Dispatches from the Land of Jack Planes

[Jonathan McCullough]

Or perhaps it should be called, dispatches from the land of saw vises. Seems like every time a dog scratches behind its ear in Connecticut, a saw vise or jack plane shakes loose. Also a nice saw set. Can't tell if it's a 42 or a 42X because it has so much oily grime on it I can't read under the handle. Found some folding rules and caliper-type thingees, a nice D-23 that should shine up well, a bit with an unusual adjustable hole-cutter for making 1/2 inch to approx. 5-inch holes. Also a perfect-handle type screwdriver. I love those screw drivers--they're like dreadnoughts, but I'll have to replace the scales on this one. Also found a couple of lever caps for the planes I found a weekend or two ago for a buck apiece.http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Recent%20Hauls/Haul8-1.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

Can't tell if it's a 42 or a 42X because it has so much oily grime on it I can't read under the handle.

Train your eye...

Even with the fuzzy picture I can see it is not a 42X.

But still a good haul to gloat about.

jim

[Jonathan McCullough]

Soon, grasshopper will grab the pebble from your hand and learn to spot a 42X at 1,000 yards. But hey, at $5 for the vise and the saw set, it's more than academic, it's esoteric.

Here are some of the rules I found and cleaned up using Mr. Schwarz's technique using oxalic acid. I'd link but I'm still not certain about the rules on linking; it's easily googled anyhow. Very nasty smelling stuff, like naval jelly but less pleasant. Have to use splashproof goggles and gloves. Soak for one minute then rinse with a soft plastic bristle brush under warm water. Pretty good results if you ask me, but doesn't take burns out of wood, and some scales appear to have been near enough to ashtrays or what have you. At any rate, something to consider next time you see an old rule laying around at a tag/garage sale or the local marché aux puces.

Before

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Recent%20Hauls/Library-7506.jpg


After

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Recent%20Hauls/Library-7507.jpg

[George Sanders]

The rules really did clean up nice. Good job.

[Harlan Barnhart]

If the acid seems extreme you could try less powerful methods first. I have gotten similar results with just tooth paste and an old tooth brush. It works amazingly well and its safe.

[Jim Koepke]

Good job on the ruler clean up. A few of mine may benefit from either tooth paste or the oxalic acid treatment.

Funny thing about my experience with wooden rules. Before trying them a tape measure was my means of measurement and precision was being attempted. Didn't work. Tried using a wood rule and not being so precise and things seemed to work better. Now a piece of scrap wood with a pencil mark is often my ruler.

Amazing how trying for exactness leads to error and working loose leads to a better fit.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Soon, grasshopper will grab the pebble from your hand and learn to spot a 42X at 1,000 yards. But hey, at $5 for the vise and the saw set, it's more than academic, it's esoteric.


At $5 for both you could qualify for the deal of the decade.

jim

[Jonathan McCullough]

It was a moving sale. No one needs to haul a bunch of cast iron they can't identify and don't know how to use to their new home. They were definitely not the types who would sharpen a saw and set it. Grandpa maybe, but these folks not so much. Win-win for both of us.

I like those old rules because my tape measure always sets the alarms off when I go to the hardware store, and I seldom need to measure anything bigger than 24". I've often thought that you could pretty much build a project from start to finish with no measuring tools at all though. A lot of people cook that way, why not cabinetmakers? Most of what you're "measuring" is against some other object to keep things symmetrical; why measure at all? Just saw wide of the mark, plane to a perfect fit, and call it a day.

That unusual circle-hole cutter brace bit cleaned up nicely. "Gleason & Allen, Terrytown Connecticut." A real piece of Tool Central history. Isn't it funny how you find the tool you need exactly one week after you need it? I was doing a project with my son from the book "Handy Dad" (Harlan you ought to check that out at the book store) and needed to cut a 3-inch hole for a diy "lava lamp."

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/GilbertAllen2.jpg

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/GilbertAllen.jpg

[george wilson]

That is a gasket cutter.