Record No.52 1/2 B - Help Identifying

[AdrianUK]

The RD number dates to 1919.

 

[dannyr]

I wish a Record catalogue from the 1920s/30s would show up (I wonder what other weird and wonderful versions they experimented with?)
[/QUOTE]

In this period and somewhat later, their brothers (literally) at Woden probably had more variants of the QR woodworking vice, as did Rededa (well one more type) over the road (more or less), and Vono (closer to the old Hampton home near Brum) had another. Then all reverted to the original model based on Parkinson, but with twin bars, not cast/machined slides.

And why did they all choose the same sizes: 7in, 9in and 10.5in (with a 6in light version)?

There weren't many English metal woodworking vices before Parkinson in 1880s, but they mostly had jaw widths of 8 to 11ins (and a very heavy build).

 

[dannyr]

There's a 52 1/2 B on ebay right now -- thought it might be you selling, but it seems to be missing the QR, so I guess not.
Anyway, just the same re no rear jaw.

 

[Cabinetman]

I can see the appeal of ease of fitting a vice without a rear jaw but I can imagine in practice that it just wouldn’t work as well and may even keep coming loose with nothing to stop it twisting slightly in use. Ian

 

[dannyr]

You've obviously got to bolt it very well to a solid bench-top.

before cast iron wood-working vices, most used a wooden vice and some of these had their 'own' rear jaw but mostly it was the bench. (likewise many of those building their modern versions of these -- see many examples on the web)

then in the mid/late 19th cent the big (typical jaw width 11-14 ins and over twice the weight of the Record 53) US 'piano-makers' vices had no built in rear jaw (often metal, but separate, screwed to bench)

having said all that, my vices have the rear jaw, and I'm comfortable with that

 

[nabs]

Another Record 52 1/2 without a rear jaw on ebay just now. No 'B' stamped on the face though...

I am not sure if it is a huge coincidence or I simply have not noticed this variant on the design (I have looked at hundreds of them but I suppose I generally wasn't looking at the rear carriage very closely).

 

[toolsntat]

Is it just me thinking 52 1/2
"HALF" back jaw ?
Cheers Andy

 

[Nigel Burden]

One thing that I've noticed is that the vice is only held on by three bolts instead of the usual four, possibly because the vice is a little lighter in weight, and Record could cut down on the amount of metal used making a small economic gain.

Nigel.

 

[dannyr]

It's been noted that these don't seem to appear in catalogues -- maybe they were mostly sold directly to commercial and educational establishments and similar workshops with a lot of vices, and/or to bench makers -- I know if I had to install a lot of these, then this B version could save time and effort.