I was looking for a jig in the shop last night and ran across this plastic box I had forgotten I had put away under the cabinet. My dad purchased this 1/4" 1 1/4" HP Craftsman Router model 17568 in 1983 and it was still in the box with the receipt tucked under the edge of the box. I had opened the box and pulled out the plastic case to see the router some time back and not sure why I threw away the cardboard box.

Anyway, the router has never been plugged up or really out of the box except to put the receipt in the manual to keep it with the router.

So it is a brand new 1983 Craftsman router that has never been used with the receipt where he purchased it for 59.99 plus tax.

So I put the receipt back in the manual and why I didn't save the original box when I opened it I don't know. I usually keep every box that I can. I guess since it was in the plastic case I didn't see a need to keep the cardboard box.

So I will now keep it just as it is, in the box and unused.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

Nice find, John. It looks very much like the first router I owned. I would have bought it in the late '70s.

Gonna pack it back up and hide it again?

Didja find your jig?

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Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Wow what a cool find, even if it was in your own house

I wish they still made 1 1/4HP router's for 59.95. I have been wanting a router for about that long and just haven't been able to afford one. You keep it though, don't get no ideas about sending it to me Since it is now 30 years old and never been used, you have quite a unique antique there that's only 2 years younger than my youngest brother. He was born in 81

Hard to believe it's been that long already

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Charles Nicholls
Site Host
nicholls61@att.net
Proud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRA

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nichollswoodworks

Wow! Receipt and all, too!

Just having your Dad's tools means so much. Like you, I'd keep it just the way it is- unused.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

No I didn't find the jig so I will be making a new one this weekend and I am going to keep it packed up I think. I may at some point do a cabinet in the shop for some of my planes and put it there with them. I don't think I will ever use it.

Gene Howe said:

Nice find, John. It looks very much like the first router I owned. I would have bought it in the late '70s.

Gonna pack it back up and hide it again?

Didja find your jig?

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Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Thanks Lew, it was kinda of special to find it although I am the one that put it away under the cabinets and put stuff in front of it. Having the manual and receipt along with a fold out of Craftsman tools available at that time I think will make a nice keepsake.

Not sure why he purchased it and never took it out of the box. It has his name on the ticket so it wasn't something one of us would have given him as a gift.

Lewis Kauffman said:

Wow! Receipt and all, too!

Just having your Dad's tools means so much. Like you, I'd keep it just the way it is- unused.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

Yea, Charles, I will be hanging on to this since it was dads. It was nice to stumble on it since I was frustrated about not finding my jig. It changed my attitude seeing the plastic box.

Charles Nicholls said:

Wow what a cool find, even if it was in your own house

I wish they still made 1 1/4HP router's for 59.95. I have been wanting a router for about that long and just haven't been able to afford one. You keep it though, don't get no ideas about sending it to me Since it is now 30 years old and never been used, you have quite a unique antique there that's only 2 years younger than my youngest brother. He was born in 81

Hard to believe it's been that long already

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Charles Nicholls
Site Host
nicholls61@att.net
Proud supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, Homes For Our Troops and the NRA

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nichollswoodworks

John,

I'll have to check the model number, but I've got one that looks just like it plastic box and all.

If I only knew where I put it.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

That was my problem too Larry LOL


Larry Buskirk said:

John,

I'll have to check the model number, but I've got one that looks just like it plastic box and all.

If I only knew where I put it.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

LOL, I started with my first router one model before that one. It had the double handles with the trigger switch and I ran that thing forever.

By the way, the router recreator and the router spindlemaker used that style router for both of them

used one of those so much, the shaft-lock broke.....twice.      Wore out the bearings after leaving it as a router-table router.   They ride in pot metal races, and the races just wore away... Wasn't too bad a first router.     I think I still have the plastic bit case and some bits.    Case is a dark brown plastic, and the bit holder just lifts out, have it full of bits at the moment..

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

That is way too cool Mike. I know at one time my dad swore by Craftsman tools. I'm not real sure when the quality went down, but for a long time that is about all he would buy.

dragon1 said:

LOL, I started with my first router one model before that one. It had the double handles with the trigger switch and I ran that thing forever.

By the way, the router recreator and the router spindlemaker used that style router for both of them

Man Steve you must have put that thing through the paces. I do have a router bit case he had, but it wasn't in the plastic box with this router. I think he may have had a couple of others but my brothers probably got them.

steven newman said:

used one of those so much, the shaft-lock broke.....twice.      Wore out the bearings after leaving it as a router-table router.   They ride in pot metal races, and the races just wore away... Wasn't too bad a first router.     I think I still have the plastic bit case and some bits.    Case is a dark brown plastic, and the bit holder just lifts out, have it full of bits at the moment..

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

Lets see, try building 132 chest of drawers, at an average of four drawers each, dovetailed the front corners on each drawer, then make a wide rabbet for a top to sit in, along with any and all molding work.

Xmas time: had over a hundred reindeers to make, with the edges rounded over.     Used the router in the table for that. 

Just plain wore it out...

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Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

Very nice find. Definitely a keeper indeed!

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk.'
J. Vernon McGee

“Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed,
but that we will succeed at something that doesn’t matter.â€
D.L. Moody

hockey sticks, fire it up and use it!!  You won't find another router comparable to the 2 handle control till you get to the d handle pc 690.

Do yourself a favor and remove that little window and use a facesheild with it.  That router of mine was great on climb cuts and cutting slower through the occasional knot on the edge that couldn't be avoided.

I do like the two handles. My Bosch has two handles.

dragon1 said:

hockey sticks, fire it up and use it!!  You won't find another router comparable to the 2 handle control till you get to the d handle pc 690.

Do yourself a favor and remove that little window and use a facesheild with it.  That router of mine was great on climb cuts and cutting slower through the occasional knot on the edge that couldn't be avoided.