For Those Interested in Old Tools

[Platform 1]

Only if he's called Chuck...

 

...or he's very sharp

[rab]

On 14/03/2020 at 20:52, J. S. Bach said:

Saw these in an antique mall but did not buy one:

Would that be called a brace of braces??

[rab]

On 14/03/2020 at 13:59, PatB said:

Borrowing shamelessly the idea of the "For Those Interested in..." threads, I thought I'd start one for those with an interest in the manual arts and the associated gear. 

 

I'll kick off with a nice little find from a sweep of a few charity shops earlier in the week. 

Not a particularly rare item, or even especially old (I'm guessing maybe 1960s) but, when I had a look at it, it has an air of decent quality about it. The crown wheel appears to be cast iron, rather than the mazak on some cheaper drills. The frame is sturdy, all the bearings feel tight but smooth, and the chuck operates very smoothly and closes up nicely. It does feel as if all the lubricants have fossilised in there. The working parts show almost no signs of use, so I do wonder if the oil/grease is that applied at the factory. 

 

Where that factory was is open to question. There appears to be no country of origin marking. The branding is restricted to a sticker on the crown wheel proclaiming Black Jack Quality Tools. I suspect it's Australian, from the days when we made stuff. Did Mr Brabham have a spin-off tool brand. Canny businessman that he was, it wouldn't surprise me. 

 

Anyway, all up, not too bad for $20. Probably a bit much, but it's a nice bit of kit, and at least I avoided Ebay postage rates. 

I remember my father telling me he bought one of those in Woolworths when everything was priced either threepence or sixpence, (who said pound shops were a new idea).  Because the drill cost a shilling it was sold in two parts, ( I cant remember now which bits were in each part).

[Pete the Elaner]

Plenty of drills so far.

I don't like electric screwdrivers very much. The lack of feel helps to chew up screw heads.

I prefer this: My spiral ratchet.

When building baseboards a few years ago, a friend mocked me for using it, so I challenged him to a race which I never expected to win. Each baseboard had 14 screws, so we had 7 each, but we only had 1 drill, so he had to drill the holes then change bits before screwing in his 7 screws, then change back to the drill bit.

It was a draw, but I have never enjoyed building boards so much.

[5050]

I've got one of those, a Stanley one I think.  Standard issue for chippies BITD.  Can be dangerous in unskilled hands - don't keep your eye on the chuck when releasing the catch!

 

Or hold it to close to delicate body parts........................

 

I also have a very nice Tyzak dovetail saw which I thought for many years was a tenon saw - with very fine teeth.  It wasn't until a friend offered to sharpen it for me when he recognised it for what it is.  Sadly it has never been sharpened as he passed away before he could do it.

 

When Mrs 5050 father passed away (he was a specialist veneerer and a good woodworker) I 'inherited' some of his tools, amongst which is a very long Stanley smoothing plane.  A friend (not the one above!) sharpened the blade for me and it has seen use building baseboards in recent times.  There is also a very nice whetstone in a wooden case and now, after a bit of instruction from a woodworking neighbour, I can sharpen my own bits and chisels.  Isn't it nice working with a really sharp chisel!

 

I love old tools - and there's plenty of them in my club (who I probably won't see for some time into the foreseeable future).

Edited March 17, 2020 by 5050

[ikks]

I find this thread quite offensive as many of my "friends",mere bloody 60 year olds often describe me as an Old Tool

Seriously, if you are into collecting, I can dig out some interesting but not big stuff that can be sent to Poyth...

 

Mike

 

 

[PatB]

On 15/03/2020 at 22:45, SHMD said:

I became the latest proud owner of this the other day.

 

 

 

I don't know how old it is or how many times those bevels have travelled around the equator but it works wonderfully well.

The (functional) repair has probably increased its strength and durability too.

 

The price?

Nothing. Sweet FA.

It was left unloved and unwanted (toy story like) in that veritable cornucopia of inspiration and wealth that is the metal bin at work.

(The first place to visit for anything from raw materials/fasteners/nuts/bolts/cable/electronics/boxes/etc, through to tools and even precious metals!

 

 

Kev.

 

Nice. The solid frame is interesting. I've not seen one like that before. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by PatB

[PatB]

3 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Plenty of drills so far.

I don't like electric screwdrivers very much. The lack of feel helps to chew up screw heads.

I prefer this: My spiral ratchet.

When building baseboards a few years ago, a friend mocked me for using it, so I challenged him to a race which I never expected to win. Each baseboard had 14 screws, so we had 7 each, but we only had 1 drill, so he had to drill the holes then change bits before screwing in his 7 screws, then change back to the drill bit.

It was a draw, but I have never enjoyed building boards so much.

 

Very nice. As mentioned, I think my next purchase will be a Yankee or two. My brother acquired a substantial one ~30 years ago, and I remember being very impressed with its abilities. By the time I had need to drive screws quickly, I no longer had access to it, and, anyway, battery drill-drivers had come of age. Now, as I get older, I'm increasingly interested in means of doing things without external energy sources. 

 

44 minutes ago, ikks said:

I find this thread quite offensive as many of my "friends",mere bloody 60 year olds often describe me as an Old Tool

Seriously, if you are into collecting, I can dig out some interesting but not big stuff that can be sent to Poyth...

 

Mike

 

 

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not yet hooked as a collector, being more a cheapskate/pauper starting to explore means of obtaining good quality tools for not a lot of cash. The price, of course, includes the frequent need for a bit of fettling and some extra effort and/or time in use. I suspect proper collectable stuff might be wasted on me. Fortunately, the world has no shortage of rusty junk for me to harvest and butcher. 

[Pete the Elaner]

6 minutes ago, PatB said:

 

Very nice. As mentioned, I think my next purchase will be a Yankee or two.

 

I believe Yankee is a trade mark for Stanley's version (which is exactly what mine is). I had wanted one for a while, buying it new some time in the 1990s I think. I believe the earlier ones had wooden handles, but mine has a plastic one. I believe they made them in 2 or 3 sizes & I think I have the largest. It rotates twice for 1 'plunge'

It seems they don't make them any more. I am not surprised because most people seem to prefer electric drill/drivers now.

I bought a cheaper one more recently but it felt like it cost...cheap.

[swampy]

4 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Plenty of drills so far.

I don't like electric screwdrivers very much. The lack of feel helps to chew up screw heads.

I prefer this: My spiral ratchet.

When building baseboards a few years ago, a friend mocked me for using it, so I challenged him to a race which I never expected to win. Each baseboard had 14 screws, so we had 7 each, but we only had 1 drill, so he had to drill the holes then change bits before screwing in his 7 screws, then change back to the drill bit.

It was a draw, but I have never enjoyed building boards so much.

I remember being impressed by one of these on Barry Bucknell's diy program in the 50s/60s, when he "modernised" a terrace house in London ( I think), by nailing sheets of hardboard over panelled doors, building wardrobes/cupboards etc.  

[PatB]

And, of course, one was used to dramatic effect, by Robert de Niro in the movie Brazil. 

[ikks]

19 hours ago, PatB said:

 

Very nice. As mentioned, I think my next purchase will be a Yankee or two. My brother acquired a substantial one ~30 years ago, and I remember being very impressed with its abilities. By the time I had need to drive screws quickly, I no longer had access to it, and, anyway, battery drill-drivers had come of age. Now, as I get older, I'm increasingly interested in means of doing things without external energy sources. 

 

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not yet hooked as a collector, being more a cheapskate/pauper starting to explore means of obtaining good quality tools for not a lot of cash. The price, of course, includes the frequent need for a bit of fettling and some extra effort and/or time in use. I suspect proper collectable stuff might be wasted on me. Fortunately, the world has no shortage of rusty junk for me to harvest and butcher. 

No worries.........Mike

[Tim V]

It does annoy me when I see old tools being sold as 'collector's items', tools are made for using.

 

I have a number of 'old tools' that are in regular use - must get round to photographing them for this thread!

[DIW]

A good source of old tools is your local car boot sale - when our part of the world gets back to something approaching the 'old normal'. Tools there range in price from really cheap/good value to hopelessly ambitious, depending on whether the seller is someone having a clear-out or the local carboot version of Gostude. The quality of the tools ranges of course, from pristine right down to odd-unknown-broken-bits.

There is usually no recognisable correlation between the price and the quality!

 

[Nick Gough]

I have this old, hand operated pillar drill.

Unfortunately the chuck end wobbles slightly around its axis so it's not completely accurate.

[Stuart Birks]

I remember dad getting this second hand about 50 years ago. It seemed old then so I have no idea of its real age. I modified it to hold a standard 42mm collar when I inherited it. It is superb, rock solid and absolutely no play in the column with a very smooth action.

 

I dont think any modern one would match it.

 

Stu

[PatB]

15 minutes ago, Nick Gough said:

I have this old, hand operated pillar drill.

Unfortunately the chuck end wobbles slightly around its axis so it's not completely accurate.

Lovely bit of kit there. I particularly like the big flywheel to assist in maintaining a steady speed. Pity about the wobble, but it would probably be fixable, should you ever need greater accuracy. 

6 minutes ago, Stuart Birks said:

I remember dad getting this second hand about 50 years ago. It seemed old then so I have no idea of its real age. I modified it to hold a standard 42mm collar when I inherited it. It is superb, rock solid and absolutely no play in the column with a very smooth action.

 

I dont think any modern one would match it.

 

Stu

Dad had a Wolf 1/4" electric drill that he inherited (I think) from his father, so it probably dated from the mid 50s at the latest. Small, and extremely noisy, but it did have an air of good quality about it with its die-cast ally casing. Even at a fairly tender age, I found the combination of ancient electrical equipment and shiny bare metal somewhat worrying. I believe Wolf made a wide range of accessories for the basic drill, of which I assume your stand to be one. I've not seen one in the metal, but it looks rather well engineered. I'm pretty sure there was a small lathe, possibly intended to be mounted in a vice, plus the usual circular saw and sanding bits and pieces. 

[5050]

I remember the adverts in magazines for the Wolf drills.  I've still got my original Black and Decker orange coloured electric drill and circular saw attachment,  Very noisy by today's standards but powerful.  In saw mode it's lethal!  Now overtaken by assorted battery ones which have nothing like the longevity.  The one main thing against it is having to be aware of the lead and how far from the socket one can go.  i also have a generic sanding attachment which is, shall we say, not very good!

[Nick Gough]

Talking of Wolf drills....

My dad's old Wolf Cub, which I believe he bought new in 195-?

It hasn't been used for many years, and I'm not sure that I'm brave enough to try plugging it in!

[Paperlad]

This was my Dad’s which I kept after he passed away.

[Paperlad]

I have no idea what this is!

[57xx]

3 minutes ago, Paperlad said:

I have no idea what this is!

 

Looks very much like an O ring expander.

[Paperlad]

And these were my Father In-law’s, sadly also passed away.

[Dave John]

Hi 57xx, those things were used  for putting silicone tubing type insulation on electrical wires. The idea is that you put an inch or so of tubing over the prongs , squeeze to open it up then push the wire through.  Make the soldered joint on the end of the wire then slide the tubing over it to insulate and support the wire. 

 

They were known in the trade as "honeymoon pliers". 

 

 

[Bochi]

Here's one I picked up a few years ago at a fair - it's a Hobbies drill. I've used it many times for drilling pilot holes. Works a treat! It dates from the 1910s-20s or thereabouts.