Like a kid in a candy store

[Michael Bulatowicz]

My great grandfather, who passed away in 1972, worked as a carpenter and of course had the requisite tools. I just found out that his tool chest has been sitting in my aunt's garage for years. She and my grandfather have agreed that it should be passed down to me.

She sent me some pictures. I feel like a kid in a candy store right now.

459760459761459762

[Jim Koepke]

What a great inheritance.

jtk

[Bill McDermott]

Super cool. Maybe you can do a complete cleaning and sharpening. That will familiarize you with everything. It will probably be another two decades before anything that comprehensive is done again. Thanks for sharing this.

[Erich Weidner]

Very nice! Full set of Irwin bits there too.

[Scott Winners]

Very nice Michael. Be gentle with the box for the Irwin bits, I wish I had a box like that to keep my auger bits in. Some really nice pieces in there, never mind the chest itself.

I would be interested to know the tooth patterns on the saws someday. I am going to guess one rip and three crosscuts, but I only feel confident guessing 3 of the 4 tooth patterns from here.

Tickled pink for you.

[Meryl Logue]

How fantastic for you!

It brings mixed emotions… my family was not so thoughtful.

I am truly happy for you.

[Frederick Skelly]

You lucky dawg!

[Mike Hutchison]

Michael
Very Nice; I have just a couple pieces of my great grandfather's.
They are hangers not users.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Congratulations. Hope you are able to keep them in the family for generations to come. Very cool gift.

[Michael Bulatowicz]

It's probably going to be a while before I get to visit my aunt's house again, so I am planning on having them shipped out to me. Any suggestions on how best to have them shipped to avoid damage in transit?

Thanks in advance.

[Scott Winners]

Where outside Wisconsin is it, roughly? I would be looking for a soccer mom with a minivan who was going on a road trip to Madison myself.

[Michael Bulatowicz]

Billings, Montana. Roughly a 15 hour drive from here.

[Jerry Olexa]

An inheritance within your family is the best/safest way to acquire tools in my opinion...

[Jim Koepke]

Billings, Montana. Roughly a 15 hour drive from here.

A package shipped via UPS last week weighing 19 lbs cost about $25. Not sure how much the tool box weighs but it would be worth it.

What would be great is if you could get your family to write what they know about your great grandfather's use of the tools.

jtk

[Michael Bulatowicz]

What would be great is if you could get your family to write what they know about your great grandfather's use of the tools.

jtk

Excellent suggestion, Jim. Thanks.

My grandfather is still sharp at age 94 and probably remembers quite a bit about his father in law. It would indeed be good to get some history on these tools to include in the chest when I pass it along.

[Tom Bender]

Make the trip, have a talk with your grandfather and record it.

[Dan Hulbert]

An impressive inheritance. I have a few tool from my grandfather and think of him every time I see them or use them. Am I a little nuts for getting sentimental over a crow bar?

My daughter gave me a subscription to StoryWorth for father's day this year. Each week I get a question and write an answer. At the end of a year, we both get a bound copy of all the stories. If your grandfather has any writing skills, this might be a great way to capture his stories. I believe you can order additional copies for other family members. Us oldsters appreciate youngsters interest in our stories.

[Mike Allen1010]

Make the trip, have a talk with your grandfather and record it.

+1 great advice!

When I was in my early 20s and a beginning woodworker I devoured James Krenov books and lusted after all the tools I couldn't afford. I just started dating a woman who is now my wife and learned her grandfather had a one-man cabinetmakers shop in Greenwich Village New York for 50 years. He had just recently passed away and I was devastated to hear they liquidated everything in the shop at junk prices. I have managed to acquire a couple of his tools, hand saws, over the years and I'm heartbroken to think of the treasure trove of tools he amassed over 50 years that were liquidated as junk and I would've given my left arm for.

I've now been a hand tool woodworker for 40 years and have acquired way more hand tools in any one person ever needs. I built full sets of furniture for both our boys, but they don't really have any interest in the tool/craft so leading a shop full tools to them will just be a burden. Any suggestions about how I can make sure my tools end up in the hands of someone who will appreciate them?

Best, Mike

[Joe A Faulkner]

Mike, I have a couple of suggestions. Have you connected with the San Diego Fine Wood Workers Association ? If not, seems like a great fit for you. There you might connect with some younger craftsfolk who in a decade or two you might ask to oversee a good and proper transition of your tools to people who will appreciate and use them. Also maybe consider doing some work with 4 H wood working in your area.
https://ucanr.edu/sites/4HSanDiegoCounty/Getting_Started_in_4-H/For_4-H_CCL_-_Project_Leaders/San_Diego_County_4-H__Curriculum_/

You just might find some youth to mentor who on down the road would be good candidates to receive some tools.

[Jim Ritter]

I’ve donated tools to apprentices at a local boatbuilding school called the ‘Apprenticeshop’. New students all the time.
Jim

[Mike Allen1010]

Mike, I have a couple of suggestions. Have you connected with the San Diego Fine Wood Workers Association ? If not, seems like a great fit for you. There you might connect with some younger craftsfolk who in a decade or two you might ask to oversee a good and proper transition of your tools to people who will appreciate and use them. Also maybe consider doing some work with 4 H wood working in your area.
https://ucanr.edu/sites/4HSanDiegoCounty/Getting_Started_in_4-H/For_4-H_CCL_-_Project_Leaders/San_Diego_County_4-H__Curriculum_/

You just might find some youth to mentor who on down the road would be good candidates to receive some tools.

Thanks Joe – I am a member of San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association, and have even taught couple saw sharpening classes for them. Problem is I go to the meetings (typically there's a speaker showing their work), and 90% of the crowd are old white guys like me. I think I need to try and increase my interaction with younger woodworkers who are looking to build their kit. Ideally seems like teaching would be a good venue for that. I've spoken to the director of the woodworking program at our local Palomar Community College and fill out application but no results yet. Maybe I need some of you guys to be a reference for me – any volunteers?

Have a great weekend, cheers Mike

[Joe A Faulkner]

So one more suggestion if I may. Checkout My Brothers Workshop in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Malcom Schweizer does some teaching there to at risk local youth. Might be a fun cross country excursion to teach a course or two there. As ar as references go, you have an impressive portfolio of work documented here. Any wood working school would be lucky to have you.

mybrothersworkshop.org

[Michael Bulatowicz]

Make the trip, have a talk with your grandfather and record it.

Well, I had the opportunity to fly out to Montana; I’m not going to be doing a >15 hour drive alone all in one day, and the window of opportunity was too narrow for it to be worthwhile tacking on an extra day of travel each to the beginning and end of the trip.

Here’s a short summary.

The tool chest was built in 1957 to hold the tools my great grandfather had carried around in a trailer from jobsite to jobsite. He worked for a contractor in the area: notable projects included an addition to the schoolhouse in Scobey, Montana; housing on the Glasgow, Montana Air Force Base; and a house near Lewistown that was designed to have no 90 degree angles.

At one point, he and his son (my Mom’s uncle) had aspirations of buying a cabinetmaking business together; someone in the area had been considering selling, but that ended up falling through for reasons unknown to my grandfather and the contractor work continued. My great grandfather used his tools for pretty much any of the carpentry needs, from flooring to roofing, door installation, cabinet work, etc.

Notable tools in the chest that aren’t obvious in the photos include a type 15 Stanley Bailey #4C, three Disston and Sons saws (eyeballing, looks like 10 and 8 ppi crosscut, 8 ppi rip) and a Warranted Superior 6-ish ppi rip saw. All the saws have seen a lot of use and need only a little cleanup of some rust from sitting in storage so long; they’re sharp, straight, and set. They’ve been sharpened enough that the stamped tooth count numbers are gone, and on the one saw with an easily visible etch, a good portion of the etch has been sharpened away. There’s a Taintor saw set and saw files to go with them.

The plane, too, needs some cleanup (and sharpening), but otherwise looks good to go—everything moves fine, but needs a bit of care.

Another saw worth noting is a nearly-new Atkins flooring saw; it doesn’t look like he used it nearly as much as the others. It, too, is in excellent condition.

There’s also a hand-cranked grinder.

Several of the chisels have seen enough use to only have an inch and a half or so left.

Too bad I never knew my great grandfather. I certainly could have learned a lot from him.

[Jim Koepke]

Michael, Good to hear you now have the chest, tools and some history.

Over the years you will add more history and hopefully will be able to pass it through to another generation.

jtk

[Scott Winners]

three Disston and Sons saws (eyeballing, looks like 10 and 8 ppi crosscut, 8 ppi rip) and a Warranted Superior 6-ish ppi rip saw. All the saws have seen a lot of use and need only a little cleanup oof some rust from sitting in storage so long; they’re sharp, straight, and set. They’ve been sharpened enough that the stamped tooth count numbers are gone, and on the one saw with an easily visible etch, a good portion of the etch has been sharpened away. There’s a Taintor saw set and saw files to go with them.

I guess it doesn't count since you have already spilled. If I was going to pick four hand saws to do everything I would go with and 8 and 12 point crosses, a + /- five point rip and then a 8ish PPI finer rip saw. Thankfully I have a couple dozen saws tilled and don't have to really make the choice.


Too bad I never knew my great grandfather. I certainly could have learned a lot from him.

My great grandpa died when I was about 7. In the 1920s he was using credit to build up a pig farm on his third of the 640 acres in Kansas originally homesteaded by my great great grandpa. In 1929 he borrowed more money than ever before as a successful hog farmer, and lost everything except his wife and kids. I remember him as one grumpy son of a gun smelling of cheap cigars, and a really bony lap to occupy when I had to sit there.

You might learn a fair bit about yours from figuring out he used his tools. I haven't seen the source document, but Thomas Jefferson is oft quoted as having said "grasp a thing always by the smooth part of the handle."

Good luck and best wishes.

[Scott Clausen]

I would make a small compartment and place some notes in it with names and dates that can document the history of these tools and their user(s). It will add to the value of it when handed down and the stories can live on forever.

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
You might learn a fair bit about yours from figuring out he used his tools. I haven't seen the source document, but Thomas Jefferson is oft quoted as having said "grasp a thing always by the smooth part of the handle."

Good luck and best wishes.


The quotation, "Take things always by their smooth handle" comes from Thomas Jefferson's "Canons of Conduct."

> https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/take-things-always-their-smooth-handle-quotation

Was more about civility in public debate.

It does also apply to knowing how a tool was held/used by how the handle is worn.

jtk

[Michael Bulatowicz]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies, encouragement to make the trip, and the personal stories.

Making a compartment in the lid to house a written record of the history of the tool chest and its original owner is definitely in the plans. I plan to also include a description of how and when the tools were passed along to me, what I did with them, and perhaps someday a description of noteworthy things I have done with them.

I’d also make a suggestion with regards to passing tools along to the next generation(s): include the history with your tools. Write down the stories and keep them with the tools. Anyone interested in the tools will probably be interested in their history as well. When were they made? How did they come into your hands? What have you done with them? You know your tools better than anyone else: what suggestions do you have for the next owner to get the most from each tool?

I am thankful that I took the opportunity when it arose to make the trip and hear about my great grandfather and his chest of tools (along with a number of other stories about my grandfather and his life). I had a good long conversation with my grandfather and took lots of notes to make sure I remember the stories and history.

I would encourage anyone else to take such an opportunity should it arise; make the trip and get the stories. Don’t wait any longer than you have to. If I had waited another few weeks, it would have been too late.