Ran across this vise today, sure has some interesting features and movements. "Kimball Vise" is marked on the adjustment wrench. Back jaw swivels for tapered items like forends. Rubber jaw linings. It rotates and swivels in all directions. It is temporary held in a regular vise in the second photo, I will make up a bracket and mount it to the bench tomorrow. Anyone seen one before? Is it still made?


That is a 24 inch scale in the photo.


Note the ball clamp that goes around the main tube. Loosen the clamp and the main tube can be rotated a full 360 and thrust in & out like a trombone slide and rocked up and down or sidways in any direction. Jaws will open to over 12 inches. Plus the ball clamp unit will swivel a full 360 around the main clamp stud.

[ 10-14-2002, 07:46: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

I don't know but thanks for the nice photo's. I've been wanting to build a vise and didn't know where to start, now I do. Thanks.

This looks like the cat's meow for stock work and things like that. Clever design.

John,
They were made by Keesey Kimball, a gunsmith from Alpine Tx and as fine a gentleman and as excellent a gunsmith as you would ever run across. I bought one of those, or more accurately, my wife did, the first year he sold them, in 1994 or so. He built them for stockmaking. I only have one and it is likely all a person needs, but I would love to have another.

Keesey passed away a few years ago and I understand his son took over his gun business and may still sell the vices. BTW they were not cheap even back then. I am very curious where you got it. I would not part with mine for love or money, not that anyone is offering me love at my age and condition. (nor would I even remember what to do with it.)

BTW, Keesey was an old friend of Ray Atkinsons and he will vouch for how wonderful a man he was. He was a member of the ACGG and I have often stopped at his table and praised his encredible work. He did metalwork as well as stockwork and it was as good as it comes. He would get embarassed and try to change the subject, when you praised it too much. At one show he had two fantastic small caliber rifles, I believe 6mm size, one bolt action and a single shot falling block. Both actions had been made from scratch in his shop and they were amazing. He had built them for his granddaughters as birthday gifts and all he wanted to talk about was their first deer they had taken with these beautiful rifles. He had a photo album on his tables of the girls and their hunts. He had been a cornerstone of the show for a lot of years and I know everyone remembers him with fondness.

LOL, now aren't you sorry you asked about the vice?

[ 10-14-2002, 09:32: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Chic, when I first laid my eyes on this vise yesterday the craftsmanship and quality just leaped out. It obviously was extremely well though out and the actual machining and construction is first rate. I almost recall seeing a photo somewhere several years ago but can't be sure.

Where did it come from? It has been laying idle on a shelf in the back of a wood store for many years, looks new.

Sometimes a man leaves a mark on the world. From examining Keesey Kimball's vise, he had to be an excellent top rate craftsman. Would have enjoyed meeting him.

[ 10-14-2002, 17:23: Message edited by: John Ricks ]

John,
If you can get ahold of a new england custom gun catalog there is one very similar on p.22 to the vise picture you posted. Dietrich Apel states this idea came from Howard Steere, shop foreman at Orvis Gunshop. Made of steel w/rubber/cork covered jaws to hold irregular shapes. Jaws open to 5.5".
Gunsmith Vise order no. N-908, $269.00. This vise pivots and has an extra support that looks like a "T" that slides along the round bar to support the stock when the bbl. is clamped in the vise. Looks like a handy third hand.
Bob

I went down and taught at Keesey's private gunsmithing course about 1997 in South Texas summer time. There was a welder and a gunsmith from Oregon and a doctor from California for a week. We had a great time dealing with Mexican pottery vendors on the road-sides and eating steaks. The students got a chance to see first hand, up close and personal, the ruining of an intergral quarter-rib, banbed swivel, and banded front ramp--all intergral, 416 barrel....in the last 10 minutes of 20 hours of machining. I still have the barrel.

__It happens.

Keesey donated a hundred dollar bill to the ACGG/FEGA banquet and auction the year he was voted a full member. The first year I wasn't sure how to sell an hundred dollar bill, but started out at ten dollars and got a lot of action. That bill sold for $140 !! Then the winner donated it back and I resold it for $140......and it got donated back. We raised over $700 on that one C-note!! Lots of fun.

The year after Keesey died his wife, Mary Ellen, came to the show and donated another hundred dollar bill in Keesey's name.

Last year the bill was signed by those that bought and then gave it back. It's in my pocket now. Gary Goudy, Terry Wallace, Steve Heilmann and my signature is on it. I've donated it to the auction for next year. Yall come.

I remember Jack being the auctioneer on that evening when Keesey donated that $100 the first time. I believe Gary Goudy bought it the first time and donated it back. After a number of items Jack took out the $100 bill again. "What am I bid," he say and there is a hush and someone says "Fifty dollars." "Hell,"said Jack. "We just got done selling it, you all know what it is worth." And he got $140 for it again. Everyone thought they were going to die for the laughing.

[ 10-23-2002, 11:15: Message edited by: Customstox ]

I saw a photo layout of those rifles that Customstox mentioned above in Rifle magazine(I think) some years ago. Beautiful work.