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Tools
My Dad always had pretty cheap tools and wasn't particularly mechanically minded - God rest his loving soul. But my grandfather was a self taught refrigeration engineer and was involved in building many of the ice plants in north Texas - deaf in old age from all the steam engine compressors. He taught me how to use a drill press, lathe and tap & die. I have a pair of his Klein Lineman Pliers along with some other tools. Well worn but you can still just make out the lineman on the pole graphic on the pliers.
Passed the tap knowledge to my son to fix an engine mount hole on his VW GTI. He has since rebuilt his Honda 250 engine using the same. What a great experience to pass it along. |
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My Grandfather was a whiz with wood and had all manner of these kinds of hand tools but I have never seen one like that. Growing up he hand made wagon wheels (for real use, not decoration) and it's kind of amazing to think in his lifespan we went from hand tools and horse drawn wagons to moon rockets. |
Sam, it works just like the other brace-----you twist the handle around and around. Long side of the frame is between the studs, inline with the bit, crank is off at angle during use.
It was used to bore holes in studs for plumbing or wiring a house------there is no way you could do that with a standard brace, although some of them had a ratchet like ability to work the handle back and forth. The normal looking one above is a ratchet type. Now, can anybody out there tell me what this tool is (was) used for??? ![]() |
I have seen similar things used in heavy leather work. Essentially a large awl for heavy stitching. Maybe cobbler or saddle making? Don't recall seeing a two handed one though so I could be way off base.
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Doug,
You'll be the envy of the neighborhood with your new (old) riding mower. I still have my old Montgomery Ward (Monkey Ward) battery charger and it works great! I have also kept a non-working saber saw because my Father had signed his name on the back of it with a vibrating marker tool. Just can't throw it away. Regards, Jim |
I think this is probably my favorite VAF thread that I've read so far in my couple of years of lurking.
My dad bought me my first tool box too, when I was 16. I knew I wanted to have a cool set of tools like his when I was on my own, so I started collecting tools in middle school, first using one of his old carry boxes. Once I outgrew that, he came home on Christmas Eve one year and said, "Looks like you need a new toolbox, let's go pick one out for Christmas." Growing up with a dad who was an airplane mechanic, I always wished he was more of a sports guy. He never coached me (not much of a baseball background), but he showed up to all of my games. Now, I look at all the knowledge I'm gaining when I go home and help him restore his Stearman, and I can't help but think about how some things just work out. |
My Dad's tools
I have only two of my Dad's tools. None of his home tools - nothing of note there, and few of them still exist. His work tools,
on the other hand, were unique; he carried one of these almost every day at work, and a backup on days off. He and I didn't do much together - while we slept he worked graveyards for the slight pay increase, and when we were awake he slept as well as he could with six noisy sons. I did go with him once when he had to requalify, and he won a small bonus for shooting exceptionally well that day. I'm sure it was an offhand comment for him, but when he said I brought him luck, I was beaming. The seal on the frame and grip is an ancient symbol of loyalty: a horse defending it's fallen knight by breaking a lance, one half over it's legs and the other in it's mouth. My Dad served his Nation as a Marine, then as a Policeman until just before his death. |
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