I was visiting my best friend’s dad the other day and he was in his little basement shop, where he has tons of old hand tools that his father gave him (Disston saws, Stanley planes, that kind of stuff). It got me thinking-are there any tools made nowadays that could be considered potential hand-me-downs that will be revered like those old Disstons and Stanleys? Everyone (well, almost everyone) seems to love their Stabilas, but do you can you really see a brisk aftermarket for them in 40-50 years? Bad example, probably, buy you get the idea…
I know, lame topic, but it’s late and I’m tired.
Replies
John, I think any high quality tool has the potential of being 'revered and handed down' - - possibly not the cordless tools so much, because of the battery issue - - certainly L-N planes -
wish I had a Conover lathe to hand down....
" Daddy..it's about time..buy that lathe. " David, I feel the same.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
These are the things in my shop that I imagine will carry my spirit when I am gone.
Which I hope is looooong time from now.
Eastwing hammer
Fiskars garden shears
Laguna bandsaw
homemade 6 foot prybar
Nice brass bevel and machineist square
I thought of only tools that I purchased new, that had the heft and line that makes me think heirloom of tommorrow.
-Steve
http://www.lukeworks.com
Ran across this yesterday. Wish I'd gotten there first.....
http://www.supertool.com/etcetera/pchest/pattern.htm
Joe H
thanks for the link to the story, Joe - - goose-bumps - -
I've got G-Grandpa's tool chest, and another from DW g-uncle - G-Grandpa's had been plundered over the years as had DW uncle's (to a lesser extent - there were several useful tools in it) - I've spent 25 years filling them up, and the collection will get a lot of things done, but it's not much in comparison to Jewett's chest - - whadda story - -"there's enough for everyone"
Hey, Johnnie:
Quality tools are quality tools, no matter how you come by them. If they come with the memory and smell of a loved one, they are that much more valuable.
I've got my grandad's (and his dad's before him) carving tools that are over a hundred years old. There's knives and chisels made from old saw blades and files. There's hand jigs. The steel in some of these are master quality - they take extra care to maintain and it's a shame I can't really put them to good use. A true master could really appreciate them for the tools that they are - me? I just love them because they remind me of men that I love who have left me.
My favorite is a hand plane with a beautiful wooden handle. It has years of finger and thumb wear in the wood and is burnished to a beautiful dark, golden oak. What could be better?
The tools to create the homestead are valued where I'm from, so I cherish this stuff more than diamonds.
I've also got my great, grandfather's smoking stand that was made with these tools. It's a good life.......
Actually, I'm simple folk, and where I'm from "the old ways" are valued. Hunting with black powder or bow is a lost artt that is something to be valued. Keep the old stuff, man, and don't be embarassed that it means something.......ya know?
Edited 3/14/2005 12:49 pm ET by UBuildIt
There was a thread started here a buncha moons ago..I posted a picture of a sidewinder I bought off of Ebay. Who remembers where that pic was? Whatever.
I wanted a lighter saw than my DW wormer...so I search Ebay and see a Porter Cable sidewinder for eighty bucks and I bid on it and got it.
Was the novelty of it. Couldn't help myself...it must have been made within ten years of PC's first saw.
Its all metal and weighs more than my table saw.....lol....
but its cool : ) doesn't that count?
Be well
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I have a very few Bridge City Toolworks items...
I think they will be pretty good hand-me-downs :-)
http://www.bridgecitytools.com/ok_default.html
I have a few measuring tools that belonged to my grandfather with his initials on them that I'm proud to own and hope to pass on. Two out of my four corded Milwaukee drills should easily outlive me and do good work for the next generation of dustynlefties. The woodworking and metal working vises from relatives will live on; hopefully the workbenches from the 1950's and earlier can get used. I've got a Stanley 45 plane (the art deco ? body) that talks to me about the old time craft standards. I didn't inherit that one but bought it used, but I'd like to pass it along as an heirloom.
Dusty and Lefty
I wonder how long before my old pre-Pentuium PC with win95 will be considered an heirloom tool?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I would guess about the same time you are :)
I have a bunch of the original IBM PC's, 8088 and 640k, DOS 3.3. I figure they'll be sort of like the model "T" some day.
-- J.S.
Maybe Mom should hang onto her Commodore 64!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
FIL started out on an 'Osborne', which may mean something to a few people - - it is considered a collectors item - - - for a while they were bringing good value, haven't checked on prices in a long time -
an interesting machine with a built-in small screen - -
"there's enough for everyone"
"I wonder how long before my old pre-Pentuium PC with win95 will be considered an heirloom tool?"Never!
LN Planes. I have a collection of old Planes, the complete Stanley bench line (except #1), and some real oddballs. One I have I saw on E-bay for over $1000. Thar's money in them thar tools! Hang onto the ones you love.
inherited 8 inch beaver table saw and many hand tools from my late father in law. including tools to make and repair fish nets. No one here knows how to make fish nets, but it is nice to just look at them and remember the man as he was.
A little while ago I was talking to a clever welder mate about 6' bars. I said every one of them I had used that had been bought new was crap. I could bend it, then the bend was pemanent. Waste of money.
He told me he had a friend who custom made suspension part for cars, HE could make me a truly indestructable bar. Coooooooool
I picked it up yesterday. Its beautiful. He said if I could bend it he would eat his welding helmet.
So, tomorrow I am going to work that sucker HARD. If it passes it will be a treasured tool that will likely still be treasured a hundred years from now.
If it fails, I will offer him some sauce with his helmet and ask him nicely for another one, just a bit tougher than the last. <G>
Everything, 100% of it, depends on how you look at it.
DW