Chas Parker Vise Repair

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Hey guys, I've got a Chas Parker 954 1/2 vise, that unfortunately while trying to press some bearings together today the main screw broke. I did some research and apparently it is a "square thread" is this something a machine shop could produce, without breaking the bank. Or does anyone know if  parts are still available for these vises. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Reply:Picts would help. I'm thinking it might be an ACME thread rather than a square thread myself, but I'd have to see it. A person with a lathe could certainly cut square or flat threads rather than a more traditional tooth design. However ACME threaded rods are readily available. The screw threads on my Parker vise are covered, so I'm not exactly sure what thread it uses..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Like DSW said, it is probably an ACME thread and any competent machine shop could probably make you a new one but it is going to cost a bunch.  ACME threads are not fun to cut on a lathe and require some rather precise tool grinding to get it right.I would suggest getting a length of threaded rod from McMaster-Carr.  http://www.mcmaster.com/#general-pur...e-rods/=kheiteLooks like the B7 Alloy should make a decent replacement part.RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:I just walked in, found this thread on my screen, and suddenly the following appeared:http://www.google.com/search?q=chas+...L_enUS356US356Picking this one at random, I found the following passage:[  "Another Vise, the Charles Parker Co. #955" post 2]I have a couple of views of the front at the bottom of this page; you can see the clean, sharp lines ofthe castings which distinguish it from modern equipment. Also note the massive collar.But first I want to use this page to display an excerpt of a website hosted by the company thatcurrently occupies the 4th floor of the old Charles Parker building (now called the Meriden EnterpriseCenter ), from this link:http://www.highpowersecurity.com/facility.htm"The Meriden Enterprise Center is a large manufacturing plant that is home to over 60 businesses,located in the center of Connecticut.The plant was the former home of companies such as the Charles Parker company, known for themanufacture of the Springfield rifle and the development of one of the early repeating rifles in themid- nineteenth century. Charles Parker was born in 1809 and rose from poverty to become oneof Connecticut’s leading industrialists. He also became the city of Meriden's first mayor. He startedhis manufacturing career inventing and producing coffee mills in a small shop in 1832.By 1860, he owned several large factories and employed hundreds of people, in and aroundMeriden. Parker products included hardware and house wares, flatware, clocks, lamps, piano stoolsand benches, vises, coffee mills, industrial machinery, and, after 1862, guns. Guns, however, neveramounted to more than 10 percent of Parker’s business. Charles Parker died in 1901 and his descendantscarried on his businesses until 1957. The Great Depression of the 1930s took its toll on the Parkerenterprise and it never fully recovered. Parker products have now become “collector’s items,” especiallythe Parker shotguns. The Charles Parker Company sold its gun facility and the rights to the Parker gunto Remington Arms Company in 1934, and Remington continued the Parker shotgun line until World War II.The attraction by collectors to the Parker shotgun comes because of the gun’s inherent quality and beauty.The Parker gun is an American classic.During World War II, the plant became the home of the New Departure Manufacturing Company,which produced ball-bearings. The company was eventually owned by General Motors. At its peak,over 20,000 people were employed at the plant. During much of the plant's life, the plant was poweredwith an on-site power generation station which also powered other parts of the city. Stories are toldabout the plant during this time. It is rumored that during the war, thousands of ball bearings werestored underneath the parking lot of the plant, almost a whole year's production worth, in case the factorywas bombed! In this case, the company would recover the store of bearings until factory production wasre-established."Pretty cool stuff, huh? I hope this doesn't bore any of you because it fascinates me.
Reply:Not a collectors item at all, but it sure is a necessary tool in the shop. Down here you don't see to many on CL, so replacing it would be tricky. I didn't think about using an ACME nut to convert it over, If it is not already ACME. Does anyone know for sure if the threads are ACME or Square, or another?
Reply:I did some digging. Lanse recently posted up picts of his damaged Parker vise.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=196361Thread on his certainly doesn't look like a standard ACME thread, so it might be a square profile thread. I'm looking for my misplaced copy of Machinery Handbook to see what I can find on this. I'm thinking it might be a Stub ACME thread, or possibly a buttress thread from what I've found so far.API buttress threadStub ACME threadLast edited by DSW; 12-07-2012 at 01:12 AM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Awesome pic, yeah thats kinda what I was thinking when I was looking at it today, sure didnt look like an ACME.
Reply:I was recently given a vise with a broken screw. Made by American Scale Co that went out of business around 1960. I have a lathe so I just made one. It is not an Acme thread.  I believe it is a type of Buttress thread. You most likely will not be able to find a piece of threaded rod and will have to get it made.  It was easy to grind a tool for the thread with the old one there to use as a template. If I remember right, it was 7/8"- 4 TPI.  It seems that it should have been originally designed slightly larger for this size of vise and it wouldn't have broken in the first place. Attached ImagesLast edited by WFM; 12-07-2012 at 03:31 PM.
Reply:WFM, nice job.