Stew Denton
07-10-2014, 10:46 PM
Hi All,
I have a small number of hand tools that belonged to my Dad, and a few that belonged to my grandfather. Most were none too good, but a few weren't too bad. One problem is that I only know "who owned what" for a very small number of them. (My grandfather was my mothers father.)
One hand saw has Grandpa's name on it, and one plane has his initials on it. I know a very small number of my Dads tools, a plane, a brace, and a few others. I have been in the process of restoring Dad and Grandpa's planes. The parts for Grandpa's plane, which I have chased down by watching Ebay for months, have cost me more than the plane is worth, but that doesn't matter at all to me. (It is a really old "Bailey type" Ohio #4, which is about 100 years old. Parts for that plane were a battle to find, but I now have them all and it will very nice when I am though with it. It is a good quality very usable plane.)
Dad gave me grandpa's hand saws before he passed away because he no longer used them, I was the son who liked woodworking and used hand tools, and he knew that family history meant a lot to me. Dad had inherited the saws from grandpa. I dearly wish that at that time I had put his initials on them. Same with the saws that belonged to Dad that I later inherited, l dearly wish that I had marked his. Now I will never know about which are which, because I have quite a few hand saws that I bought at garage sales, etc., many years ago. I do know which saws that I originally bought and restored, so I will put my initials on those, but the rest....who knows.
My point is this....if it isn't too late, mark those heritage tools in some way. For me, knowing the family history of the tool is important, and also I think about leaving them to my son in laws, and grandkids. I think that when they get to my age, it could very well be that the heritage and family history of the tool will be important to them, as it now is to me. There is something special about using a plane or saw that Dad or Grandpa used 50 or 80 years ago.
I am going to mark my own tools for that reason, hopefully maybe one or more of my grandkids will really appreciate that a plane he is using was used by his grandfather, and I plan to mark the tools that I know were Dad's or Grandpa's. I am planning to mark the hand tools because long after my power drills and routers are scrap metal, my hand tools should still be in use.
Just something I wanted to share so that unlike me, some of you younger guys can do this before it is too late.
Stew
I have a small number of hand tools that belonged to my Dad, and a few that belonged to my grandfather. Most were none too good, but a few weren't too bad. One problem is that I only know "who owned what" for a very small number of them. (My grandfather was my mothers father.)
One hand saw has Grandpa's name on it, and one plane has his initials on it. I know a very small number of my Dads tools, a plane, a brace, and a few others. I have been in the process of restoring Dad and Grandpa's planes. The parts for Grandpa's plane, which I have chased down by watching Ebay for months, have cost me more than the plane is worth, but that doesn't matter at all to me. (It is a really old "Bailey type" Ohio #4, which is about 100 years old. Parts for that plane were a battle to find, but I now have them all and it will very nice when I am though with it. It is a good quality very usable plane.)
Dad gave me grandpa's hand saws before he passed away because he no longer used them, I was the son who liked woodworking and used hand tools, and he knew that family history meant a lot to me. Dad had inherited the saws from grandpa. I dearly wish that at that time I had put his initials on them. Same with the saws that belonged to Dad that I later inherited, l dearly wish that I had marked his. Now I will never know about which are which, because I have quite a few hand saws that I bought at garage sales, etc., many years ago. I do know which saws that I originally bought and restored, so I will put my initials on those, but the rest....who knows.
My point is this....if it isn't too late, mark those heritage tools in some way. For me, knowing the family history of the tool is important, and also I think about leaving them to my son in laws, and grandkids. I think that when they get to my age, it could very well be that the heritage and family history of the tool will be important to them, as it now is to me. There is something special about using a plane or saw that Dad or Grandpa used 50 or 80 years ago.
I am going to mark my own tools for that reason, hopefully maybe one or more of my grandkids will really appreciate that a plane he is using was used by his grandfather, and I plan to mark the tools that I know were Dad's or Grandpa's. I am planning to mark the hand tools because long after my power drills and routers are scrap metal, my hand tools should still be in use.
Just something I wanted to share so that unlike me, some of you younger guys can do this before it is too late.
Stew