Vintage shop equipment and tools....Who still uses it?

I have a thing for vintage tools and equipment. When you look at the engineering and craftmanship that went into purpose built equipment that's over 50+ years old, it's truely amazing. Still getting use from vintage tools is even better yet. Old lathes, presses, saws, english wheels, torches, wrenches etc.. I love them all. Everytime I go into someone's shop, I'm almost as interested in what old tools and equipment they have as I am what they're working on it with. What's your favorite, vintage tool (power or hand) that you have and still use?? I'd like to see them and hear the story behind them.

 

I was using my really old creeper to change oil in a couple cars in the "new" garage last night. Not real comfy and it doesn't roll very well on it's cast iron wheels, but it got the job done. Freebie from a friend.

My 1946 South Bend lathe is fun....I use it whenever I have the chance. Got it at a yard sale in the 90s. with gobs of tooling.

 

My circa 1925 Dalton Combination Machine http://www.lathes.co.uk/dalton/

 

The newest screw machine in my shop was made in 1965, and the oldest was made in 1907, and I cut the cams for them on a 1923 cam mill. Does that count?

 

my boss love old tools and equipment we have tons at the shop my favorite is the old induma mill the thing kick ass.. they sure dont make em like they used to thts for sure

 

My cylinder head mill is a Storm Vulcan 1955 model !!! >>>>.

 

1946 Logan lathe, 1949 Cinncinati metal shaper, 1900 marvel power hacksaw. Good machines fun to operate.

 

Not exactly on topic for this forum, but I just picked up a vintage Porter Cable router (the all aluminum case style) at a local garage sale for $5, and a few years ago I got a Black and Decker reciprocating saw in trade for helping a guy tear apart his old deck (again, the all aluminum case style), and I got a miter saw from a garage sale across the street 3 weeks ago for $20, all aluminum Porter Cable (if I remember right)...you just can't beat them old aluminum case tools, versus the cheap shit plastic case crap these days...

As for vintage shop equipment, all I got for old stuff in there is my cars, parts and some old body hammers and dollies I've been collecting and using over the years, all my large equipment is either new or I made it myself...I do, however, have a vintage Sears powered hacksaw from the '50's or '60's, it works awesome, except it's missing some pieces for the pick blade style step down cutting speed part of it...I got that at a garage sale about 2 years ago for $10 or $15 bucks...

 

The auto parts store i work at is 4 sections, Retail, Machine shop, Garage & wearhouse. And since we do pretty much EVERYTHING, in our machine shop we have all sorts of old as hell power machines, i dont really know the makes and years of them all, all i know is, for as long as the place has been open (Early 70's), the've been there.

 

I don't have much newer than 1980, many things from the 30-60's. It's just amazing how well some of the stuff works and how well it is made. I have a couple of Storm boring bars one is from the late 20's the other can be dated by the electric motor around 1934 and if you go slow and do a couple a thou at a time it does real nice job! one of these days the shop will be finished and I can drag this stuff out of the corners..... tt

 

I have a 75 year old South Bend lathe; I cleaned it up a bit, works great, I just don't know how to use it yet!
Before:

After:

A photo I took while restoring this machine; it was a messy job but came out nice.

 

Just gave away my 1948 9 inch logan, and before that my pre-war 14 inch Willard and pre war Van Norman combo mill .Still have a 1927 multi spindle Avery drill press, pre war shaper and a vew other pieces,, needed some room

 

I'm in the process of cleaning up a 1959 Cincinnati lathe... 15-inch swing, 42-inch bed, 4x8 footprint, 3,000 pounds. Nearly the weight of a '57 Chevy, 1/4 the size.

One that I use several times a year is a 1/2-inch Black and Decker industrial drill that my dad found in an Illinois snow bank in the early '50s. 300rpm, Model Number 1 the tag says. All aluminum case, too.
I use it with a 12-inch long, 3/4-inch auger bit to go through pairs of pressure treated 6x6 landscape timbers (spike them together with foot-long pieces of rebar). It will stop the rotation of the Earth if that auger bit grabs something like a nail.

-Brad

 

I love old tools.
I have a sheet metal brake from a company that was bougt out in 1870.

Some of my stuff:
http://www.glennsplace.com/tools.htm

The older tools that have survived the test of time were obviously made to LAST. The cheapo "Harbor Fright" crap of that day is now long gone and hopefully been recycled. Only the good stuff remains.

 

We've got a drill press from the mid-1920's in our shop... I haven't actually used it... I've been using a newer one, but it sure is cool. Sorry, no pics.

 

All the tools in my shop are vintage. I bought em new though. I'm just an old fart.

 

1941 Logan lathe , 1907 Peck Stow & Wilcox shear , Beverly B-2 my father bought used in 1955, Barret brake drum lathe with 1927 and 1941 patent dates , Ammco safe-arc brake shoe arcing machine , and a Peck Stow Wilcox slip roll i believe from the early part of the last century

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the classic Shopsmith Mark V yet. A drill press, band saw, belt sander, disc sander and more, depending on what attachments you have. They are pretty high priced, but you can usually find good deals on used ones on craigslist. My roommate has one that belonged to his grandfather and it's gotten me out of quite a few jams.

 

Here it is!! I've used it a couple times, for the most part I use the new one also, mostly because its closer to where I am working all the time

 

I love old equipment and use a lot of vintage pieces regularly.
How about a little old plus new....a fifty plus year old Pexto rotary machine with an AC gearmotor and foot pedal.

 

My True Love!

 

Yeah, what Sellers Said!

 

WOW Fellas!!! That's some good stuff!! That's what I'm talking about!! Richard, the South Bend lathe is beautiful man. That's so true about this equipment being built to last and there's just something so cool about working vintage tools that are still doing their job decades later.

That Mark V is incredible!! Talk about all in one!!

Dirty Devil...I wouldn't kick your "lathe" out of the shop for making shavings either!!

 

Have a deep throat Pexto beader, made down the road in 1886. Works great.

 

Heres the RAD! part of the lathe

 

that.....is too cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've posted these before...but here are some Before and After pics of lathes I have had over the years...

1936 Southbend 9"





1920 Southbend 15/20"







1925 Monarch 16" gearhead





1925 Monarch 11" Junior...still have this one



I'll have top take pics of some of my other old junk...

Neal

 

Neal...HOLY SMOKES MAN!!! Beautiful work!!!!

 

Man I'd love to have either one of those, bad ass...

 

Mine a 1940 Logan. It was my grandfathers and the my dads and now it is mine. Unfortunately it is quite worn so it's not great for precision stuff but I still use it a ton.