# Cool Old Tools



## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

So my old man gave me this case of tools that belonged to his Dad, I never met him because he passed away when my Dad was only about 9 years old. My grandpa was quite the wood worker though, and he built this case to carry around when he did little jobs for people, it had some of his hand drills, saws, hand planes and drill bits, and probably the coolest part of all is this huge clamp that came with it.

I find it really interesting looking at how this case was built, his carpentry was damn good for having done it by hand, my pops said it was build sometime in the 1930's. He made a little thing to hold his saws in place, and the way it opens is cool too so the tools dont fall out… More pics to come but for now take a peek at this old wooden clamp, that is a 2 foot level sitting on top, its a beast! Should I do anything to refinish it, although it has some wear it still looks pretty cool…

I dont really know what to do with the hand drills, I've used a couple of them and they actually still work pretty well, and there are a lot of bits that came with them, but there must be 5 drills, and probably 20 or more bits. Maybe I can hang them on the wall for decoration??

There were two hand planes in the box as well, one of them is a Stanley (forgot the # but can update this later) and the other I am not sure if it is a Stanley as well, but they both say build in USA and are made with some very heavy steel. One has a broken handle that I plan on replacing. Hand planes are something that I do not have in my collection of tools and the more that I read the more I realize they are essential for every workshop. I haven't bought any yet because I want to find some nice one that aren't super expensive.

Any ideas on what type of wood I should use when I get to restore the hand planes? And will it hurt at all if I sand blast them( i can use plastic or glass media we have 2 blast cabinets at work, but I would probably just use plastic and I dont see it hurting them, but I won't blast the bottom of the plane that touches the wood ).

I will post a couple more pics of the hand tools when I get home tonight and if anyone has any ideas for them let me know! But this clamp alone is worth a post….


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Sounds like a great score, always good to have family stuff. If you want to clean the clamp try mineral spirits. I'm not sure they need a finish, I don't have any of those type. Boiled linseed oil is a very traditional finish, but others can chip in if it needs anything. If it really needs cleaning you could try turpentine and/or mendota's plane polish, which you can make yourself if you want. You might consider using the hand drills. They're the original cordless drills and they never have dead batteries. But if you have no interest in woodworking the way gramps did then decoration wouldn't be a bad thing.

The toolbox sounds great. Post pictures.


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

All the questions about fixing up the planes could be better answered with photos. Sometimes the tote (handle) can be repaired rather than replaced. Depends on how bad it is. The old favorite species to use for that seems to be rosewood.


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

What you call the hand drill is probably the bit/brace variety. They work but in the age of cordless drills, probably only junk value. I'll pay postage if you want to ship them to me. Just kidding there…there are a lot of people that insist on using the old tools and they will have some value for somebody. They are still produced and sold in stores around here (great for people building without power).


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

Here are a bunch of pics of the toolbox and the tools in it, One of the planes is a Stanley, the other I don't know, but the bigger one is the one that will need a new 'tote'....


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## shelly_b (Aug 8, 2012)

You are a lucky man! That is an awesome set!


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

The larger plane is made by Ohio Tool (turn the lever cap over, on bass ackwards) and the smaller one a Shelton. The Ohio 04 looks like it has a crack in it's side wall?

The large handsaw with the extra hole is a D-8? Rip saw, with a "Thumbhole" handle. Nice!


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## Dakkar (Feb 14, 2013)

That's a great box of fine old tools that have stories behind them, I'm sure. I wouldn't sandblast any old hand tool. They need more gentle restoration than that. There are a lot of times I still use hand powered drills. They're good for drilling into any sort of fragile material that a power drill would probably split. They can be good for drilling plastics, for instance. You'd be hard pressed to find a power drill bit as long as some of those in that tray, too. Many woodworkers prefer brace bits for drilling like that.


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

bandit - so that is a thumbhole in the handsaw, I kind of thought that might be what it was for but not sure! There another handsaw behind that one as well… So are the Ohio and Shelton planes a quality brand? And yes the Ohio had a crack at some point but it was repaired, someone repaired with a piece of brass, it looks like it was brazed on there.. And man that is impressive, you know your planes!

Dakkar - I will take your advice and spare them from the blast cabinet! I was pretty surprised at how sharp some of those bits are, I don't know that I will ever use them, but I will spruce the drills and saws up a bit just in case!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Both the Shelton and the Ohio are good tools, along with just about everythign else in the old toolbox. Ill be on the contrary of what dakkar said and say if you want to sand blast them down and repaint them go for it. Not neccesary for a properly functioning plane but thats all up to you. Personally, i leave the paint as is on my planes but its all a matter of opinion. The Irwin bits are well regarded and give those old braces a chance, theyre actually a lot of fun to use. The smaller eggbeater drills will serve you well with smaller diamter bits and the braces better with the larger diameter ones.

BTW - ive got a rust lust over that Shelton, i dont know much about them, but it looks similar to the Sargent auto sets. Could be a real diamond in the rough there.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Here's a cool link to what appears to be the same style of plane you have there … http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS-joinerTools/0-planes/Shelton/history/Shelton-history-1.asp


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

Thank you for the link Smitty - that is awesome. I see Shelton was sold to Stanley in 1952, that must be why I thought it was a Stanley, but I think it is just the blade for it that says Stanley.. I would LOVE it if I could make the Shelton look like the one in the link you posted!

Yeah I just want to dress them up a little bit, prior to these I had no hand planes in my shop but have been looking for a while just dont have the $ for nice ones. I need to make one of those sharpening jigs… is emery cloth okay to use to clean up the little bit of rust on the blades before I sharpen them? I guess now I need to make one of those sharpening jigs I've seen here on LJ's lately!


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## felkadelic (Jun 12, 2011)

7Footer-The second hole in the saw is actually so you can put your second hand on the saw during heavy cuts. From vintagesaws.com:

"The D8 rip saw is special in that the blade had the famous "finger hole" handle. Most people think that this hole is for the forefinger of the hand controlling the saw. Actually, this hole is to place the thumb of the hand not holding the saw to gain extra force when doing long rip jobs. Usually only outfitted on rip saws, the handle could be special ordered on cross cut versions of the saw as well. True versions of this saw are rare, and can only be verified by blades stamped with numbers 8 and up. The D8 rip saw was only made in point sizes 7 and coarser."

I have a D8 myself, and actually do cut this way fairly often.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

7 - Youve probably got just a Stanley iron on it, many times they were swapped out with whatever parts were laying around. You can make it look like the link with a bit of work and research. For cleaning up the blade i use Evaporust if its really rusty. You can start with a wire wheel to remove the heavy rust then onto some coarse grit sandpaper, say 120 grit and move your way up from there. There's a ton of blogs around here on celaning and tuning planes. Dig right in, but be warned, refurbing planes and old tools is a sickness. Ive been afflicted for several years now and there is no known cure. It only gets worse.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Nice tool collection. Congratulations.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

I have been looking at planes for a while, but I think that since I've never used a really nice one, I haven't gotten the sickness yet, there are so many woodworking related afflictions(cutting boards, mallets, jigs, etc.), my wife is telling me I am a hoarder already. lol!


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Actually, that Ohio #4 is a #4-1/2! Worth even more than the standard #4. Might even be "Gloat Worthy"....


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

I think its actually a #4-1/4? Not sure if that makes a difference tho….


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I just sent you a PM about the Ohio tools. It is a #4 1/4. Yes it makes a big difference. I'd love to have that for my Ohio tools collection and its a fairly rare size. As far as I know Ohio tools was the only one that made it.

Edit: Sorry, I got so excited about the #4 1/4 I forgot about the rest. That thumbhole disston is to die for and you'll find the drills pretty handy. I wouldn't suggest just hanging them up for displays. Put them to use.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

The bit braces are very good quality ones, at least the red handled one is. I can't see the 2nd one very well.


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## OnlyJustME (Nov 22, 2011)

Awesome kit there. Looks like Grandpa new to get quality tools. Wish i got a treasure trove like that from my gramps. I'd say put them all to use and let them tell you stories of your grandpa and get to know him.


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## sergiozal (Jan 11, 2011)

Yeah… a great kit indeed. The toolbox design is something worth to copy !


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