My garage shop

[ksouers]

Nice DRO. I think you should cut those "daggars" off the calipers tho. Could bite you. Use a cutoff wheel on a dremel or angle grinder.

Eric

Oh, I absolutely do plan on cutting those off!! As soon as possible, but I have to borrow a friend's cutoff grinder, though. I have a couple sets of calipers I need to cut. But for fitting up purposes, it works just fine.


Crew:
You betcha! I've been a fan of British humor since the sixties, from the mild Terry Thomas to the wacky Benny Hill and irreverent Monty Python. Holy Grail is still my favorite.

 

[ksouers]

TOOLS! More tools!

There was an estate sale in the area and they had tools. Lots and lots of them. A basement full.

Mostly hand tools, the stuff one collects over a lifetime to do odd jobs around the house. But there were also some machines, which I passed up. Most of it seemed to be geared towards woodworking but the guy obviously worked in metal as well.

I came across a Kennedy 7-drawer toolbox marked as US$50. This was the second day of the sale so they were selling at half price. $25 for a Kennedy? Including contents? SOLD!!

It's obviously an much older box, but still in very good shape.

Of course, it was full of unrecognizable odds and ends. But several of the drawers were packed with drill bits, reamers, taps, countersinks and counter bores.

The bottom drawers also had some incomplete projects. Lots of stuff to sort through. Hopefully most of it is still in usable condition.

If nothing else I got a decent toolbox at a good price. Something I've sorely needed for a while. The old Craftsman boxes are getting full and just aren't geared towards machinist's tools.

 

[Powder keg]

Great score!!!

 

[rake60]

$25 eh?

Congrats on the find!

Rick

 

[ksouers]

Yep, $25 greenbacks! The contents were worth more than that.

I'm guessing the box is from the mid 60's to late 70's era. The drawers work just as smooth as when they were new. Oh yeah, and I have the keys!

It was loaded up with stuff, had to weigh 30-40 pounds.

Took some time to sort through the stuff and take a quick inventory.

200+ drills, all under .375, most in the numbered sizes.
10 reamers, .375 and under.
20 taps
10 countersinks
3 counter bores
1 counter bore/countersink tool with changeable heads.
several Cleco clamps, no plyers though.
1 snap-ring plyers, inside ring.
Several plug gauges, most very small <.200.
4 small v-blocks, about the size of a US quarter.
several pieces of drill rod.
3 hand scribers.
Lots of punches of various sizes.
A whole vial full of drafting/divider points, about 30.
6 or 7 center drills
2 pieces of 1 inch x 1/2 inch x 8 inch hardened tool steel parallels.
several pieces of HSS tool bits, 3/16, 1/4, 1/2 inch
several depth gauges, some hand made.
hand made angle finder
several bits of aluminum, brass, bronze and steel in usable sizes.
couple pieces of stainless steel brake line, aircraft grade.
Shim stock.
several feeler gauges.
1 2-flute end mill, 3/8.

 

[zeusrekning]

Glad to know our greenbacks still have some value.
Great find. Those Kennedy boxes seem to last forever.
Tim

 

[ksouers]

Well, things are slowly taking shape in the shop. I've been hitting local garage and estate sales and occasionally come across something useful. I've managed to add another Kennedy tool box, this one an 11-drawer model, so now I have more storage for tools. The 11-drawer is mostly dedicated to mill set-up and tooling. The Kennedy 7-drawer is for metrology and layout, and the Craftsman is lathe and non-precision tools. Though there are certainly tools that can be used on either machine, at least now drills, reamers and taps can be kept in separate drawers.

I've also picked up a small roll-around table that I've employed as a metrology station. I don't have a surface plate but the granite floor tile works well in it's place and it was much cheaper. Having everything on wheels makes it easy to move out of the way when I need to access other parts of the garage.

I've finally added a full 3-axis DRO to the mill. I've moved the X-axis scale to the back of the table and put a plastic cover over it for protection. It sure catches a lot of swarf back there! Now if I can only find a decent replacement for those accordian way protectors. Mine have all split and fallen apart.

Hunching over the mill has always been a pain in the neck. And back. And shoulders. I've been meaning to add a riser for it, and now finally did it. It's 4 pieces of 2x6 pine nailed together in a box then covered with 1x6 pine. This brings it up to about elbow height. Should be much more comfortable now.

I'm going to have to make a similar riser for the lathe. That bench is a little higher than the mill bench but still low enough that it needs a boost.

 

[ksouers]

It's been awhile since the last estate sale with tools, but we had another one today. This time I was the first one there and got to pick over everything instead of just taking what was left. I got the good stuff this time!

Mitutoyo dial caliper and Starrett Last Word test indicator. The Last Word is an older one, only graduated in thousandths, but the graduations are far enough apart to interpolate smaller measures.

Also go a Starrett Master Precision 4 1/2" sqare. This is the expensive one, accurate to .0001 over 6 inches.
And a Starrett 4 inch level. Really have no immediate need for it but couldn't pass it up, though I'd rather have the 12 inch model.

Got a box of shop made precision ground angles, from 1 degree to 45 degrees in 1 degree increments. Somebody had a lot of time on their hands!

I picked up some shop made matched v blocks and a nice accurate angle block. I carried it all home in a Kennedy two-drawer intermediate box to go under my 11-drawer.

There were also some smaller odds and ends, a couple reamers, a small Lufkin mag base, a couple Arkansas stones. Got the whole thing for $160 USD. Not bad at all.
I'm sorry that we lost another machinist, but his tools and his work will continue. I wish I had taken more money with me. The guy had a load of shop made tools, and it was all very high quality work.

 

[CrewCab]

I'm sorry that we lost another machinist, but his tools and his work will continue.

Nice point Kev 8) ............... I'm sure he'd be pleased his stuff will continue to be used though .......... I know I would ;D

Good haul too .............. I don't know if we have similar sales over here :-\ .............. must look into it.


CC

 

[baldrocker]

Kevin CC
Nice to know others share my liking for old homemade shop tools.
I have a few pieces not much, but sometimes find myself
holding something and wondering about who made it and their life.

That's enough you sentimental old fart, back to work
BR

 

[jack404]

What a deal!!!

i paid $495 plus tax for a set of 1 deg Inc. 0-45 deg angles

glad the fella's tools are going onwards

cheers

jack

PS dont the box you made make the machine noise louder?? ( boom box effect??)

 

[wareagle]

Man... I have tried estate sales and have rarely found much. When I do, the people usually want new prices for the stuff, and the condition of the tools I have found has been serviceable, but noticeably used. One of these days....

As far as the tools carrying on the legacy... I can't agree more. It is a tribute to that original owner in my opinion.

 

[ksouers]

Thanks for the comments, guys. It's great to see that others share my views on these tools I've acquired through estate sales. My wife has strict instructions that my tools are to be sold or given away. They are not to be tossed out.

This last sale the guy was obviously a very fine craftsman and took great pride in his work. His tools were not abused in any way. All commercially made tools were kept in their boxes. Those not in a box were in a Gerstner tool chest or one of several large Snap-On roll-around chests. Asking price on the Gerstner was $500 USD, with contents, and was packed with quality stuff. He had tons of specialty tools that he'd made. Many V-blocks of various sizes, fixturing systems, everything well thought out and executed. Almost all of it was hardened tool steel, not just carbon steel to be used once and the job is done. All of it was ground to a high degree of finish and precision. Obviously a man of great pride and talent. I wish I had known him.


BR,
Yes, sometimes I'm very sentimental. Especially when it comes to things that a person has created with their own hands. And even more so in this case where it is quite obvious that tremendous pride was taken in making the tools.


Jack,
The machine is already very noisy, so the riser doesn't really add anything extra to the din. And I wear earmuffs anyway.


W/E,
That's usually the case here, maybe 4 or 5 estate sales a year with machine tools. And the tools are usually well used, sometimes abused. But the prices are usually quite reasonable if not downright cheap. There are lots of tool and die shops to help support the heavy industry in the area, we have automotive and aerospace as well as food service and university type R&D, so there is a bit of a glut of tools keeping the prices down. Most of the shop made stuff is I guess what might be called standard quality, about what I would make, maybe a little better. But this guy's stuff was in a class by itself. The best I've ever seen.

 

[Propforward]

Very nice - it's good to see someones loved tools going to a good home that apprecites them.

Nice shop! I am jealous, in the most positive manner possible!

 

[ksouers]

Thanks Stuart.
Though I think your shop is better, you have room. Lots of it ;D
My little area is only about 2 meters by 3 meters. Hardly room to swing a dead cat.
And no heat or air conditioning. (Well, ok, it's heated in the summer and cooled in the winter...)

And it's going to get a little smaller once I get the "big" mill in it's rightful place.

Don't let the picture fool you, I can just barely squeeze around either end of the table on that thing. I can't get behind it at all. Once it's cleaned up and I get the DRO fitted to it I will clean out where the mini-mill and drill press are and move it in their place.

Now if I could only get rid of the junk that's taking up the other 80% of the place...

 

[Propforward]

Ah - well I am lucky in that I have lots of room, BUT I also have to keep my car and motorcycles in the shop too, so I have to be careful on use of the space, but even so I am very happy with what I have - constant fernangling of where things are stored - and plenty of trips to the recycling center to get rid of junk! I just did one of those the other day!

There are some great acquisitions in your shop - very cool!

 

[jack404]

well Kevin

you have the best deal i have seen in a while i love that 11 drawer box so much i went out and looked for one

found one too eh, but after i realised the guy was not joking about the price i decided i'll make one or a reasonable copy

timber is still fairly cheap and i can make it as i wish ,want , afford etc

you folks will keep me busy and broke for years to come

at least i have a bit more room that you free ATM
( then my next project of a filing machine will start and we might be about even)

cheers

jack

 

[Cedge]

Jack
You managed to hit me right in the guilt....LOL. I need to get back on my own filing machine and get it buttoned up. Everything is done but the file collets and bolting the table top to the hinges. Getting side tracked is just way too easy here.

Steve

 

[jack404]

try this one

http://www.statecollegecentral.com/metallathe/MLA-18.html

and the build link http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/Projects/Filer/diefiler01.html

 

[ksouers]

Jack,
The 11-drawer was an outright purchase from it's previous owner. I didn't pick that one up at a sale. They are highly prized here, and usually priced to match. Even used and beat up as this one is. I have yet to see one at a garage or estate sale. I have seen, and acquired, the smaller boxes at reasonable prices though. I now have an eye out for the matching bottom box, but I'm afraid those are going to be as difficult to find and expensive as the 11-drawer. But I'm in no hurry, I have enough storage for the small to medium stuff at the moment.

Gerstner makes a very nice wooden version of the 11-drawer, but also very high priced.