From July 1909 School Board Journal

In 1894 machinist and foreman Wilford Clinton Toles and brother Wallace H. Toles patented an improved rapid-acting woodworking vise. Their patent design addressed problems of excessive friction and wear when the movable vise jaw was adjusted, and their innovation was to use a pair of steel rods to guide the jaw. This proved to be a highly successful improvement that is used in virtually every woodworkers' bench vise made today. A subsequent patent made a minor improvement to the half-nut.

Beginning that year (1894), W. C. Toles & Co. was manufacturing their quick-action woodworkers' vise, later adding manual training equipment for schools, especially work benches. In late 1901 the business reorganized as the W. C. Toles Co., with $50,000 in capital stock. The incorporators were Wilford C. Toles, his wife Emily A. Toles, and H. M. St. Clair. Wallace must have been bought out from the business by this time. Wallace died in 1910. The company lasted until 1930 when W. C. Toles died (on January 23); we have not found any information on what happened to the company but one way or another it ceased doing business. There is circumstantial evidence that the rights and tooling for the Toles vise were acquired by Morgan Vise Co. of Chicago.

Information Sources

• 1896-01-16 Stoves and Hardware Reporter.

  W. C. Toles & Co., 2519 North Fortv-first street, Chicago, showed the Toles Quick Acting Vise. The vise is extremely simple, and has a screw with a section longitudinally cut out, to clear the binding burr on the inner post of the frame, and two parallel guiding rods, one on either side of the screw.

• 1896 catalog of the Chas. Strelinger Co. features the Toles woodworking vises on p. 786. The Nos. 20, 25 and 35 vises are shown.
• 1897-03-20 the Metal-Worker.

  Rapid Acting Vises.—The following is the list of W. C. Toles & Co., 90 and 982 Illinois street, Chicago, on their line of Wood Workers' Vises, the list being subject to a discount of 25 per cent. to the trade:
  No.
  20. Rapid Acting Flush Vise $6.50
  25. Rapid Acting Flush Vise (with Bench Stop) $7.00
  30. High-Swivel Jaw Rapid Acting Vise $7.50
  35. Rapid Acting Tail Vise $6.00

• 1899 Proceedings of the Eastern Manual Training Association has an ad: "The vises we are furnishing to schools are exactly the same as we are furnishing factories and mechanics all over the world. We guarantee them to last a lifetime without repairs. Discounts on application. W. C. Toles & Co., Irving Park, Chicago, Ill."
• April 1899 Carpentry and Building. "W. C. Toles & Co., Irving Park, Chicago, Ill., are meeting with a very flattering demand for their rapid-acting vise for wood workers, reference to which is made in another part of this paper. These vises are adapted for the use of pattern and cabinet makers, carpenters and car builders, manual training schools, &c. Circulars illustrating said describing the goods will be forwarded by the manufacturers upon application."
• May 1900 Science and Industry has an article on Rapid-Acting Vises for Wood Workers, manufactured by W. C. Toles & Co. It explains that the No. 20 Toles vise is their standard vise; the No. 25 adds a bench stop (1" square brass dog raised by a spring". The No. 35 is a tail-vise, and the No. 40 is a combined tail-vise, bench stop and head-vise, with a dog in the front jaw.
• 1901-08-17 The School Journal: "W. C. Toles & Company, Chicago, will furnish the new Francis W. Parker school, Chicago, with twenty-four of their No. 2 benches... They are also in receipt of an order for 240 vises..."
• 1901-12-05 The National Corporation Reporter lists new incorporations, including W. C. Toles Company, Chicago; $50,000; Wilford C. Toles, Emily A. Toles and H. M. St. Clair.
• 1902-01-02 The Iron Trade Review. "The W. C. Toles Co., of Chicago, has been incorporated with $50,000 capital to manufacture machinery and machine tools. W. C. Toles, E. A. Toles and H. M. St. Clair are the incorporators."
• March 1904 The Patternmaker. "W. C. Toles Co. have recently issued a neat 24-page circular describing their rapid acting vises and special machinery adapted for pattern-making. The catalogue includes benches as well as vises."
• 1909 Motor Cyclopaedia Year Book lists "Toles Co., W. C.—Irving Park, Chicago, Ill. Mfrs. vises Est. 1894. Cap. $50,000. W. C. Toles, Pres.
• 1911 Certified List of Domestic and Foreign Corporations lists W. C. Toles Company, capital stock $50,000, principal office at 4034 N. 42nd ct., Chicago, president or manager W. C. Toles at 4112 N. 41st ct, secretary A. D. Osborn at Woodstock, Ill.
• 1911 The Book of Chicagoans

  TOLES, Wilford Clinton, mfr.; born Elmira, N.Y., Oct. 28, 1853: son George Washington and Elizabeth (Hitchcock) Toles; ed. pub. schools in N.Y. and Mich., and tech. night schools, Chicago; married Emily Augusta Osborn, of Benton Harbor, Mich., Sept. 21, 1875. Began as machinist, and later became foreman for Crane Co., with which remained 9 years; draftsman, designer and supt. of machinery, Norton Bros., 14 years; foreman experimental dept. and tool room, Deering Harvester Co., 1½ years; organized the W. C. Toles Co., special machinery, 1894, of which has since been pres. and gen. mgr. Republican. Presbyterian. Mem. Am. Soc. for Promotion of Industrial Edn., Chicago Assn. of Commerce, Irving Park Hall Assn. Mason (Myrtle Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter, St. Elmo Commandery K.T.). Clubs: Press, 111. Athletic, Ridgemoor Golf, Irving Park Country. Residence: 4112 N. 41st Court. Office: 4034 N. 4 2d Court.

• February 1913 The American School Board Journal lists W. C. Toles Co. as a supplier of vises and manual training benches.
• An April 1920 lawsuit, Cary v. Toles, involved the ambiguously worded will of Elizabeth Toles, who died in 1906. She was the mother of Fannie B. Cary, Wallace H. Toles, Wilford C. Toles, and Herbert L. Toles. By 1920 Fannie had a daughter, Sara, who in turn had a daughter, Elizabeth Beulah Bondy, and the lawsuit was initiated by Fannie and Sara; Wallace H. Toles and his wife were deceased, leaving behind one child; Wilford C. Toles was "party defendant"; and Herbert L. Toles had died, being married without children.
• 1930 Bruce's School Shop Annual has a page of products from W. C. Toles Co., 515 W. Jackson St., Woodstock, Ill., including the Nos. 20, 25, 40, and 45 iron-faced rapid-acting vises, the Nos. 50, 55, 60 and 65 wood-faced rapid-acting vises, the No. 35 rapid-acting tail vise, the Nos. 3-FD, 10-FD, 10-BD and 10-2D Junior vises, and the Toles Spasaver manual training benches. The same issue had a page on vises from Morgan Vise Co., including a "Toles Pattern" quick action vise. We wonder if W. C. Toles Co. ceased doing business in 1930, and Morgan picked up the patterns and rights to the Toles vise.
• A mid-1950s catalog from Morgan Vise Co. features a "quick action vise (Toles pattern)" on page 6. The 1930 Morgan catalog has the same cut and the same wording. Note that since the patent was long expired by 1930, Morgan was free to make a copy of the Toles vise, but calling it "Toles pattern" would normally invite a copyright infringement suit. The fact that they did so, and continued to do for over twenty years, suggests that Morgan bought the rights and tooling to the Toles vise.
• Archived article by Todd Werts (ToolArchives.com) W. C. Toles Co.
• Genealogical sources tell us that Wallace H. Toles was born in 1848 in New York State; he married Emma Warner, born 1859, on 1887-02-26; Wallace died 1910-04-17 in Shelby, TN. Wilford Clinton Toles was born in 1853-10-28 in Elmira, NY; married Emily Augusta Osborn, of Benton Harbor, MI, 1875-09-21; died 1930-01-23 in Chicago.