Something old tools for the machinists

Scotty,

That is an amazing inheritance and its fortunate that it has gone to someone like yourself who appreciates it. It's pretty cool to think that your grandfather (and others of his generation) depended on these same tools to make a living. I hope I can leave the same legacy and gift to my grand-kids one day.

Congrats.

 

Those Yankee push drills, are the perfect thing for drilling all the little holes to safety wire and zip tie stitch fairings back together Saturday night for Sunday's finals. :up:

 

Cool stuff.
Your dad or grandpa help shape your life.
When they pass they leave you with more than tools.
Tools are a reminder of what they did for a hobby or to earn a living.
But they left way more to us as they showed us how to be men and help us to be the men we have become.
Take a moment to reflect and if any are here on earth call them today.
For the ones that have passed, just take some time to think about all they shared with us.
Very cool stuff you guys shared. Im going to call my dad now.

Steven Isenhower #52 2001 V-6

 

Great piece of family history :up:


I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago, from what I can tell it's from the late teens. It's made by Dalton. Same situation as you except the son was selling all of his dads tools, said he wasn't going to use them. I'm looking forward to cleaning it all up and using it. Never used a lathe before, just couldn't pass up a working piece of history. Guy seemed happy that it was going to someone who would use it and not just sell it, said it would make his dad happy. Counts for something I guess.

 

Make sure that didn't come from and old Dept. of Energy sale.

 

Uh oh, do I need to get you over here with some testing gear? I don't wanna be radioactive man. I'm not cut out to be a super hero. I bought it from an airport hangar, guys dad worked as an airplane mechanic through to the early nineties. Worked on custom aircraft in his spare time, that's what it was for.

 

My Dad was a machinist when he passed in 1977. I got his box by default .. I was a motorcycle mechanic at the time. Same green felt lined wooden box with the diagonal mirror and slide down front panel as the other boxes previously pictured in this thread. Same assortment of mikes, indicators, feeler guages, etc. One interesting thing I found was a collection of washers with numbers stamped in them. Apparently the guys dad worked with would draw lots when important stuff needed to be decided ... who buys the beer or coffee and who takes out the trash.

It sports a nice looking tag with his name on it. Paul Fahey

I'll never part with it.

 

My father had the same box Scotty pictured, loaded with machinists tools.
His father owned a machine shop which is still in existence, although its not in the family anymore (but still has our family name). He worked for Pratt & Whitney for a while, then Portsmouth Navy Yard for many years, with some stints in Charlestown, MA and Groton, CT.
Not sure if I have it or my brother does, I'll have to look for it. I know it contains that same tool whose use has been debated.

 

Grandpas ways....

we get things done a little smoother now a days. Mamma says. cooler toys for cooler toys.

 

Sacrilege, I say!!!!!!

A computer in the background of the picture! :tut:


I have an Atlas 10X36 lathe and a small milling machine that my Dad gave me. He used them to make small (IE: 4 foot long) Live Steam trains that you can ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=j-BaHatOvKY


http://www.njlivesteamers.org/njlivesteamerswebsite/Welcome_to_NJLS.html


In my garage, I use most of those old tools, They still measure things accurately! I have 0.0001" mics I use for measuring pinion bearing clearances. The only new tools are my dial indicator bore gauges I use to measure motorcycle cylinders. I used to use bore snap gauges, and use a mic to measure the snap gauge. Worked fine, but was more tedious.

 

Old Tools

The tool you are asking about is a surface gauge. It was used mostly on a granite surface plate and use for doing layouts. The piece to be machined was coated with Dykm. A long sharp scribe was mounted in the surface gauge and the surface gauge was moved around the item to be machined and marks were made at the correct levels. Old school these days. The ruler you referred to was call a "Scale". Call it a ruler to an old time machinist and he'll bounce it off your forehead. A very cool set of tools. Keep them. Don't refinish the tool chest. Wooden chest were preferred by many old machinists because it was believed the wood would absorb moisture/humidity so the tools were not affected.

Mollydog

 

That's the one. :up: The key to the Machinist Box identification was the the drawer dead center. That drawer was for..... The Machinist Handbook. Or as some called it, "the bible". Cool book for sure.

 

Very cool story, Scott! (& many others that contributed to the thread!)
I have all of my dads old tools.....nothing as cool as this. I know you appreciate craftsmanship, on any level.....as do I. I just respect the guy that can do it himself.

I occasionally toss one of my ol'mans 8mm (or so) wrenches in my pocket for the day, or sometimes a week. I know, its weird. He's been gone since '92.