Tools that used to be great

[Larry Caldwell]

I recently picked up a 1960 Craftsman 12" table saw set to run on 240v. It's a fine saw, in mint condition. It cost me $100.

I still have my 30 year old Skil 77 from the end of my construction worker days. The same with my Dewalt screw gun and Wards 1/2" drill motor. I have a 9", 15 amp angle grinder that is way faster than the little things they sell nowadays. I also have a nice selection of air tools. I love my 3/8" air ratchet, way handier than the 1/2" impact wrench for pulling a stuck spark plug.

Corded or hosed tools are perfect for shop use. Battery tools are great where a cord or hose won't reach, though I have a little camp generator that will run any corded tool that draws less than 10 amps, like the screw gun or 3/8" drill motor.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Power tools used to be mostly for contractors. Now they have mostly devolved into just more plastic fancy looking consumer junk. I learned a lot from BOLTR (Bored of Lame tool reviews) (Warning, unusual and strong language). Who knew there was such a thing as "powdered" gears.

 

[MossRoad]

Power tools used to be mostly for contractors. Now they have mostly devolved into just more plastic fancy looking consumer junk. I learned a lot from BOLTR (Bored of Lame tool reviews) (Warning, unusual and strong language). Who knew there was such a thing as "powdered" gears.

How old ARE you? I'll be 60 shortly and pretty much every dad on the block where I grew up in the 60's had electric drills, circular saws, table saws, saber saws, belt sanders, etc...

 

[jaxs]

How old ARE you? I'll be 60 shortly and pretty much every dad on the block where I grew up in the 60's had electric drills, circular saws, table saws, saber saws, belt sanders, etc...

76 next month,my Granddad and 2 uncles were full time farmers, part time carpenters that built houses and barns with handsaws,brace & bits and claw hammers. Carpenters in those days did everything including cabinets,cornice and roof. Granddad passed in 1966 never owning a power tool. Uncles started using powersaws in late 50s but never owned nailers or table saws.

 

[downsizingnow48]

In the 70’s I bought a Craftsman 1/4” drill that the bushings wore out in a month or so. Plenty of junk in the “old days”.

 

[Doofy]

In the 70’s I bought a Craftsman 1/4” drill that the bushings wore out in a month or so. Plenty of junk in the “old days”.

Yes, and the electrical cords were stiff and unruly. Then they came out with 6-12" short cords that were really stupid.

 

[Industrial Toys]

How old? Pretty much ready for the scrap heap.

My Dad was as cheap as you could get in many regards. Bought two electric power tools in his life. "Probably" somehow claimed the expense against his (this) farm income. Never thought about that, but it makes sense.

Yet, growig up in an upper middle class, scientific research community in Ontario, I didn't see many Dads running out buying tools.

Funny about the short whip cords. Why supply a cheap cord that can fail? Supply a short whip and blame the guy that makes the cord you have to plug into to.

 

[Doofy]

My Father was born in 1926 and could build just about anything he set his mind to. The only New tools I can remember him buying was a Craftsman 7 1/4" portable saw, a hand saw tooth setter, a nice hand wood plane, a scythe, a big wheel seeder and one double-bit axe. Everything else was used and abused but worked for him.

 

[MossRoad]

My dad was born in 1919. When he died in 1995, he had at least 3 electric drills, a couple circular saws, table saw attachment, a couple saber saws, a scroll saw, a planer attachment, sanders, and several other things. He built his own house, 2700 square foot ranch with 3 wings in the mid 50's. He ordered a rail car of doug fir and redwood from the pacific northwest and had it delivered to a local lumberyard. He worked a deal with the yard owner to sell him any leftovers at below cost. Japanese birch paneling and cabinets that he made himself. He did have someone make the cabinet doors. He did his own formica countertops, cathedral ceilings, and laminated his own beams that were something like 18" by 6" thick by 20' long. There were 7 or 8 of those. There was something like 800 square feet of glass windows, that he also built himself. Some were horizontal casement, some were fixed. Some were floor to ceiling. He did it all but the masonry fireplace.

The dads in our neighborhood were like Dagwood and Herb always borrowing each others' power tools. All of them seemed to be doing some project at one time or another. Only one guy had a welder, though. He lived down the street. He was an engineer at Bendix. He was impressed when I bought a set of torches and an arc welder when I was 18.

I miss those guys. Great mentors. :thumbsup:

My dad was an architect by trade, by the way.

 

[dragoneggs]

Always look at the amp draw on the motor plates. Compare a few other models and it will tell you a lot. Do this on any tool, especially if you are unfamiliar with them. With the proliferation of cheap chinese store brands, you will often find a model or two that are much lower than the name brands. I needed a "disposable" circ saw for cutting stone, so i looked at the cheap house brands. They had one that was dirt cheap but it had some pathetic low amp motor. Another one for a little more was much closer to the Maktia/Bosch/Milwaukee models in amps, so I got that.

Good advice... I do the same on something that I have not done any research on.

My Father was born in 1926 and could build just about anything he set his mind to. The only New tools I can remember him buying was a Craftsman 7 1/4" portable saw, a hand saw tooth setter, a nice hand wood plane, a scythe, a big wheel seeder and one double-bit axe. Everything else was used and abused but worked for him.

My dad was born in '25. He built a cabin pretty much with a Craftsman 10in radial arm saw and a Skil circular saw, a portable belt sander and an assortment of hand tools. I learned a lot about carpentry and woodworking from him. He wasn't a professional, just a weekend warrior but he figured it out (was an electrical engineer). And no YouTube back then either! :laughing:

Earlier this year I finally sold his radial arm saw that I hadn't turned on in more than 10years. It was hard to part with because of the memories. He did so much with that tool. Cross cut, rip cuts, dados, and even molding. In its day, that was a great saw and brought this kind of tool to the ordinary man in his garage.

 

[MossRoad]

How many of you have met people missing a finger tip by way of radial arm saw?

 

[dragoneggs]

How many of you have met people missing a finger tip by way of radial arm saw?

My dad had all his digits when he departed and I grew up using it. But your question is valid. Not the safest tool by a long shot. Just like fingers... there is no replacement for respect and training. I miss my dad.

 

[spitter]

Why do you think they call them [wood butchers] . Hard pressed to find an old butcher with all his fingers too. When I see a hack on the job I always say [Where is your white apron with the blood stains] ?:drink:

 

[denchen]

My last DeWalt cordless drill, had on the side, Made in PRC. Its OK but when I wanted some extra batteries I didn`t go to DeWalt, I bought Chinese, there from the same country. For heavy drilling, I still use my old 240v Stanley/Bridges 4 speed I used when I worked in the agriculture engineering factory back in the 70s. You have to be carful because if the drill bit sticks, the motor still keeps turning enough to wrench your wrist. Strange but around the factory was a small singly speed B&D 240v Industrial hand drill, that was used by almost anyone, and that old thing never stopped even though some of the guys were very cruel with it. Good quality tools are still out there, but many of the old names, seem to be loosing ground, and some Chinese Firms seem to be learning fast.

 

[dougtrr2]

Back to the original post. If you were ripping a 2 x 4 it could have been the wood not the saw. It may have had internal tension and was closing up behind the cut and pinched the blade. I ripped a piece of wood on my Delta Unisaw with a 3 HP motor and the wood closed up so tight it stalled the saw. It is probably more likely that your saw just lacked power, but the wood itself could have played a factor.

Doug in SW IA

 

[PILOON]

How many of you have met people missing a finger tip by way of radial arm saw?

Still have all my fingers but my old radial was the one tool that came close.

I got rid of it shortly after it shot a 2 x 4 that I was ripping clear across the room.
That was following the saw driving a shorter length into my stomach.

However the radial arm was handy for angle cuts but was soon replaced by current generation compound miter saws.

 

[Doofy]

Tape measures are my current irritation. Where did all the 10-12 footers go? I don't need a Fat Max 30 foot tape for puttering around in the shop. Ever try keeping your sweatpants up with an almost 1 pound tape measure hanging on them?

 

[Muhammad]

A house outlet that’s wired with 14 gauge doesn’t do a saw any favors either. On more than one occasion on a job I’ve had to run a cord through a kitchen window and plug into a kitchen outlet that’s 12 gauge for my saws because the 14 gauge outside outlet won’t do the job. I’ve got a few 10 gauge extension cords and most of mine are 12 gauge. I try to get by with a 25 foot cord if I can. A 14 gauge or less cord doesn’t have any business running air compressors or saws.

This is key. Shouldn't be plugging a 14ga into a 20amp that's for 12ga wire. My house has 15amp outdoors... yet one 20amp in our entry way. But that's 50 feet from the back yard.

 

[Doofy]

This is key. Shouldn't be plugging a 14ga into a 20amp that's for 12ga wire. My house has 15amp outdoors... yet one 20amp in our entry way. But that's 50 feet from the back yard.

Absolutely correct. Same problem with my Hobart Handler 140, 120volt wire feed welder. The gauge of the wire and length of run make a huge difference in weld quality and welder performance. The shortest 10 gauge extension cords possible and as close to the electrical panel too.

 

[Muhammad]

Back to the original post. If you were ripping a 2 x 4 it could have been the wood not the saw. It may have had internal tension and was closing up behind the cut and pinched the blade. I ripped a piece of wood on my Delta Unisaw with a 3 HP motor and the wood closed up so tight it stalled the saw. It is probably more likely that your saw just lacked power, but the wood itself could have played a factor.

Doug in SW IA

Nah it's gutless on everything I cut.

On the topic of safety I was just looking into a stopsaw. Would be nice to find a radial arm stopsaw.

My only brush with an accident was getting a glove wrapped up in a drill press. Fortunately it was a cheap delta and the motor stopped. Still have the scar to remind me.