Couple of tools from my dad that originally belonged to my grandpa. I have the spokeshave working but the blade on the handplane needs work to get the front straight (still have not tackled that 😕). When I received them last summer they weren't in great shape - dirty and rusty.
Need to "find the time" to get the plane fixed up.
The oldest Tool in my shop would be Me, I suppose. I dont collect old stuff, really, but this Fishtail below was one of those - I have to have that - deals, bought at a flea-market here. I was told it is Sheffield Steel, there are no markings on it tho, except the # 25, which can barely be seeen in 2nd photo. Pretty sure the handle is a replacement.
This spirit level isnt that old, the cover for the spirit is plastic, and the brass isnt brass. 60 centimeteres would be what, 25" in length? I found this one inside the cavity of a stone wall when I was tearing out space for sink cabinet plumbing, along with a bunch of almond husks put there by rats. The Makers mark says it was made in Switzerland, the wood Teak. Whats funny about that is, this isnt the first level I have found inside a wall. I have a much older one up in Denmark, maybe as much as 100 yrs old, also found while doing demo.
I'm not looking to make them look "new" but rather back into working shape. It is neat to think of what projects my grandpa may have used them for on his little cramped shop/shed. He died when I was in high-school, long before I got into woodworking. Wish I could have learned from him.
It's a bit hard to date some old tools. I have a saw that if you were to go by the patina, it makes one think it is quite old but I can't be sure. One of several things in my shop that I don't know the true age of. I don't have a story to go with the saw. Can't even remember where I got it.
I do have this Stanley No 3, type2/3 Pre-lateral plane that I found in a nearby antique store. As I understand it, it should be from right around 1869 to 1873. The knob on it is my doing. I don't remember if the tote is original or not. When I first saw this plane in the antique shop, I picked it up, looked at it and put it back on the shelf because I didn't recognize it. It was in very rough looking condition and I just did not know what it was. After walking around the shop and coming back to this plane a third time that day, because it was nagging me, I finally realized what it was so I ended up bringing it home.
Drop out of warp and prepare to be boarded. Mike southwest CO
I also like the power tool restorations. Being a motor head, nothing like slipping in fresh bearings and scrubbing away old grease to really appreciate vintage.
Bought this old bandsaw at auction and did a total refurb, Not my oldest tool, but the oldest I use every time I'm in the shop.
Powermatic 141 built in March '64 (21 months after I was hatched)
Not sure that this is my oldest but I bought it in about 76' or 77'.
Looks like a regular drill, but I promise it's a superman's drill. This is the strongest drill I ever had. It'll twist your arms right off.
I don't use it too often though. (trust me it's dangerous) I used to use it mainly for hole saws, but when you have a 3" - 4" hole saw bind up in the hole it yanks you around like you're limp monkey. Drilling electrical holes in studs once, it put my elbow right through a window.
It's still works great and still is the strongest hand drill I have.
Too dramatic? Trying for a good story...... 😁
Figuring out how to do something you have never done is what makes a good challenge.
Forget Sawstop, I am getting some of these from circa 1485. Now that is old. They can double as security if my shopduck is testy when i give him treats. Yes, I do have a shop duck, always within 10 ft of me when I am working. He doesnt like me, or anyone; he only likes watermelon, and squatting in sawdust.
My oldest hand tool that I can date is my Stanley no. 3, Ty 9, so it dates between 1902-1909. I don’t have a cool story about this tool (other than its old) but….
…My oldest power tool is the Walker-Turner 16” that I inherited from my FIL, which does have a cool story. It’s usually hard to actually date the WTs since they used the same numbers for a huge range of dates, but…my FIL got this saw in the 70s. As the story goes, he bought it from a retired tradesman who was unloading his tools due to his age. Supposedly, the saw was new in ‘42-‘43 when the tradesman took receipt of it off the delivery truck at the production shop he was working at for the War effort in the San Francisco area (Richmond, I believe). When he left the shop, many years later, he bought the saw off of them and kept it in his own shop, until selling it to my FIL… Kinda cool!
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
