Curt Six submitted a new blog post: Sharpest Tool in the Shed Continue reading the Original Blog Post
I don't have a favorite but I do have a lot of old tools that I use daily. In my line of work the old saying "they don't make them like they used to" has a lot of truth to it. Funny how back in the day when metalurgy was as much alchemy as it was science, the people who were good at it could make blade steel that would hold an edge at least as well if not better than anything new I have been able to find. Hard to believe that they can't make a better steel today, maybe they just don't. In the world of power tools I have a lathe and mill from the early 50s, back when American made equipment was at it's peak, that will likely outlive me. Something about the direct connection between turning the dials and making things happen vs creating the part on a keyboard and watching a machine do the work that people on this site will appreciate more than most.
Whitney punch owner here! I've used one since the 70's, owned one from sometime in the 80's. I'm a collector (hoarder) of old tools, there is just something about using them to create.
I have owned a hand Whitney hole punch for over 60 years ago and for making holes in sheet metal it can't be beat. We also had a bench Rotex punch that went from 3/8" to 1 and 1/2 inches. If you are doing any sheetmetal work both are needed. Makes a perfect hole every time!
I collect and restore old axes. I'll agree that the majority of old tools are of better quality than most made today. I often get ppl asking why my axes cost more than say...a Home Depot axe. You can't buy fit and finish on new like you can on old or a quality restored axe. As for my favorite? That changes often. Right now...this guy. Kelly Woodslasher Jersey pattern. It's old. It's beat. It's better than you can buy a big-box store. It's my work.
I have two sets of those Whitney punches, use them all the time don’t ever drill a whole on sheet metal again. Mine came from garage sale, $10 or less. First time I ever used one was at work, we had one to punch holes in the edges of a stack of plans in order to put the sleeved screw things in the edge to hold the set together, non automotive use!
I’m no tool nerd. I have a small number of hammers. I do a lot of sheet metal work with simple ball peens. The most consistently used tool with sheet metal work I have is a homemade anvil from a piece of rail my uncle made for me decades ago.
I have a Whitney Jr and agree that it's a really handy tool when doing sheet metal work. This morning, I was trying to free up a rusty exhaust pipe. I turned to my trusty oxy-acetylene torch and it worked like a champ. I dont use it that often but that old Victor 100 series has served me for about 30 years or more and i would fight to keep it.
I have a few tools from my great great grandfather. He was a machinist building submarines in the 1910s. Also have a few tools from my grandfather who was a wooden boat builder.
Not a Whitney Jr, my O.X. metal punch is similar. I use it occasionally. A little over 50 years ago, my former employer closed a 3 man experimental machine shop and consolidated it into the big corporate machine shop. My boss was not happy about losing 3 direct reports. Everything without a property number was "gifted". This ended up on my work bench in a paper grocery sack. Russ
I really like my Beverly. I've posted before, but I've been using this quite a bit lately. Smooth as silk...
Hey Curt welcome to the hamb (as a writer and more). I think your punch is from the late 60's or most likely the 70's. A friend gave me a new one in the Hammertone tan steel case in '77 or so. My first. The green steel case is most likely 50's. The great thing about these "punches" is all the can do. Steel, Aluminum, Stainless, Leather, Plastic and more. You can get punching dies in other shapes too. Parts are available with just a phone call. I have 1 (the bigger one in with the long handels) that's so old that it's from "Whitney Metal". I called and they still had dies. I bought a hole set (pun intended). I have more than one because many times I need more than 1 size hole for a project and it saves time swapping out dies
One of my favorites that I picked up about a year ago after years of looking for one that I could afford. A Peter Wright that dates between 1880's and 1920's. Weighing in at 141 lbs. I love it !!
Same here, it’s my neighbor’s anvil, I get to keep it until one of us is dead, then it goes to his nephew.
I love my no. 5 jr! I’m about to buy another one with more dies. And I started collecting old hammer heads couple years ago.
Going to have to get myself an actual old No 5 Jr after reading this....as far as my favorite vintage tool I have, gotta go with my Carolina CP-100 press. I run the service department at a pretty big Chevy dealership 50-60 hours a week, and this was the shop press for years. The jack started leaking and instead of rebuilding or replacing it, they bought a whole new "Jing-Chang" press to replace it, and it was going to go in the gigantic metal recycling bin at work. Asked if I could have it, and they told me to haul it out of there....for free. Got a big air/hydraulic 30 ton bottle jack made for lifiting houses to adapt to it, and 2 3/4" thick bolt together steel sections that were used as extrusions for making legs for golf bags my metal fab/welder buddy cut up into sections for me for plates, which I can take apart for 1 3/8" plates if needed. Dunno how old it really is, but it's older than I am, of that I am certain.
I have a Trenton @ 146 lbs. I used to set it in the trunks of cars to simulate weight. I don't think I can pick it up anymore !
The guy I bought it from said it weighed 114 pounds if I remember correctly well I thought no problem I can handle that. I went and got it and thought either he's wrong or I've gotten a lot weaker, thankfully he was wrong ! Had a hell of a time wrapping my arms around it and putting it into the back of the wife's jeep. ..
Hello, I can’t think there are a lot of sharp tools in the tool drawers. They all point away from the opening as I reach in and I don’t want to get poked. Plus, the thin, but longer sharp tools are in one plastic tube with a lid. Those have been “pokers” over time and this space was created just for them. But, going back to the tools I have kept over the car crazy 60+ years…if it was just one? It would have to be the unusual knife given to me by my mom. It looks like it was hand crafted somewhere in the past century and had a blade that sliced through just about anything. I used it to cut perfect slices through rubber tubing and plastic strips. It made perfect 45 degree cuts as long as I could move through in one sweep. On our model building days, this knife (about 6 inches long) did the great job of cutting plastic rods and tubes. It has seen its days of service. The knife proudly sits in its case in my garage, basking in all of its glory from days gone past. What was the intended purpose? My best guess was that it was a wood carver’s knife. In those old, old days, the blades were so sharp they could cut paper thrown in the air with a single slice. This one looks like it could do intricate work on various things, from fish, blocks of wood, to material, and people? This tool probably was a flower cutting tool for various arrangements learned by my mom back when she was a little girl. “Flower arranging” was something little girls learned way back then. It became an art for most. I am not a tool collector per se, but if I keep an old tool or tools long enough, they become useful again after a long spell in the tool drawer or compartments. Whether they were hiding from lack of use or just forgotten tools, when found, they become active again. In this modern day, despite the old age factor, they came alive again. My mom gave me this sharp knife during my college photography cl*** days. She saw I was using a pair of scissors to cut the edges of photos, after drawing a line. I did not have a paper cutter at the time. So, she said on the old cardboard table, this knife is what she used to use to cut flowers, paper, material for dresses and clothing. It was odd looking, fit perfectly in our hands and the top of the blade had a flat edge for a forefinger pressure on the force to cut on the sharp edge below. So, how old is it? She told me that she used it as a teenager and kept it all of these years as a major contributor to her own work and repairs when necessary. Who would have thought it was older than me…? Ha! Plus, it was so sharp. our mom used a sharpening stone and honed it to pin point edge for the fine cuts. My fine cuts for matboard and other photo papers came out super sharp on the edges. I was able to use it for beveled inside cuts on mat board to provide an extra look as the frames went around a nice photograph. I also used it on several old wax resist rods used for jewelry casting methods. Those wax rods were perfect for Model cars, exhaust tubing with angle cuts for our model car race cars, without the mis-shaping of the round openings usually made with scissors. angle cuts, down tube cuts, and even shaving to make a slight curve was carefully made. I used it several times and put it away as I finished a project. Then over the years, it was a forgotten tool, lost in the desk drawer, the move to the backyard garage tool boxes, then finally a garage drawer prior to selling the house and moving to the OC in later years. In our 4 house moves in the OC, I finally found the knife in a nice “extras” labeled, closed lid box. Now, it is invaluable and compared to the newly designed Xacto knives, it is stronger in the blade, sharper after I honed the blade. Due to the wider handle, more comfortable in my hand to make cuts in all sorts of padding, poster boards, backing boards and thin plastic to shape for the small model car parts. Jnaki I have no idea the age of the sharp tool. But the design is ever lasting and now is the sharpest physical hand tool in the garage drawer. The “sharpest tool” is the one using it for the endless projects that pop up for work in the small garage protective counter top. (Home, cars or just repairs.) YRMV The protective, bottom surface was an old wooden cutting board that my mom used to use for her kitchen food prep. Those old wooden cutting boards were notorious for bacteria, if not bleached and washed after each use. So, after a month or two, even with cleaning, she gave us the clean, old cutting board for our model car kit cutting issues. We took it outside to sand down the surface marred with sharp knife cuts. Now, the surface was as nice as a clean surfboard top gloss coat. But, our original small knives were not the best. The new one piece sharp blade knife sliced easily and made the parts ready to ***emble. In our teens, we finally were able to use this old sharp knife to cut out patterns for homemade gaskets and cardboard patterns for transferring modifications from the hot rod to an actual sheet metal piece. The sharp knife made straight cuts easily using steel yard sticks. Not to be outdone, our dad had his own mini tools for his fishing equipment. He had no need for large tools as we did for hot rods and other needs. His tools were small pin point “needle nose” pliers to make fishing flies and custom fishing poles. But, he had a knife that he used to cut various lines, finished edges on pole wrapping sections. The finished lines had to be cut sharp prior to the final finish coat. Since he had a short blade knife, he gave us the longer blade knife. Pointing out that it was sharp. When we were a few years younger, our dad had given us this longer blade for our camping adventures and explorations. He always reminded us to bring it to our Apple Orchard adventures, for Cherry Picking places, and fishing expeditions he took us in his big Buick sedans. It fit in our jackets and was a different style of sharp knife. The blade was serrated and not only was it super sharp, but it could act as a cutting tool if needed. Our dad gave us this 5 inch serrated blade knife when we went with him to our family outings at the beach surf fishing activities. When deep sea fishing and the kelp caught our lines, this knife went right through the messy plant to free our lines, sinkers and lures. Yes, it was a large knife for a couple of little kids, but our dad trusted us to use it only for necessary things. The tip was very sharp and could cut just about anything. (Apple stems to fish guts.) It was too large to cut our patterns and model sheets. Historic knives just waiting for the next generation’s usages. YRMV
I have a knife very similar to your dad's long, serrated blade tool. It's perfect for cutting a deep, triangular plug out of a melon to check if it's ripe. I got mine a few decades ago when I was loading watermelons on a dock in Nogales, AZ.
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