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

Picked this up at the Albany swap meet last weekend. It may be little, repaired and modified but I don't care.

 

I have a nice Kansas Jack that just sits in the barn...

 

Bought this welding tool supply cabinet from an estate, built by a WW2 Vet not long after the war, he took welding classes through the military, then built this, from scratch, very intricate hinges, rollers etc, then made his living, bought several properties, raised kids, had all the successes in life in both material items but more importantly happiness, health and a good family. I was going to repurpose it, but couldnt...it is now my welding cabinet, i put new casters on as the old ones were destroyed.

 

book inside about his hand written welding notes, some good stuff, the family wanted me to have it as I am a pretty avid welder and do a lot of fabrication


cover they made years later

 

Just picked up a few items, plan on setting up the lathe and make some small items. As for the others not sure I'll spend the energy to get them working. Who knows?

 

I love my 1947 (Serial #1!) Walker Turner benchtop drill press!

 

My 1945 Delta 14" wood band saw I converted to metal cutting.

 

I still use my old Sioux grinder.I picked it up at a body shop yard sale in 1973...my first grinder,still going strong..

 

A friend and I picked up an old band saw at an auction. Someday when I have nothing but time i'm going to restore it. The last patent on the castings say 1909. The motor on it is 1hp (if i recall correctly) and its the size of a tank. There is no covers on it whatsoever and the wheels look like they came off a horse drawn covered wagon-except metal. Very cool machine and it still works. Here is a pic I came up with off google images, ours is the same machine except black. Awesome!!

 

i've got my grandfather's old mill and lathe in my shop. it is by far my favorite tool.

 

2 vintage tools on the wall - a Sears bench grinder and air compressor using a WWII oxygen tank

 

Very cool!! I like the compressor and tank!!

 

Remember: new state of the art machinery is made on used tools.

 

I'm still using the bench grinder and vise that belong to my Grandpa. I remember them from his shop when I was about 7 or 8, and I'll be 64 in a few days. Still have his an old rectifier tube battery charger too but it's not working.

 

That's great that you are still using tools that he used! Talk about gettingthe goodie out of his investment! That's what I love about vintage machinery and tools being used still today.

By the way....love your '48 Dodge coupe!!!!

 

Some new additions I just picked up for the shop, just got home early this am from a road trip to Long Island.... These originally came from a Northrup Grumman aircraft plant in Long Island...

 

Good score Robert! hope you didn't too much!!! I know they aren't cheap! how is the stippling? I got a set that was "tired" put in the parts washer and a brass tooth brush cleaned all the metal dust in the stippling, ended up trading that set for some other tools. He asked if I had re-stippled them. I've got a Rocklinizer also for reapplying stipple (tungsten carbide mostly)

 

Terry, one set of each the shrinker and stretcher look to be good, the other set of each is well used, so at least it gives me an extra set to send off for re-stippling without taking the machine out of commision.

 

Forgive me if this was posted earlier, but an outstanding video on a shop still using all vintage tools (and operators too!). Well worth the time to watch.
http://www.garagejournal.com/2013/04/central-texas-tool/

 

That shrinker / stretcher is a nice find, Brother!

 

nice video. thanks

 

I too have a South Bend lathe...bought it from my brother's flirty neighbor, an elderly widow. $200. It is a 1932, came with every accessory her husband could get during WWll.
I called South Bend, and a nice lady there sent me the original brochure...each page sealed in plastic! Free!

My pal brought me a Peter Wright 138 lb. anvil, mfd. in 1865. (it came out of the San Jose Foundry when they sold off some property and downsized. Sharks Stadium now sits where the old man used to make this anvil sing! I used to help him when I was a teen.)
That's the oldest I have...

 

Here's the unloading device ....



....and located in the shop, anchors installed to keep it from moving.





To show a couple test samples, we'll use about a 4" long piece with 1" flanges. The result shown is after about 4 passes, with a close up to show the "finish" result.







Shown against a roll of tape to compare the radius size we've accomplished..



Here's a closer shot to show the stippling on the shrinker jaw....



.....and the shrinking sample....







These Lancasters are what it will be replacing....

 

Oh man!!! What a find and talk about handy!! That is too cool!!!!

 

Damn, TOTALLY jealous of that shrinker/stretcher!!

-Brad

 

Ya did GOOD! Robert!
stipple looks real good!

 

I'm loving this thread, I collect whatever old gear I can afford when I find it. I picked this up last year and plan to use it when my Binder arrives. Sadly the bucket contains half of the manual and the remains of the rat that tore it up to make a nest in the unit. It even came with half a Sun test pad.

 

Those Sun Testers are so cool looking just to have in the shop!! Good find!!

 

I know where one is for sale here in Abilene....