Who collects what?
Most of you know I collect hammers and antique bevels.
Anyone collect old saws, planes, chissels, or other tools?
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What is the thumb screw on the end of the bevels. I have never seen that.
I have an old one. The handle is wood with brass plates on the end. To lock the bevel there is a brass level nut on a bolt at the pivot point.
The blade is marked "Stanley Pat 3-16-97".
I started collecting old planes about 15 years ago before they became "collectible". I picked up one here and there for less than 10 bucks generally. Now forget it, but I still keep my eye out at tag and garage sales for anything old and cheap.
I have a couple of bow saws, and also a couple of two man saws like the ones you might see now that someone has painted that quaint NE scene on. A homemade auger drill (the bit is part of the tool) similiar to a brace. A couple of bevel and try squares. Sorry no photos.
Eric
o.k. I've got an old rpm guage ( tachometer?) it has a probe with a sharpened end on it, you push it on a spinning crankshaft, it turns(by worm gear) a dial, which you count how many times it spins against you wristwatch.
Says "Starrett 4-13-97" , your bevel is a month older.
Those "tachometers" like the one you have were used on threshing machines. You needed a specific speed on specific shafts, and there were no tachs on the tractors to give you an idea how fast things were spinning. There certainly could have been other uses I don't know about, too.
I'd like to find one of them someday..........
I don't collect anything specific. When older friends pass away, I try to buy something from their estate to remember them by. So I have an old hand grinder, froe, Firestone hand plane, folding handle drawknife, and stanley angle gauge.
I like knowing who owned the tool, rather than just having tools.Dare to be stupid. [Weird Al Yankovic]
Bill- that is what I find so unique about these old bevels , the tightening screw is at the end instead of the side. The Pat'd date is 7/14/1908. So next time you're in an antique store you'll know what to ask for. I've been paying $15.00 for some and I got 3 on Ebay for $17.00Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Somehow started collecting old stanley planes. Kinda like to get a bevel like in your pics now that I've seen one. Gotta get a digital camera. Half of good livin' is staying out of bad situations.
I have one of those antique bevels, real nice having the screw at the end. I also have a Eureka bevel which I think is pretty and in mint condition. I collect planes, saws (have at least 8 Disstons now), and pretty much anything I can use. There are some deals out there, you just need to know where to look. The key to all these tools is knowing how sharpen them. Learning how to sharpen handsaws and irons has helped my woodworking skills exponentially.
I have a bevel like those in your picture. I like the design so much, I still carry it on my pouches. Now that I know how old it is I may have to put it up in the shop with some of my grandad's tools.TCW Specialists in Custom Remodeling.
Tim I have had one of those Bevels in my bags for about 10 years. That is one of the great features of this style of bevel. It slips in and out of your bags easily. I have to give it a WD-40 bath all the time but it works great. Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Here is a picture of what I have that I got from the internet. It's a Stanley #25. I don't know how they measure them, but I am guessing that it is a 12", that is the length of the blade.
Here is a link to the source. Looks like my was made from 1898-1903. http://users.ev1.net/~gmuster/TypeStudy/stanno25tbevtypestudy.htm
I am not sure where it came from. I think that I got it from my step-father. But I have not idea where it came from, because he did not do any woodworking and just had a few "home repair tools".
My father was did some woodworking, but he died when I was nine. I do have a brace and few other things from him. But most of his tools disapeared over the years. He had a number of draw knives, but I don't know what for. None of the stuf that I remembered that he had made would have used a draw knife.
Edited 12/10/2002 9:31:47 AM ET by Bill Hartmann
Bill those are the best bevels to collect for what I call indoor work. The wood handles will not hold up in the wet outdoors very well. Pricewise, the wood and brass bevels are worth ALOT more in the antique resale world. Nice collection, you should put those in a nice wood case with felt backing and glass front.Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bill- Roar! I have two of those bevels I use in my tools and was just saying the other day how I need to get a smaller one for certain situations. Half of good livin' is staying out of bad situations.
I never intended to do this, but I found myself getting so many of the following that I think I qualify as collecting them: (a) Yankee push drills and screwdrivers, (b) planes, (c) drawknives, (d) the old, 2 amp shiny aluminum drill motors.
It's almost embarrassing at times...
Bill Houghton
I got this dead tape measure thing goin on...(same pic twice, sorry folks!)
That's too funny Greg, when Stanley runs outta cases I'll know where to send them.:-)Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
cool, Bob!
thats when I'll be pullin in the big bucks!
I collect drawknives....have over 50...the oldest is vintage 1819....and it's the nicest to use.
Have a few logging handsaws including a 7' hollow-ground Disston from the '30's. And a complete Stanley 55 plane/moulder set, never used....bought new in 1935 by my paternal Grandfather. Price on the box: $47.50.
Jules Quaver for President 2004
I think those old logging handsaws are great. They are getting harder and harder to find. Artists are painting scenes on them all.Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I've always felt it a desicration to paint a saw; especially a good one. I guess that's maybe because I was about 13 before we had a chain saw, and it was a pain in the petuti. My Dad had fallen and bucked timber earlier on so we had a good stable of falling and bucking 2-man handsaws and one of my brothers and I cut up a lot of old growth windfalls for firewood (what a waste!).
Dad kept the saws sharp and tuned up and they were actually kind of enjoyable to use on a big log. Once you get a rythm going, they cut pretty fast.Jules Quaver for President 2004
I hate to say it but calling some of them artists is stretching it a bit far...
Needless to say im not a huge fan of scenery saws.
I agree Bill- some of them artist have been watchin to much TV, you know, the guy with the Brillo pad hair do that says " you can do anything in your little world".Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I've been told that I collect NEW tools........does that count?
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
John- If you live long enough, it is fun to see even the new tools become collectors items, that's why I collect new hammers. Some of my $65. hammers are selling for $350. on E-bay, because the manufacturer has stopped making them anymore.(Mine are not for sale).
Some of my hammers were purchased online, the companys are out of business, so that makes that brand of hammer really go up in price.
Whatever you decide to collect, be sure and catalog it by picture, date, price paid, est. worth, then save it to a disc,(copy to your homeowners insurance) then keep that disc in a safety deposit box in case your house burns down.
But most of all have fun!Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I really like collecting dollar bills, hundreds at a time :-)
Well, you get the "honor" of reading my 1st post @ Breaktime.
(I actually registered so I could respond to a "Should I join the union?" question (I'm a union carpenter and the answers yes!) but after registering I was trying to navigate back to the Union question and ran across this thread.)
I also happen to be a tool collector/dealer. I'm not a focused diehard type collector, just keep what I like or currently think is cool.
Lot's of wood trade related items, not just carpenters tools, but also cabinetmaker, cooper's, patternmaker's, joiners,casketmaker, etc.
I've kept almost everything 18th century or older that I've found (picked-up a pre-revolutionary war moulding plane last week). Tend to keep "pretty" tools, rosewood, ebony, boxwood, ivory, silver,etc.
Alot of neat "craftsman made" pieces; blacksmith made items, patternmaker made planes and shaves, items made out of files (historically, old files were one of the few sources of quality steel for local tradesmen).
Geographically interesting items. I'm from Toledo OH, so I keep Toledo and Ohio made tools. There happen to be some very desirable Toledo made levels (actually inclinometers), and we were home to one producer of double claw hammers.
Other types of tools I have are oddball patented wrenches, 19th century machinists tools, lots and lots of planes, chisels, rules, saws, squares, plumb bobs, advertising, old trade books and catalogs,etc, etc.
Anyone who reads FWW, or would read this forum probably has enough of the tool bug in them to appreciate old tools and there uses.
Tool collecting isn't just about the item in hand, it's about the history of it's design, manufacture and the tradesmen and trades it was used in.
I can honestly say my interest in tools has made me an appreciably better carpenter. My hand tool skills have been greatly expanded and improved by my exposure to vintage tools and techniques. At some point in doing good or even productive work, there are things that can be done better, or w/less effort, or w/less mess w/hand tools.
Coop.
Welcome -Coopersuter- Sounds like you have a great collection, and appretiation for old tools for quality crafsmanship.Now being the youngster that I am I don't recall the double claw hammer. Does that mean it has a claw at both ends? If so doesn't that make it hard to hit the nail?
I hear you , reguarding less mess, with hand tools vs power tools, but then I'm one of those guys that thinks more sawdust means more progress :-)
Thanks for Posting
And don't forget to visit http://www.quittintime.com once in a while too.Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Don't worry PD, I'm no silverback myself, I'm 38.
Never seen a double claw on a job either.
The double claws are both on the same end like a regular claw hammer, but there's two of them.
The theory was that you'd hook the nail w/one claw and pull it so far, then go back and get better leverage w/the second claw to finish the job.
On the Toledo made ones the second claw is small and hard to miss, there were other makes where the second claw is plenty obvious.
There's even such a thing as a triple claw. Very rare. No ones exactly sure who made them, but they've all turned-up in the Dayton-Cincinnati Ohio area. Were probably some small manufacturers or blacksmith's "better mousetrap" idea. never caught on, hence their rarity.
So far as new tool hoarding, it's pretty much the same instinct as old tool collecting, but w/out the treasure-hunt/digging aspect. Half the fun of old tools is the search. It takes some of the fun out of it's only a matter of $ and walking into a store to get something.
I'm awful new here to be using this analogy(do you get flamed for quasi-sexist remarks around here?), but I always say "Women buy shoe's, guys buy tools." Same concept at work here. Having a bad day? Bored? Got some $ burning a hole in your pocket? Buy a tool/shoe, you feel better for a while. The shopping's fun. You might even convince yourself your gonna use/wear that tool/shoe. Even when it ends-up gathering dust in the toolbox/closet you still get a certain contentment out of the ownership as the tools/shoes build-up.
There's a whole relm of collectable tools that fall under the Rube Goldberg heading. Someones better mouse trap/ginsu knife/veggo-matic tool of the day. Many times well made, but over engineered and/or to complex or goofy to be easily used and accepted. The inventiveness of the human mind is really boggling and entertaining. The double-ended crescent wrench is a common example of a OK concept that just didn't pan-out. The idea was that you'd have say a 4" adjustable on one end of the wrench, and a 6" on the other. Twice the working range in one tool. Not real comfortable to use all day though. Not really uncommon, but a tool evolutionary dead-end.
Coop.
Here are some places on the web that pertain to old tools and collecting. Please, take the online dealers prices w/ a BIG grain of salt. there's loads more if you wanna do a google or such.
Coop
Sites
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0.htm
http://home.southwind.net/~donhaury/
Dealers
http://www.antique-used-tools.com/
http://www.mjdtools.com/
http://www.davidstanley.com/index.html
http://www.antiquetools.co.uk/
http://www.thebestthings.com/infill.htm
http://www.wowpages.com/ftj/bas/samples99.html#2
New Tools
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00096.asp
http://www.holteyplanes.com/
http://www.jimleamyplanes.com/plow-planes.htm
Old too message boards
http://www.wwforum.com/cgi-bin/forum_main/handtool.cgi
http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/index.phtml
All you tool collectors your thread could take a great turn by taking one old tool at a time and showing pictures and explaining how they were used and how it improved your job performance.I am looking forward to your inputs.
ANDYSZ2I MAY DISAGREE WITH WHAT YOUR SAYING BUT I WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH YOUR RIGHT TO SAY IT.
Just found a Stanley #32 in a box of tools I've had a while. A hinged head scraper deal. Anyone know its original use?You pompous egotistical redneck, it's not a ponytail. I'm just getting ready for a mean combover and it'll sure look a lot better than yours!
You sure that you have the right number?
The #32 is a folding ruler/caliper. See
http://www.goantiques.com/texis,stanley_carpenter_caliper,3dc2af181f.html
A hinged head scraper deal. Anyone know its original use?
Sure it's not a #70? These are box scrapers, used to scrape labels off wooden boxes before cardboard became ubiquitous. They've got a wooden handle and are about 12" long total. From what I've read they're pretty common. That's the only hinged head scraper I know of.
When people 100 years from now see my work, they'll know I cared. --Matt Mulka
Ah, my mistake. It's a Stanley 82 With wooden handles.
And there's a nail puller with a hinged tooth and a weighted handle that slides that says New JUMBO 1905 The Bridgeport Howe Mfg Co USA
A mean looking pipe cutter that looks like it can take about a 4 inch pipe with little teeth on the citting wheel Only markings are a '0' and a '2'.
A little 10" Stanley plane No. 78.
And a 17" hand drill with a 5" turn gear with teeth on the inside and outside circumference. Wooden handles on the crank and the base handle. Has two gears on the adjustable stem I take for speed change. On the top end a curved scalloped 2"x5" metal plate.
My favorite I have put away for safe keeping and now is lost in the stuff somewhere. A Stanley plane I don't recall the number. I think it was a moulding plane of some sort with like a 1/2inch or so blade in a narrow body. Metal rod(s) coming off it for guides I assume. What I liked about it is it has vines as decoration cast into the body and handle. It cleaned up nice when I oiled it and the black paint on the handle wasn't chipped up and still carries a gloss.
I'll post some pics when I get the digital camera shortly and figure out the technique for posting attachments. You pompous egotistical redneck, it's not a ponytail. I'm just getting ready for a mean combover and it'll sure look a lot better than yours!