Sentimental Tools/projects

[alex grams]

I was wondering who here has a favorite sentimental tool or project.

Personally, I have two items I fancy over every other project/tool.

One is an aquarium stand I made about 15 years ago with my grandfather. Not the prettiest item, but a good memory.

The second is a block clamp from my other grandfather that has enough glue and gunk and sawdust on it that you have a hard time finding exposed wood from the original clamp. This came from the family shop that shut down about 7 years ago that my Grandfather had run since WWII. I often wonder how many pieces of furniture in the world that clamp has helped hold together at one point or another It hangs in its own spot on the wall in my shop to display the M.A.W. that is hand routed into the side of it (stands for Miller's Architectural Woodworking).

Whats yours?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Alex, I guess one tool would be a hand plane that was my fathers.

It is an Este smooth plane, not pretty, the tote and handle are scratched and chipped, the knob on the cap has a piece broken out of it.

However I keep it sharp, and think of my Dad every time I use it. He would laugh at me now if he were still here, getting sentimental about a tool! For him tools were tools, you used and abused them as required to make money to support your family, not polish and coddle.

The sentimental project for me is one that repeats every year at Christmas. I make a few wooden rabbit pull toys and donate them to charity. They're the same design I made for my children about 20 years ago, and I gain some satisfaction from the continuation of a tradition, as well as the hope that some child is enjoying them as much now, as my children did then.

Interesting post, thanks for starting it.......Rod.

[Reed Wells]

The tool for me is a 9" Rockwell Power miter saw. Made entirely out of metal, no plastic. I am not sure, but I think it was the first one to be available to the general public. I was doing trim work at the time, early 70s, and I remember that when you cut a left miter on a piece of 3 1/4" base, 45 degrees, you had to take your Stanley 99A ( razor knife ) to finish the cut. That machine sure made me a believer in technology, what an advance over the hand mitre box. Also I still have that same 99A and it is used every day. Whoda thunk it.

[Guy Germaine]

Mine is a claw hammer. Last weekend, we moved my 92 year old Dad into an assisted living facility. He's still in great shape, and drives out to my house for coffee, and to watch me work in the shop. When we were packing, he gave me this hammer. It's probably 60 or 70 years old, and it's the hammer that he taught me to use when I was just a pup. I am planning on making a nice display case for it, and it will hang in the shop. It will never see another nail! That one has a LOT of sentimental value. :)

[George Sanders]

I have two drawknives and a rosewood and brass square that belonged to my greatgrandfather. I do use the drawknives and I like to think the old gentleman is looking down and smiling on me.

[Verne Mattson]

I've got a #80 cabinet scraper and a sliding bevel that were my grandfather's. He built houses around his job with the New Haven Railroad. They are an everyday physical connection to a memory.

I've just started my sentimental project. My 14 year old daughter and I are building her a walnut blanket chest. I'm thrilled she's interested in helping.

[Greg Cole]

Favorite sentimental project.... hard maple coffee table for my parents. It was my first real stick built peice of furniture. Still looks good, but I don't think I'll be standingon it anytime soon. Some of the leg-aaprin joinery has let loose (it was made in Missouri in the summer and now sits in Vermont about 5 feet from a pellet stove :rolleyes: & my idea of seasonal movement when I built this table was elderly people going North n South every 6 months.)

Sentimental tool.... a B & D jigsaw of my Dad's. I can remember playing with that POS when I was 6 or so. I'll never forget it, cause when I plugged it in the first time I sort of had a finger on one of the plug prongs as I slid it in the outlet! He STILL has it and I used it last year working on a deck for them while on vacation back home in Vermont as well as used it 3 years ago when I installed their new kitchen.
He thought I was nuts whe I told him I wanted that jogsaw when he's done with it. "What the hell do you want that damn thing for, you've got 2 newer & nicer ones at home".:rolleyes:
"Yup, sure so Dad. But neither of those were yours".

Greg

[Lee Schierer]

When I go to my mother's house and we have a meal, I usually help with the clean up and I see the black walnut knife rack I made in 8th or 9th grade shop class. She still has it and uses it.

My favorite hand tools are the hand planes that came from my grandfather's shop via my Dad's shop. I think of both of them when I use the hand planes.

[scott spencer]

Favorite sentimental tool is my Grandfather's Stanley 220 block plane. Favorite project is my son's guitar....love to hear it every time he plays.

[Jack Porter]

Funny I just came across this thread after posting something similar in the Woodworking Projects page, under "flag display case".

The case I made for my grandfathers burial flag (given to my father) and now the 2nd case I made for an acquaintance definately stand out.


Also a changing table/dresser I made for my 5 week old daughter.
Too bad she doesn't understand that if she keeps pooping at this rate, this project will be off of this list in no time.:D

[Peter Quinn]

Favorite sentimental tool is my Grandfather's Stanley 220 block plane. Favorite project is my son's guitar....love to hear it every time he plays.

Ditto here, I broke my grandfather's 220 block plane this spring when it fell out of my sweaty hands, jumped off the rubber mat and landed on the concrete floor. Goodbye cap. I replaced it with an adjustable mouth stanley of similar vintage from a flee market, which functions much better. I think he would approve. He was more interested in making cabinets than collecting antiques.

My mascot is a 1949 DeWalt GR-41, 14" Long Arm RAS. I took it from a basket case back to a precision machine. So big its table makes a good drafting desk. Grampa had a DeWalt too.

Project would be a set of QSWO pantry drawers I made for my Mom. She had a beautiful pantry in our house growing up with pull out canning drawers. The house my parents bought when my sister and I left for college had stock cabinets, no frills. She always missed that old pantry so I recreated it. now they have retired and are selling the house, I joked that I'd like to take the pantry out and install it in her next house, but most potential buyers seem to love it, so perhaps I'll make her another and just tape a business card to the original!:D

[Rob Diz]

My Dad was a hobbyist WW. I have all of his hand tools, mostly craftsman. I really enjoy using the screwdrivers, because I new that he used them all of the time as well. He also had a nice collection measuring devices. The most sentimental tool I have, however, is a 35 year old Craftsman RAS. My uncle bought it new, tried to rip something, had kickback, and promptly gave it to my Dad. My dad used it for well over thrity years until he gave it to me when he was too ill to do any woodworking. It was the first "big" powertool I ever had, and still sits in the middle of my small shop. I guess you could say it's the reason I'm not getting a Kapex - that and about 1300.

[Mark Hultzapple]

I have to say my most sentimental tool would be my Grandfather’s old red Fiber glass handle hammer that was passed down to my father and now to me. My Grandfather passed away in 1971 and my father in 2003.They were both carpenters by trade and I have many of their tools. The hammer is special because it has seen many projects that helped our family through several generations to put food on the table. Every time I use the hammer I am reminded how much I have to learn to match the skills of it’s previous owners. I feel there is a lot it could teach me if I could just quiet my mind and listen.
Another tool that I was intrigued by as a child was an old automatic screwdriver. I’m not sure that is the correct name but the blade would twist as you pushed on the handle. I remember my grandfather using it to hang doors in the many houses he built. Everytime I use my cordless screw driver I remember how dad and grandpa used to do it.

Mark