Some very old ads for Stanley Power Tools

[Frank Pellow]

Last week, I finally got around to building some bookcases for use within my shop, so now all my woodworking and construction books can be brought out of mothballs and organized.

I have some Family Handyman and Popular Mechanics magazines going back about 50 years. Their is lots of interesting stuff, and right up there in interest are the old advertisements. Here are four adds from 37 years ago:

Sabre Saw:

30727

Builders' Saw:

30730

Sander:

30728

Drill:

30729

If folks are interested in me copying and posting more ads from this era, please let me know.

[Bill Lewis]

Yep old ads are cool. If I'd have to guess I'd say these were late 1960's. It's interesting to see that the prices really haven't changed that much in the last 40 years;) ;)
Adjusted for inflation, those really were a significant investment back then. I guess they were the Festoool of their time.

Edit, Ok I went back and looked at the last two ads, and I was right on: Offer expires...1969

[Frank Pellow]

Yep old ads are cool. If I'd have to guess I'd say these were late 1960's. It's interesting to see that the prices really haven't changed that much in the last 40 years;) ;)
Adjusted for inflation, those really were a significant investment back then. I guess they were the Festoool of their time.

Edit, Ok I went back and looked at the last two ads, and I was right on: Offer expires...1969
Good guess Bill, but another way that you could have figured out the date, would have been to subtract 37 from 2006. :D

[Bill Lewis]

See! I told you that I think old ads are cool, I skipped right past what you wrote and went straight for the pictures. I had to go back to find your reference to "37"

[Mark Rios]

$1.30 For a screwdriver bit? In 1969? Now, I was only eight years old then but I don't remember Craftsman tool accessories being made out of gold or titanium.:D

Thanks for the nostalgia, Frank.

[Charlie Plesums]

Those looked like normal tools to me...metal instead of plastic, etc. Then I realized, I'm getting old!

[Ed Blough]

Well I noticed three things. First the name on the first saw is what I have always called a it a Sabre saw. A jig saw is like today's scroll saw except the arms didn't move only the lower blade holder (cam driven up and down) and spring holder in the upper arm.
Second they advertised reasonable horse power saying it uses 2.7 giving 1/4 hp. Today they would be saying 5hp then in little tiny letters "developed hp" (developed hp occurs when you combine the force of the blade right before the motor burns up and impact force of dropping the saw from 15,000 ft).
Third they are made of metal. However that can be good and bad as I remember the old "pot metal" that would break if you looked at it funny. But you could sure polish to a nice lustre. :-)

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Adjusted for inflation, those really were a significant investment back then. I guess they were the Festoool of their time.
Yuppers. $80 in 1969 (the Best Quality Stanley 7 1/4" Saw) is something like $425 present-day dollars. :eek:

[Frank Pellow]

I can't recall seeing Stanley hand-held power tools for several years. If someone can tell us what happened to this division, I would like to know. I checked the Stanley web site, but could find no such history there.

[Peter Pedisich]

Frank,

I believe Bosch bought Stanley's power tool division years ago.

Pete

[Harry Goodwin]

Well, two out of four ain't bad. I still have operational the saber saw and sander under the Penny name. I actually use the router nrom the same era although the others are seldom used since I've upgraded. I hope upgraded. Harry

[Howard Acheson]

Parly correct Peter. Stanley sold their portable power tool business to Skil in the middle to late 70's. Skil was then acquired by Bosch 10-15 years later.

[Ed Labadie]

Howard,
Something still isn't right on that sequence of purchases. I have a Stanley router & planer combo from the late 70's. It's marked Stanley/Bosch division.

What it basicially ammounts to, is if you have one of these old power tools, you are out of luck on parts.

Ed

[tod evans]

here`s some more old stanley literature....02 tod

30955

30956

30957

30958