Hand Tools

recent habitat restore finds

First time, for me, seeing this. Pretty cool.

I was using a rat-tail rasp this morning and noted my comment on it that it had been sharpened. Did you know that you can have sharpened files, rasps, and other such tools?. I have used Boggs Tool https://boggstool.com/. They cost just a few dollars each. Since you have to pay shipping, it pays to send a few at once, or get together with a buddy. If the tool is beyond sharpening, they will discard or return at your request. They told me they'd make my Nicholson patternmaker's rasp sharper than new.

One of last year's find at the Covered Bridge Festival yielded one of my prized push drills now that I have it operational. A Millers-Falls, Model 100 (aka Buck Rogers). Found it in a pile of stuff but no price. I finally found the vendor and asked how much for this...He replied "I don't even know what that is...how about $3.75?" I couldn't get my money clip out fast enough...I didn't know how many bits were trapped inside, but it had an original tube which contained several I could tell. Mom's illness came shortly thereafter, then all the trips & time to the hospital, the nursing home, then eventually her passing, many things were placed on the back burne…

Well, yesterday, I finished up using a #45 as a Plough plane, to cut grooves with...then it was packed up.. And put back up on it's shelf...This mornings hand tools started here.. Yes, it is a hand tool..as I need to get a few pencils needle sharp.. Plus a square and a mallet..and a bit of sand paper..goal being to work on the drawer sides...They need tails milled on the bandsaw, but... The square and a sharp pencil was need to lay the tails out. Drawer sides were as trimmed to final length..on a "Mitersaw" A "Cordless" one, at that...Langdon No. 72c.. It does a good job of making a square cut.. …

Interesting story. I have a couple older versions picked up at yard sales. Also a few knock-off versions received as gifts or promotional stuff including one about 1/2 scale which is pretty handy. I keep one in my pocket anytime I'm out with the gas powered string trimmer; Very handy when the line breaks and gets trapped in the spool. Do you own one. How do you use it. Gimmick or useful?

I was perusing FB Marketplace and found this lil gem. The description reads "Workbench made by aviation engineer". I'm going to give this bench all the respect it deserves, it's a wonderful DIY example of what appears to be from my experience seeing many shop items like this from mid century modern era, a bench made by a home shop man from the 1950's to the 1970's I think. It's a collapsible bench, he/she obviously made it to travel or more likely to fold up and out of the way while not in use. The fact it was made by an aviation engineer is kind of fun, if that is true you can see some thought and invention put into this bench. they had a lot of fun…

I am considering purchasing some mortise chisels. My two companies to choose from are Blue Spruce Toolworks, and Lie-Nielsen. I can see from the product page on Blue Spruce that their chisels have a full metal tang, and are currently on sale, with the sale to end March 18. Do the Lie-Nielsen also have a full tang? Their product page doesn't show one way or the other, and the description also doesn't say. Disregarding price, which brand would you choose?

Just ordered my Miller Falls Tshirt from Mr Sawdust. I got the Dark Olive color, seemed old timey to me that color. I'll let ya'll know how it is when it arrives!

Was down in the shop, to take a few photos...and took a few "extra" ones.. Center is a bit busy... Lower half of the Left door..and looked up a bit.. Just a few saws...drill is a Goodell Pratt...with 3 jaws, more for twist drill bits.. What I was down there for? Seems another site was asking about English made Stanley planes... Figured I could show them my #4c made in England..... Just hanging around...

The video below appeared in my watch list a few days ago. I estimate its been 57 years since I last saw it. There is a back story; 8th grade Jr High, all boys were required to take, IIRC, 8 weeks each of woodworking, drafting, metal working/basic mechanics and to be well rounded, 8 weeks of home economics. The intended goal was to determine required freshman class choices of either one semester of woodworking, then one semester of metal working/ mechanics or two semesters of drafting (home-ec not an option as a freshman boy) One of the first things we did in our woodworking class was to watch this very video. Later in class, any misuse or damage to…

Over the years I've read about sharpening on Japanese whetstones and always cringed slightly when I looked at the cost of a set of them. Besides I have plenty of other ways to sharpen my chisels/plane irons/scrapers/whatever. But on another forum a fellow posted he had a set to gist to someone, it had already been up 10 minutes when i saw it and no one asked for them....so I did. He even paid to ship them to me. The USPS wasn't kind however, and one stove got a small chip in a corner (still in the package), and the opposite side of that same stone was cracked. Regardless, both are still usable, flat as Kansas, and he even gave me the stone holder for use. I've wanted to t…

With all the stress going on here, then my Daughter brings all 5 of her kids to the house to "clean things up"....IF I had stayed at the house any longer Friday...it would NOT be very pretty...lets say Day 2 on Paris Island....yeah, THAT level....decided to just grab a coat and hat, a mountain dew zero, and take a long drive....Just some "Me Time" away from everybody... Bypassed the store in Urbana, OH. , already shopped that one out....headed on south to Harmony, OH. to visit Heart of Ohio Antique Center....and look for items the shop DOESN'T have..found 2 items...then drove over to Titus Road...to Springfield Antiques....and found 2 more items... …

One of the 3 handplanes I have "picked" over the past week..was from a store in Mount Victory, OH. Place is called The Tin Cup..plane? Was that "Pick of the Litter #3...1 out of 7...Price was $19 out the door. Ok, the grinder I used to use to rehab planes and sharpen things,,,DOA...had to go to Harbor Freight.. And new wheels from Ace Hardware...Got the new grinder all set up in the shop.. "some assembly required.. Had the sanding center ready to go.. Mainly using the disc to sharpen things.. Time to tear the plane down.. This is a #3 sized plane.. Ugly? Handles were…

I'm excited because they offer a left hand version plus eliminated blade chatter. Order now. These will sell out quick. Lee Valley Lastest Veritas

Upson Nut Co Andrew Upson was the President of the Upson Nut Co which was established in 1872. The Standard Rule Co was the youngest firm in this group. Standard Rules factory was located in Unionville, Connecticut. Within three years the Standard Rule co had become the fourth largest ruler manufacturer in the United States. It is not known if they began operation from scratch or by purchasing another rule manufacturer. The Standard Rule Co. used the same nomenclature and rule numbering as Stanley. By the turn of the century most small rule makers in the United States had either ceased operations or been bought out by the large Connecticut makers. By t…

Was out and about, trying to find a holder for the Dies I had bought....Dies are 3/4" diameter...Lowes? No holder that would fit..but.. Picked 4 boards...1/2" x 6 x24"...maybe a project coming up? I had already been to Menard's....Screen Door hinges, and Thought this might come in handy... Tried the Tractor Supply stores...nada..then went to Harbor Freight....struck out...but, noticed a price reduction.... normally these are around $15.....these were $9.95+ tax.... I still have 2 that I bought 20-30 years ago.. 3/4" and 1"...Compare to the same sizes of the new set.. Handles were bigg…

National Worship of Tools Day https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-worship-of-tools-day-march-11#:~:text=March 11th is National Worship,is you keep your tools.

M-WTCA-PA Antique Tool Trading Iron Spire (Black Angus), 2800 North Reading Road Adamstown, PA 19501 3rd covered pavilion 2024 Dates at Daybreak Sunday, April 21 Sunday, September 29 $20 Members fee for booth (2 tables), donuts and pizza. Payable day of set-up ADVANCE NOTICE 2 weeks before date to: Rick Weymer, raw2LS@hotmail.com 717-725-4451