CMS-Japanese Motorcycle Supply Parts

The Goodwill bench vise or vise information and history


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At one point - during the mid-1950s at least - Waldown made the Goodwill vice, under license. Here's what I can find on it.

The inventor was James Hamilton Goodwill (1915-1980) of 1 Myrtle Avenue, Kew, near Melbourne.

Here is a photo from a 1954 brochure on the Waldown Goodwill bench vice, which was made under license in Australia.

Some 1954 brochure images:

Here are some example photos of a Goodwill bench vise or vice.

Here are some example photos of a Goodwill bench vise or vice.

Waldown made them in Australia, out of fine grained Meehanite. They claimed it could "turn, twist, swivel, somersault, tilt forward and tilt backward" - that's quite the range of movement..! Another advertising line they used was "This vise will move in 3 planes, individually or collectively". I cannot find any information about other businesses licensing the vise in the UK, USA or elsewhere.

The Australian patent number was 155132, the British patent was 717592 and the US patent number was 2703028.

The Australian patent was filed on the 18th October, 1950, and was application number 37568/50. The British patent was applied for on Nov 12th, 1951 and the complete specification was published October 27th, 1954. Click here to read the British patent.

The US patent was filed September 11, 1952 as the J.H.Goodwill Engineer's Vise. Patent pics:

Here is the imagery from the US patent office of the Waldown Goodwill bench vice, which was made under license in Australia.

Here is the imagery from the US patent office of the Waldown Goodwill bench vice, which was made under license in Australia.

In the 1950s Waldown was manufacturing them under license.

Here is a picture of Waldown's statement about manufacturing Goodwill vices.

If anyone has some photos of a Goodwill vise that they have please send them in to me via the contact page! What I have been given so far:

Here are some photos of the Waldown Goodwill bench vice, which was made under license in Australia.

Here are some photos of the Waldown Goodwill bench vice, which was made under license in Australia.

The vice is featured in the 1960s McPhersons centenary catalogue (p.295 in the copy I have).

If you're interested in a wall of text the US patent info is as such:

2,703,028 ENGINEER'S VISE - James Hamilton Goodwill, Kew, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Application September 11, 1952, Serial No. 308,995 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-41)

This invention relates to an improved engineer's vise, and it refers particularly to a bench vise constructed so that its jaws may be adjusted angularly relative to the base of the vise.

It is well-known to construct vises so made that the jaws may be turned about an axis which is in itself pivotal so that the jaws may be set to any position in any plane. But, as hitherto constructed, such vises have either been made so that the jaws are mounted upon a ball member which is pivotal in a socket or been made such that some of the components of the major forces applied to the vise have been absorbed by friction only. Whilst such constructions of vises permit of adjustment of the angularity of the jaws the vise so made does not possess the standard of rigidity and firmness whichis required by expert engineers such as toolmakers and instrument makers. Furthermore, the means for clamping in position the jaws in such a vise are relatively weak and a vise so made will not withstand the pressures and forces which it· will be required to withstand during normal usage.

The invention has been devised principally with the object of providing an engineer's vise which will be so constructed that the vise will have a greater range of utility than bench vises as hitherto made. A subsidiary object is to devise a bench vise wherein the jaws may be set so as to travel longitudinally, transversely or vertically. A dependent object is to provide efficient means for clamping the jaws in any desired angular position. A further object is to devise a bench vise which will be of extremely sturdy design and construction, and such that the jaws of the vise may be moved accurately by the screw with very little, if any, back lash. Other objects of the invention are to provide a bench vise having its jaws adapted to be moved simultaneously relative to the base of the vise, in a longitudinal direction; having an operating handle adapted to be held at any set position relative to the screw of the vise; having its jaws so mounted that in normal operation an object held between the jaws will have its center close to the center of support of the vise; and being adapted to have fitted to it a pair of jaw covers which will not readily slip out of position when once correctly fitted to the jaws of the vise.

In order that the invention will be clearly understood and readily put into practical effect I shall now describe in detail, with reference to the accompanying sheets of illustrative drawings, a preferred construction of vise made according to the invention. In these drawings:



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