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Vices Made In Sheffield


Guest Tomdhu

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Guest Tomdhu

I have a woodworkers vice which labelled "P & B" Made in England.

I would like to know if P & B vices were made in Sheffield and if so, by which company.

Sheffield has long been associated with famous vice brands such as Record and Parkinsons. If you know of any others made in Sheffield, please post a reply.

Many thanks

Jim

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I have one of these as well. Parry & Bott were not a Sheffield company. The owners of Parry & Bott was a company called Fry's who made a few tools, holesaws as well vices come to mind. Chesterman's used to be worried about being swallowed up by Neill tools who had expanded nearly up to their factory. Their answer was to amalgamate with Rabone's of Birmingham to become Rabone Chesterman in the hope of being larger than Neill's could buy out. A few years later they amalgamated with Frys but did not take on that name but made a holding company of "RCF Holdings". Rabone-Chesterman-Fry. Some of the products made by Frys were transferred to the Rabone Chesterman factory on Pomona Street. To my knowledge these little woodworking vices, holesaws, and joiner's braces were then either made or assembled in Sheffield. To Rabone Chesterman the advantage of taking on Frys was their tool warehouses up and down the country.

My Wife was an accountant at Rabone Chestermans and then was appointed "Northern Area Accountant" to RCF Holdings. She was in charge of accounts at the Manchester and Newcastle tool warehouses.

She commuted to Manchester 3 weeks in every month and spent the 4th week in a hotel in Newcastle. That is how I got my vice, a set of holesaws, and a joiner's brace.

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Tomdhu, great information. I am an 84 year old New Zealander who has a P&B woodworkers Vise identical to yours but with the original green paint job and smeared with spots of paint , glue etc..

I  purchased a Bungalow in 1967 that was built in the  1920's and owned for many years by the local school headmaster who must have installed the Vise on the bench in his workshop/ garage. All was much used going by the saw cuts, hammer marked and various signs of wood worker activity on the bench and I continued its good use when I built a 12 foot sailing dinghy . The Vise held many a plank, or knee and proved its worth. A few years later the timber framed garage was about to tumble down so the Vise was put aside until recently when I began to prepare for going into a retirement home prompting this bit of research.

Eye sight  limitations put wood working beyond my ability now but the Vise will go to my son who cut his woodworking teeth on it as a young boy and I am sure that he will preserved it for a future gripping time.

Bob Jenkins  TAuranga NZ . Mail -  robertjenkin@gmail.com

 

 

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