The story of this Wilton 450SJ (4.5″ swivel jaw) isn’t as much a story about a restoration, or a purchase, as it is about a little bit of luck combined with having a good network of friends. We’ve all been there right? You’re talking to a friend and they say “oh, if I only knew,… [Read More]
Wilton Baby
There are certain vises that develop almost a cult-like following, and near the top of that list is the Wilton Baby. Technically, they are called a model 820, 920 or No. 20 depending upon age, and when they were cast, but most folks just call them the baby. Regardless of how they are marked, they… [Read More]
Saturday Morning Special Wilton 400.
Okay, I need to make a confession that most of my friends, family and coworkers already know; regrettably, I’m not much of a morning person. With that said, I can make the effort when there’s a good reason to get out of bed while it’s still dark. This Saturday morning special Wilton 400 turned out… [Read More]
Holy Toledo 500 by Wilton
No, Toledo isn’t hosting a 500 mile car race sponsored by Wilton, but they have had an auto factory there for many decades and at least one race track. I’m actually talking about a Wilton 500 that came from a worker at the Toledo, Ohio Jeep factory. This project turned out amazing, but it has… [Read More]
Humble beginnings Wilton 500S
Sometimes you just get lucky! Ask anybody who’s tried finding a quality used bench vise on auction sites or Craigslist, and they’re almost certainly going to tell you it’s not all that easy. Finding Wilton machinist vises, often called “bullets” because of the shape, is even harder. Finding a large Wilton bullet, like this 500S,… [Read More]
Got a stand for something!
Several months ago I saw an ad for a moving/estate sale on Craigslist and while it was short on pictures, it had a good description that said something like “many vises” and the nice thing was it was only about 15 minutes from my house. The ad said the owner was a retired woodworker and… [Read More]