Oldest Tools?

[Aiden Pettengill]

Hi all!
Just wondering what the age of the oldest tool that you use its? I swear old tools last forever if taken care of!
My own is an 1873 Stanley type 3 #31 transitional hand plane.

[steven c newman]

426947
G. Roseboom, Cincinnati, OH....1/4" plough plane, 1864. Has been rehabbed to replace broken/missing parts..
426948
Works fine....arms tend to be a bit long.

[David Carroll]

I USED to have a Kenyon Backsaw, that experts dated to 1780-1790. I had Mike Wenzloff sharpen it and I used it (very gently) for 10 years but sold it to pay off medical bills :-( It was a lovely saw, great balance!

I wish I didn't sell it.

DC

[John Makar]

Grandfather's Type 5 (1885-1888) #4 Stanley-Bailey. I Tormeked it last year to a perfect 25 degrees. With honing using veritas-jig and diamond stones it is probably in its best functional condition ever, tho the knob and handle show the years. I expect it will be the subject of negotiation between son and son-in-law in about 20 years.

[Aiden Pettengill]

"Grandfather's Type 5 (1885-1888) #4 Stanley-Bailey. I Tormeked it last year to a perfect 25 degrees. With honing using veritas-jig and diamond stones it is probably in its best functional condition ever, tho the knob and handle show the years. I expect it will be the subject of negotiation between son and son-in-law in about 20 years."
Thats great! :D
I had to restore mine (the 1873 Stanley type 3 #31 transitional hand plane) when I did though, I was told by someone that I shouldn't have done anything to it because it decreases the value. I had the overwhelming urge to tell them that it doesn't have any value if you can't use it! Why would I buy something just to have it sit on a shelf?

[Rob Luter]

I've divested myself of most of the antiques. I do have a couple old Stanley Spoke shaves, circa 1880. Nothing any older that I know of.

[Joshua Lucas]

Very old tools are scarce in my area, so my oldest is probably my great-great-grandfather's Sweetheart-era Stanley #110 block plane, circa 1930.

[Tom M King]

Here's a molding plane that I modified. It was a profile that I would never use, so changed it to one I needed. If I'm remembering correctly, it's from 1735. I bought it for something less than 20 bucks, back when a small packet from the UK was 6 dollars. Others equally as old were used in the process of changing the profile on that one. They took better care of molding planes over there than what I've seen here.

[Aiden Pettengill]

No offense.... but ouch! A tool that old being modified makes me cringe! Now had it been 1850's on.... I would have been all for it. Around where I live old tools are a dime a dozen and most were well taken care of except for during the past 10-15 years as the "Greatest Generation" passes away. I know that in New England we have tons of old tools because they were passed down generation to generation and since this area was the first to have been settled by foreigners, it goes without saying that it does and would have an abundance of old tools. Antique shops are everywhere around here and not overly priced too.

[Tom M King]

I knew that some would cringe at such sacrilege, but it was an Ovolo that I had never seen around here, or anywhere else, and not even particularly attractive. It was close to the Ogee that I needed, and didn't require much of a change. I'm sure I would have bought it cheap only because no one else bid against me. The European Beech was wonderful to work, and I found out exactly why they liked it for making molding planes.

I bought several hundred of them back before it was cool to collect them, but only ones that could produce work, without a lot of work on them. There are plenty of others here, stored in hermetically sealed, with desssicant canister, toolboxes. They should be good for longer than many other thousands sitting out in garages, or barns.

I'm not a tool collector. I get paid to produce work.

[David Carroll]

No offense.... but ouch! A tool that old being modified makes me cringe! Now had it been 1850's on.... I would have been all for it. Around where I live old tools are a dime a dozen and most were well taken care of except for during the past 10-15 years as the "Greatest Generation" passes away. I know that in New England we have tons of old tools because they were passed down generation to generation and since this area was the first to have been settled by foreigners, it goes without saying that it does and would have an abundance of old tools. Antique shops are everywhere around here and not overly priced too.

I certainly agree- if the tool is unusual or rare, and if modifying the tool obscures the manufacturing processes used to make it, then it should be left alone. But there still are a lot of very old tools to be found around, not all are museum quality. Most have been monkeyed with over the years. The saw that I mentioned in my earlier post has been poorly filed with missing and misshapen teeth, evidence of a lot of misuse and careless maintenance in the past 200 years. Not much to learn there, and although it wasn't rare (there are lots of 18th c. saws around) it was a nice example. I wanted to feel how it felt to use a true antique saw, set up to work, sort of to share the experience with our ancestors. So I sent it off to be refiled. I was surprised how thick the saw-plate was, much thicker than the modern dovetail and tenon saws I was familiar with. The weight and balance of the saw was amazing.

DC

[Scott Winners]

I have a Spear and Jackson 30" rip saw that Pete Taran dated to +/- 1860 after seeing pictures of it. I have it pretty sharp. The handle is loose in the winter and tight in the summer, I don't use it when the handle is loose.

[Aiden Pettengill]

"I have a Spear and Jackson 30" rip saw that Pete Taran dated to +/- 1860 after seeing pictures of it. I have it pretty sharp. The handle is loose in the winter and tight in the summer, I don't use it when the handle is loose."
That would be because it is drier in the winter than in the summer. Maybe oiling the handle would add enough moisture constancy to stabilize it?

[Aiden Pettengill]

"I knew that some would cringe at such sacrilege, but it was an Ovolo that I had never seen around here, or anywhere else, and not even particularly attractive. It was close to the Ogee that I needed, and didn't require much of a change. I'm sure I would have bought it cheap only because no one else bid against me. The European Beech was wonderful to work, and I found out exactly why they liked it for making molding planes.

I bought several hundred of them back before it was cool to collect them, but only ones that could produce work, without a lot of work on them. There are plenty of others here, stored in hermetically sealed, with desssicant canister, toolboxes. They should be good for longer than many other thousands sitting out in garages, or barns.

I'm not a tool collector. I get paid to produce work"


​That would make more sense then if you have so many. Thats quite an impressive collection (even if your not a collector) of planes. I could help you get rid of some so its not a "collection" any more if you want?:D

[Stew Denton]

My oldest tool, to my knowledge is a Disston panel saw from between 1878 and 1888. This by the medallion guide on the Disston Institute site.

Stew

[Aiden Pettengill]

"My oldest tool, to my knowledge is a Disston panel saw from between 1878 and 1888. This by the medallion guide on the Disston Institute site."

Can I ask a stupid question? What is a panel saw?

[Tom M King]

Panel saws were a little shorter than a Hand Saw. I think the typical one is 20", rather than 26" for a Hand Saw.

[Aiden Pettengill]

Gotcha! Thanks!

[Phil Mueller]

As Tom said, most old hand saw catalogues will list anything less than 24” as a panel saw. There is some debate over why it was called a panel saw, but I tend to think they were appropriate for sawing thinner “panel” material. Today, many refer to any hand saw as a panel saw as a way to distinguish it from a powered saw.

[Brian Holcombe]

I admire Tom’s willingness to neatly modify and old tool and keep it in use. Tom does historic restoration, he is uniquely qualified to do so, in my estimation.

[Jim Koepke]

My current oldest tools are a couple of mortise chisels. They were purchased on ebay many years ago:

426997

Here is part of the text from the description:


The wider chisel has a cutting edge of 3/8" and is stamped NEWBOULD, a mark used by Samuel Newbould. He is listed as an "edgetool maker" on Sheffield Moor in the Directory of Sheffield for 1787. This example has two early features. The bolster where the blade enters the handle is not the integral, faceted one that is usual; instead, there is a disk that the blade passes through and a very heavy, hand forged ferrule behind it (see photo). The disk is like that on a Samurai sword. The other early feature is that the chisel has a steel edge welded to an iron backbone, much like early axes. The steel will hold an edge much longer than iron, but wrought iron is tougher and less brittle for the body of a tool. The line between the steel and iron can be seen along the edge of the NEWBOULD blade (see photo). The chisel is about 9½ inches in length. The length from the tip to the beginning of the exposed wood in the handle is about 7 inches.
The second chisel is lightly stamped JAMES CAM, who started in Sheffield in 1781, according to Goodman’s book on British plane-makers.

The handles have been replaced.

One of my scythes has a Shapleigh trade mark. This was changed to Diamond Edge in 1864.

Some of my Buck Brothers carving tools are from before the buck's head was incorporated into their trade mark circa 1870.

426998

One of my Stanley/Bailey planes is a type 4, 1874-1884.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

The wood on this Vesper joinery knife is 10000 year old Black Red Gum ...

https://i.postimg.cc/0QLphY5Z/Joinery-Knife-497c4e29b4c89-300x-zps8f122e04.jpg

See if you can beat that! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[chris carter]

My oldest tool is a D. R. Barton drawknife that I can date to sometime between 1849 and 1874. It's my only drawknife and gets quite a workout whenever I decide to turn anything on my pole lathe.

[steven c newman]

I have two non-users...too brittle...There is a Disston from the 1850s..a No. 7, made before the eldest son joined the firm

There is also a rip saw, patent dates are on the underside of the split nuts....from 1868. Both are retired, just like me.

[Josh Robinson]

I think Derek wins! Very cool. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a piece of a 1500 or so year old Cypress that a meth head burned down here in Florida a while back, but 10,000 years old is impressive.

[Aiden Pettengill]

Indeed! Where would you even get something like that?

[Warren Mickley]

My current oldest tools are a couple of mortise chisels. They were purchased on ebay many years ago:

426997


I like Jim's Cam mortise chisel (upper one) the best so far. 18th century chisels like this are quite a bit lighter than the late 19th century joiner's mortise chisels we often see.

I have a nice James Cam skew chisel for turning. It is 1 1/4 inches wide and tapers from 5/16 down to less than 1/8 at the tip. It was probably around 3/32 thick at the tip when new, which makes for a nice tool. It has very fine steel. Quite a bit more skewed than the picture shows.

427091

[bill epstein]

Being up against you tool collectors leaves me in the dust. I won't even mention my father's hammer which I still have and treasure, ca. maybe 1950.

Now my #1 hobby, building vacuum tube audio equipment, here's a single-ended triode amplifier (foreground) with RCA Cunningham engraved UX-45 output tubes made in 1937. Still going 2.8 Watts per channel strong.

427093

[Jim Koepke]

I think Derek wins! Very cool. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a piece of a 1500 or so year old Cypress that a meth head burned down here in Florida a while back, but 10,000 years old is impressive.

The tool is rather modern, the handle material is ancient.


Indeed! Where would you even get something like that?

Petrified wood would be one way.

One woman at a recent flea market had a knapped stone knife with an antler handle. It is still a modern construction.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

I think Derek wins! Very cool. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a piece of a 1500 or so year old Cypress that a meth head burned down here in Florida a while back, but 10,000 years old is impressive.

Thanks Josh ... but you know I want just kidding (although the wood is indeed 10000 years old).

I have an 1896 shooting board, which gets frequent use.

Hell, I'm getting to be an old tool, myself! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

(although the wood is indeed 10000 years old)

Can you tell us the story about this piece of wood?

jtk

[chris carter]

I've got a rock down here. If I use it to hit a chisel I will win for oldest tool by a few million years!

[Mike Henderson]

I have some cast steel chisels from the 1800's. I saw, but did not own, a plane blade that was marked "Double Shear Steel" which was probably from the 1700's.

Sometime around 1900 a lot of the tool manufacturers starting marking cast steel tools as "Tool Steel". I guess the term "tool steel" as seen as more modern at that time.

Mike

[John Makar]

A Type 5 #4 on ebay is not all that expensive, probably as much value in being a working tool as any kind of collector thing. Stanley made and sold as many of those as they could, I doubt the market will ever see a shortage of them. He was a carpenter, used it to ease and fit things. Mostly it has sat around not doing much for the last 100 years, so being in good condition is not that remarkable. Neither him nor my father seem to have been at all concerned about the angle on the bevel, it took a good 15 minutes on the Tormek to eliminate the several previous versions. As long as what they were working on finally fit, it was good enough. I'm the one that honed the back to a mirror finish. One afternoon I just looked at my collection and said I'm going to clean up this mess.

I have a #4, #5, #6, #7 from the late 1800s-early-mid 1900s. The one that really impresses me is the 4 1/2 Lie-Nielsen I bought last year. The one I really use is the LN low angle block. 120 years from now those will be a collector's item.

[steven c newman]

wasn't aware that this was a contest of who had the oldest tool.....

User tools? Stanley No. 28, and No. 31.....1880s era....the oldest iron bodied plane is a type 7 , No. 8

Not sure when my Auburn Tool Co. No. 181 skewed rebate plane was made....

There is a Type 2 Stanley No. 9-1/2 in the plane till.....right beside the Shelton No. 118 low angle block plane ( all steel, too)

For some.."oldest tool" seems to mean last years model......

[Jim Koepke]

I have a nice James Cam skew chisel for turning.

My most used tools on the lathe are my skew chisels.

jtk

[Aiden Pettengill]

While it sound good to say just use petrified wood, petrified wood is stone. It happens when the wood rots out and minerals fill the void so its not workable into anything except a rock wall.

[Jim Koepke]

While it sound good to say just use petrified wood, petrified wood is stone. It happens when the wood rots out and minerals fill the void so its not workable into anything except a rock wall.

With proper tooling, it can be cut and drilled. Some even appears to be turned on a lathe.

jtk

[Aiden Pettengill]

True. I didn't think of it that way! My thoughts would have been along the line of Kauri wood from Australia.

[mike stenson]

I've got a rock down here. If I use it to hit a chisel I will win for oldest tool by a few million years!

In that case, here's my oldest tool

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-NW6P4fT/0/7e05dfd2/L/i-NW6P4fT-L.jpg

[Aiden Pettengill]

Love it!:D

[Ray Newman]

Have no idea how old my Stanley #55 is, but at age 74 I just might be the oldest tool in the shop:D....

[Aiden Pettengill]

No no no! You got it all wrong! The older your tools are the younger the tool you are in the grand scheme of things.:D

[Ron Kellison]

A set of 8 CE Jennings socket head chisels, probably made sometime around 1910-15. The steel takes a great edge but I've been spoiled by my A2 and Japanese chisels!

[Rob Luter]

Since a bench is a tool, here’s an old one. Solid white oak, 59 x 19 x 3. My bride’s Great Grandfather used it to butcher hogs. Dating from around 1900, it’s always been called the slaughter bench. It was rescued from the old barn prior to collapse. For the last 50 years or so it’s been used as a coffee table and a plant stand. We’ve had it since ‘81. The top is full of cleaver marks.

427587

[Gareth Richmond]

The oldest tool I have (tentatively dated) is a smith and sons Sheffield rip saw from circa 1830

[Eric Danstrom]

Can you tell us the story about this piece of wood?

jtk

I used the google. It very old bog wood from New Zealand, not petrified. I wood guess Derek was given a small sliver of it from a larger more fancy project. It's pretty expensive. There's 3000~4000 year old bog woods from England and the US that are more reasonable priced.

[Jim Hoti]

I have a Stump Anvil I occasionally use dated 1688.

[John K Jordan]

I have a broadaxe, foot adze, and a couple of froes I use occasionally but I have no idea of the ages. It may be disgrace but we use the foot adze as a gardening tool...

JKJ

[Eric Rathhaus]

I'm 57 and occasionally been called a tool. I guess that's the oldest tool I use on a daily basis.

[steven c newman]

Millers Falls No. 22?
428264
Goodell Pratt Co. No. 408?
428265
or..The Goodell Pratt Co. #329...
428266428267
Might qualify as old in my shop...