My curiosity as a lover of old tools got the better of me. Looks like it’s for a wooden handle for gunsmith and jeweller hand vice work.

And this one has the “brace” fitting as well as the op’s version.

“GOODELL PRATT Co BRACE VISE hand vice geared jaws”

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/goodell-pratt-co-brace-vise-hand-vice-127881244

That was my thinking look at the op’s image, that the pointed brace fitting was for hammering into the end grain of a stump, much like the chainsaw vice sold nowadays to grip the bar of a chainsaw for file sharpening the chain in the field. But it looks too early for use on chainsaws.

https://www.oregonproducts.com/en/filing-vise/p/26368a

I wonder if the tang is some kind of positive location/positive lock for the wooden handle? The tapered square section would prevent rotation and some collets etc in the handle could be tightened down into the groove above the tang to prevent the handle being pulled off?

That does look like the end of the groove sticking out of the handle in the old catalogue drawing above. Perhaps screwing the metal collar on the wooden handle tightened some collets or balls into the groove, pushing the tapered square tang home firmly?

I’m thinking it worked like a Nitto bayonet fitting etc on a modern compressed air hose.

Dave Halford has it – jewellers / horo. anvil’s use small square stake holes.. ..example similar things..

https://anvils.co.uk/complete-set-of-jewellers-heads-and-stake-holderanvils.html

On 17 November 2025 at 16:14 Nicholas Farr Said:

Hi, page 273, Goodell Catalogue 15.

Regards Nick.

Very interesting. Thank you. All is revealed! The catalogue explicitly says the wooden handle comes off so the square shank can be held in “any two jaw chuck” as the OP first suspected.

Which raises two questions. Why would you put a vice in a chuck? And does the handle have a quick release mechanism that engages with that groove above the square shank.

https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/forum/general/2136121-prodigal-son-has-returned It’s amazing how threads which are related, even distantly come up in different forums at the same time.

This is on The Home Shop Machinist from the other side of the pond.