance. My Dad liked to visit thrift shops and I was certain he picked it up at one.
The model 0000 vise made by Charles Parker Co.
Never really paid attention to the name…. but today I noticed it.
A stout vise that has served me well for over 30 years.
Understated yet strong.
This bench has been in my family since before I was born. The vise I mounted to it in ~1994.
Every so often I have needed a vise that could hold things on odd angles. I wanted a vise that could pivot at its base but could also pivot at the jaws. Harbor Freight had one that seemed to fit what I needed, so after waiting for an opportune coupon, I picked one up. I got it home and started removing my old vise. When I got it off, I saw a name on it that I had seen a thousand times, but never really noticed it. “C. Parker”. I wondered if that was the same Charles Parker that made the legendary Parker Shotguns. A quick search on my phone confirmed it. Same company. This vise was likely 100 yrs old, just the sweet spot vintage of the tools I like.
C. Parker #0000 Machinists Vise
Made by the Charles Parker Co in Meriden CT.
Jaw size: 3.25″
Jaw opening: 4.5″
Weight: 23 lbs
The 0000 was apparently their budget conscious line according to the advertisements and pricing.
1896 Hardware catalog advertisement for the vise
and it appears again in a catalog from 1900
This advertisement is from catalog in 1900.
but then I haven’t seen it after that. That leads me to conclude that this 0000 vise was made somewhere between 1896 and 1900.
This vise has served me well. The jaws are smooth but they typically hold things well as long as the item is not round. As I was cleaning it up a bit I noticed some bronze braising where the front jaw attaches to the rail. It was so covered in grunge that I had never noticed it before. It tells me the vise was repaired at some point, but in the 30+ yrs I have owned it, it has never been an issue.
Now I am stuck. I love the age and history of this vise, but I have a new vise that is more functional. Will it last 125+ years like this Parker, probably not. But it suits my current needs better. My shop is so overrun with stuff that I can not keep another vise lying around. For now I will put it in a box and let it sit for a bit. Likely I will be put it up for sale, but I don’t want to rush into the decision.
End of story for now, but here are some more photos.
Cast steel markings and letters.
Rails and driveway
In this photo you can really see how the jaw plate was keyed to the jaw.
Base-plate seen from the back side.
Stationary vise jaw has seen some use.
Here you can see where the slide was bronze braised back on the moving jaw.
Whoever fixed this laid down a lot of braising. Not exactly pretty but the repair has held longer than I have owned the vise.
On this one if you look at the jaw you can make out how the jaw plate is keyed to the sliding jaw