Tool What is your oldest tool in the shed ?

[mmcmdl]

One of mine is a Fuchs indictor set in case dated 1916 on card . Bratschi manufacturing CO out of Cleveland Ohio . Original cost $5.50 . Case was an extra 75 cents for a velvet lined . Removed from my Uncle's Fathers 1916 Union chest . This was full of old time top quality tools for those days . Missing is my Uncle's 1937 Gerstner box that was sold at Cabin Fever last month to make room .

 

[DavidR8]

That would be me, followed closely by my 1967 Unisaw

 

[Bandit]

Depends what shed, sometimes its me. Have a mic. of my grandfather's, he died before I was born, so thats one. I also have a few of some great uncles tools, they were mostly dead before I was born too. Some feeler gauges, a vernier caliper, a 6 in. Square, some punchs and chisels, and a few other ends and odds.

 

[mmcmdl]

LMAO emoji ! ( for DavidR8's answer )

 

[Bandit]

Course if my wife is in before me, it's her.

 

[whydontu]

Small red Spiralux 100 screwdriver, given to me in 1980 from a retired shipwright who immigrated to Canada in 1954, so likely pre-war.

Greenlee 442 “Yankee“ screwdriver, 1934

Cylindrical height gauge, 1948

Lufkin folding rule, they stopped making this model in 1950.

Bandsaw 1936

 

[jorogi]

Sounds rather personal I'd have thought.

Some pre 1905 files and a 1941 DoAll bandsaw that has another 83 years in it, easily.

 

[140mower]

1913 Kearney and Trecker horizontal mill. I think the Butler shaper might be older, I just haven't figured how to date it. Have various hand tools that are older, again though, not sure how much.

 

[Susquatch]

A mid 1880s FE Reed lathe. Still works too. That old girl taught me more about using a lathe than any new modern machine ever could have. Its missing a few change gears on the cast chart pinned to it. I plan to make them for her. Project 42r6. I'm not going to sell her. At some point, I will give it to some young guy who can't afford one but desperately wants one. That's how it came to be mine. It's done a lot of amazing work.

 

[Jswain]

1936 South bend lathe. Still have the receipt & original documentation & a hand written letter from South bend to the original owner.

I took it all with a nice version of "how to run a lathe" and vacuum sealed it because I thought that was pretty dang neat to have survived that long.

 

[DPittman]

I've got my great grandfather's axe from about 1850, my father had to replace the handle a couple of times and I replaced the head but i think it probably works just as well as it did I 1850's!

 

[Susquatch]

I also have a really old post vise that belonged to my wife's dad. But I have no idea when it was made. It's a restoration project.

 

[ChazzC]

OK, Dave, you asked for it:

A - Unbranded Thickness Micrometer (yes, micrometer: graduated in thousandths around the big dial), age unknown; rescued during the Raymark Friction clear-out

B - Stanley Bailey 4-1/2 Smoothing Plane, 1913 — 1941 (has features of both Type 15 &16; definitely not later); part of what I got when my Father passed in 1994 (yes, it needs some love [and new blade & iron], which is now on my list)

C - Starrett 320 & 323 9" rules, 1919-ish (per my guy at Starrett)

D - Unbranded Yankee Style Push Drill, age unknown; steel handle, chuck & internals, but brass (used to be plated) shaft tubes; also from my Father


Do I win?

 

[mmcmdl]

Hey chazz . I have 10 or so old planes down here . Really haven't investigated them yet . One is solid wood on the mantle , guess I should look into these things when I get the time .

 

[140mower]

This tool box belonged to an older fellow (I think even older than you @Susquatch ) it was made by his grandfather probably in the late 1800's as was the square. Both were likely apprentice projects.
I rescued the box and it's contents from under a pile of crap on a shop floor that you couldn't find without moving a 3 ft pile of junk, and to top it off it was sitting face forward drawers open in a puddle of water from recent rain..... I got a post vise from the same disaster, I offered him pennies on his ask and told him he was damned lucky to find someone who would look after his grandfather's legacy since he didn't give a rats s$$....

 

[ChazzC]

Hey chazz . I have 10 or so old planes down here . Really haven't investigated them yet . One is solid wood on the mantle , guess I should look into these things when I get the time .

Any decent blades & irons? 2-3/8" wide for a No. 4-1/2 plane

 

[mmcmdl]

Any decent blades & irons? 2-3/8" wide for a No. 4-1/2 plane

I know I have blades that are still wrapped up down the basement . You've seen the basement though .

 

[ChazzC]

I know I have blades that are still wrapped up down the basement . You've seen the basement though .

Yes, I have: know and "know where" are widely different!

 

[Dabbler]

I have a few of my grandfathers tools from when he was a carpenter before WW1. During the war he wasn't allowed to enlist, so he started working for CP Rail. Died in 1924.

 

[Susquatch]

Do I win?

@DPittman's 1850s axe is winning followed by my 1880s FEReed lathe. I do have a 1700s Copper Kettle but I don't think that counts as a tool.