The Little and large of Clamps

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Terry
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Some 48 years ago I lost many of my tools in a garage burglary
Among the replacements were these two parallel jaw clamps and the parallel jaw hand vice.
All three apart from being very old are rare of their type. The miniature 2" Moor & Wright being the least so.
The large wooden 10" jaw wooden ones are Victorian ( at least) but may be rather older looking at the darkening of the wood. The Moore and wright can not be earlier than 1906 and probably between the warsT30X1311web.jpg.

The much rarer Billings & Spender Hand vice is between 1915 1nd 1926 when that particular stamped logo was in use. What I find amazing is that I have been using it all that time on a fairly regular basis and it has no rust, the blacking is still very good there are few marks and no wear to the jaw serrations. It was made from Drop forged steel and must have been hardened, as the steel is very difficult to scratch. It is also very unusual to find Hand Vice with a parallel action... I have never see an another.

The large Victorian Parallel clamps are also in unusually fine condition with no wood worm, splits, or more than very superficial marking. The little more and wright has had some slight rusting but like the big brothers is in fine working condition.
Billings And Spender were a tool manufacturer at that time specialising in drop forged steel.
They were established in the mid 1800's In Hartford Connecticut USA and made outstanding tools.
 
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I bought a chinesium version of that hand vice, it was awful. Mostly because the bottom wasn't adjustable like that one. Meant it had a very limited opening of the jaws.
Good to see old tools in such nice condition though.
 
I bought a chinesium version of that hand vice, it was awful. Mostly because the bottom wasn't adjustable like that one. Meant it had a very limited opening of the jaws.
Good to see old tools in such nice condition though.

I only buy tools that I will use, not to collect. These I only had to clean to bring into use.
Though I have bought tools at boot fairs that were worthy cleaning up and putting into good order and sell.
I once saw a very old quirked router with the original cutters in a Bradford boot fair. He did not know what it was, so got it for Five pounds I sold it via eBay for £115.00. it was an interesting object but with no modern use.
 
I only buy tools that I will use, not to collect. These I only had to clean to bring into use.
Though I have bought tools at boot fairs that were worthy cleaning up and putting into good order and sell.
I once saw a very old quirked router with the original cutters in a Bradford boot fair. He did not know what it was, so got it for Five pounds I sold it via eBay for £115.00. it was an interesting object but with no modern use.


Almost all hand vices are pretty poor, not just Chinese ones, most have a pivot at the back where they hinge.
Parallel opening ones, like mine, were rare as hen's teeth.
I know of none at all made like this today.

Very small ones are however made for watch and clock makers.
 
Toolmakers clamps were probably the second tools I made as an apprentice. Probably still got an angle plate, drill drift, a couple of v blocks, pin voice and other stuff I made knocking around somewhere.
 
I still have my dad's tools he made during his time in the Navy in the 50's - small vise, various cutting tools, a similar metal parallel jaw clamp to the one you show, screwdrivers and so on.
He was an engineer on board HMS Eagle.
 
Oddly enough, even though I made a pair of toolmakers clamps as an apprentice as well as Ford supplying another pair in a toolkit after I finished my apprenticeship, in the subsequent 30yrs as a toolmaker at Ford, I think I only ever used them maybe twice. Seven years ago, they decided to retrain me as a prototype mechanic in engine development and testing, I doubt there is much hope of me ever using them again.
 
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Oddly enough, even though I made a pair of toolmakers clamps as an apprentice as well as Ford supplying another pair in a toolkit after I finished my apprenticeship, in the subsequent 30yrs as a toolmaker at Ford, I think I only ever used them maybe twice. Seven years ago, they decided to retrain me as a prototype mechanic in engine development and testing, I doubt there is much hope of me ever using them again.

Over the years I have used them more often in woodwork projects where I want to clamp small pieces very accurately and parallel . I have some fairly large and medium ones as well that I use for the same purpose. They are more accurate than traditional wood workers clamps. but you sometimes three hands to fit them.

In recent years some so called Prarell clamps have been made for woodworkers, but they are rarely anything like square, nor do they have the adjustability for clamping slightly tapering surfaces, like Toolmakers clamps do. nor are they designed for small pieces, usually opening to 12 inches or much more.
 
Over the years I have used them more often in woodwork projects where I want to clamp small pieces very accurately and parallel . I have some fairly large and medium ones as well that I use for the same purpose. They are more accurate than traditional wood workers clamps. but you sometimes three hands to fit them.

In recent years some so called Prarell clamps have been made for woodworkers, but they are rarely anything like square, nor do they have the adjustability for clamping slightly tapering surfaces, like Toolmakers clamps do. nor are they designed for small pieces, usually opening to 12 inches or much more.
I only ever used them for clamping sheet metal together when making a template, but g clamps were always quicker and easier to use.
 
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