History & References

RAF ST ATHAN

"The Swinden's Revolving Head Vice is an innovative solution to many of the problems we face when welding difficult shapes. All of our trainees of the General Technician Workshops Trade are trained on the use of the vice and it forms an integral part of our welding phase of training. We are very grateful to Swinden's for sponsoring an award which is presented to the most competent trainee in the welding phase."

I only have Monday left in office before I deploy to the Gulf for 6 months. My successor in Wing Commander Rob Woods and he will arrive in post on 1 Aug 07. His contact details and e-mail address will be the same as mine.

Many thanks for your support.

Andy

A J TAYLOR
Wg Cdr
CO No 4 SofTT
01446 797000

Comments by Andy Smith -Fettler at South Lincs Patterns, using a 6” Swindens Revolving Head vice, to fettle castings on 06 03 08 “The vice looked impressive when it arrived. I was keen to try it out and was not disappointed. On small to medium castings the vice comes into its own, saving on both time and effort. Being able to fettle three sides without removing the item from the vice is brilliant.

Vital seconds are saved on each job compared to a conventional vice. The time saved soon adds up. The pipe and flat jaws on the vice are useful. The flat jaws hold most jibs and the pipe jaws hold awkward or round objects, such as manifolds, a lot better than a conventional vice

I would estimate that approximately 75% of the castings fettled on the Swindens Vice are quicker to do compared to my old vice, with much less effort required”

South Lincs Foundry
Spalding Common
Spalding
Lincolnshire
PE11 3AS
00 44 (0) 1775 722 988

Chapel Farm
Timberland Dales
Witham Bank
Linclonshire
LN10 6XT

Tel m 07977 540 396
Tel 01526 353 436
12 Feb 2002

Dear Anthony,

We enclose our thoughts on this product.
Our problem is that our breakdown and maintenance jobs are always in inconvenient places:

Dike bottoms
Trenches
High up on scaffolding
Above grain bins
Top of beet and combine harvesters.

The downtime lost in scrambling in and out of dikes or up and down ladders to take the repair to the is considerable and time consuming.
Would it not be a lot easier if you could take the vice to the job?
We thought so and decided to make an attachment to fit our J.C.B. backhoe to accomplish this.

The photos shows our unpainted prototype with a Swindens Vice bolted to it.

We have used it to splice wire cables in trench bottoms and mend water pipes in our drainage systems. Also used in straightening out corn augers in grain installations, e.g. in situ so that a great long and unmanageable grain auger can be straightened and riveted in place safety and quickly. Most vices are fastened to heavy benches and can't be moved to the job, this one can!
It can be put through windows, around doors, inside tanks. The idea is right, we know its good because several of our neighbours have asked to borrow it?

Yours Cordially

David Tonge

Quoted from Andrew Pearce’s article in Farmers Weekly 29 07 2001.

“For a start, it’s two vices in one. A major plus in the workshop or fitter’s van.

One set of Jaws is flat the other concave to hold pipe and other round stuff. To change between them, just whack the release lever and smoothly flip over the head. The jaws’ grip is ………..well vice like. Claimed to be well beyond 4000 lbf, it is the strongest we’ve come across. That’s maybe a result of us being used to worn and slightly latchety vices, but the Swindens version does generate exceptional bite if you lean on its long handle. At the other extrene it’ll nip something delicate with complete control. Deep jaws offer plenty of contact, giving th work good support when neding or straitening.

The show-stopper though , is its ability to angle the head to where you want it. This immediately makes a job easier and usually faster. For instance, you’re no longer forced to drill, file or grind vertically or horizontally: just hold the work full depth in the vice and swing it to a comfortable angle (below right). When welding , you can clamp a part to the bench, then using the vice, swing swing another down to meet it a given angle. And when hack sawing through something long, you can set the jaws vertical etc…. The more you use this vice the more uses you’ll find and the more you’ll wonder how you managed before.”

John Collins
Hayes 020 8813 7255
“The Swindens Revolving Head Vice really did change the way I worked- jobs that were difficult to access are made so much easier- and my work is done so much faster. The reduction on back pain has also been very noticeable”.

Mrs. Jenny Edge.
The Stone Barn
Gravel Road
Drayton
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 4SY

Tel 01235 529 888
Email Jedge@driver.demon.co.uk

“My work as a silversmith (mainly anticlastic raising) involves a lot of metal forming using heavy hammering on stakes. For this, I need a heavy duty vice to withstand such hammering. Additionally I always need to be able to hammer at the correct angle to create the long, curved forms that are a part of my designs.

The rotating head of the vice allows the work to be positioned at the correct angle.

The stakes can be held so that the work can be positioned away from the bench and over the floor by swivelling the vice on its base. The curved jaws are also a very important feature of the vice, as they allow long stakes to be held in the vice. Hard hammering can be undertaken without the risk of the stake shifting position or, even worse, falling out of the vice.

“I teach anticlastic raising at Birmingham and West Dean and I always recommend the Swindens vice to my students. For me, the Swindens vices have revolutionized my workshop and I would not be able to produce the size and shape of silverware without them.”

I hope that this is OK. Please let Jenny know on jjedge@diver.demon.co.uk if you require further information.

MissionPro
Suite #300
2500 E. Vineyard Avenue
Oxnard, California 93036
United States of America

(805) 981 3650

Tim Albers

Surprisingly enough, we have one of your vises. It was bolted to a worktable that we purchased with a large lot of surplus maintenance shop tools from one the aerospace companies in Los Angeles, California that was closing down. We’ve been using it for a couple of years and really like it.

This customer then purchased another 6” vice.

The Billings Group –
Corinthians Sports Club Ltd (Reg. 513287)
F C Stark Ltd (Reg. 314309)
Fernhead Homes Ltd (Reg. 2287867)
GraysThurrock Properties Ltd (Reg. 296171)
Oncoland Ltd (Reg.865608)
Redlibbets Ltd (Reg. 3040551)
R J & D E Billings Ltd (Reg. 2019068)
Watchingwell Farms Ltd (Reg. 792977)
Registered Office:
C/o The Carley Partnership, St James House, 8 the Overcliffe, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 0HJ

I have found the vice to be easy to use in most applications, but in more difficult unusual jobs its flexibility made the work a lot easier.
By being able to drill, cut or weld at the preferred angle or direction in any position saves time and stress, while giving you the chance to do a good job.
The presentation of the work also helps safety as you are not inclined to be leaning over the bench to reach the other side and strain your back.
I would happily recommend this vice to any workshop doing the diverse selection of jobs that we take on .It helps with most of them.
I hope this is of some assistance to you and the pictures show enough detail,

R.J.Billings