curious What is the oldest power tool that you still use

[Charles Taylor]

My 12" jointer, a Northfield from between 1921 and 1930.

[Dave Lehnert]

1989 Shopsmith Mark V

[Cary Falk]

1980's PM1200 20" drill press

[Stephen Rosenthal]

1937 Delta 1200 scroll saw. Runs like a sewing machine and I use it quite often. I’ve got other stationary machines (Craftsman, Dewalt, Parks) from the early ‘60s that get a lot of use and my dad’s no-name electric drill (probably Mall) from the late ‘40s that I rarely use.

[Bill Adamsen]

The planer marks are still visible over the entire saw table and even on the throat plate. That saw is good for several more lifetimes. Both machines are impressive. Dave

Larry's saw is really impressive. And the fact that it is used daily and producing some of the most interesting work I've seen even more so. I also love that the saw has a "history." The saw has a feature I've never seen, which is an arm with notched detents that allows dropping the blade almost instantly, below the table top surface. While it may have had other purposes, it was also a clever approach to saw safety. Are any manufacturers still producing tools with planed surfaces? I have several late vintage Italian and Austrian machines with beautifully planed surfaces. Occasionally I see the equipment to do planing on sale through industrial recovery and other sources. I'm guessing there are few folks around that know what surface planing is, or even how to use or maintain the equipment to do it.

My Yates mortiser is listed on Vintage Machinery. It is the only M40 I've ever seen ... though it is pretty much identical to one of their other models ... in fact Peter G. has several in his shop in the Berkshires. Mine came from Dave Kuns. Dave Kuns had purchased from Don Britt in Isola, Kansas back in the mid-1990s. Somewhere along the line it had been suggested the mortiser had been purchased originally by Boeing, which is possible since Boeing Wichita, with groundbreaking in June 1941 for the production of the B-29 bomber, was in partial operation one year later in June 1942. Wichita was almost precisely in the center of the country and deemed relatively safe (at that time) from the risk of war, and with Boeing's Stearman production already located in Wichita, it seemed a natural choice to expand production. At one time the location supported 40,000 workers and what I was told was the largest indoor production facility in the world. I have no paperwork, but according to the S/N Registry at VM the mortiser is a 1943 machine, that might dovetail nicely with the startup of that Wichita facility just a few hours west of Isola.

I lived in Wichita for a number of years, so I enjoy thinking my mortiser and I spent time in the same place before meeting again a few years back.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

My belt sander purchased at SEARS on the very beginning of 1990s. It was used last time yesterday.

[Ole Anderson]

B&D 7-1/4” SawCat bought new in 1967. A Craftsman King Seeley 6” jointer gifted as a pile of rust in 1979, probably from the 1950’s.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have a Craftsman router my Dad bought in the mid 70s. Still works very well.

[Bill Dufour]

My 20" Walker Turner drillpress. It is older then 1951 since it has the cast iron belt guard.
Bil lD

[Larry Edgerton]

I think I am the oldest tool in my shop?

[Phillip Gregory]

The oldest one is a 1923 Whitney No. 134 direct drive double spindle shaper. I don't use it every day as I don't use a shaper every day, but when I need to use it, I do, and it works well. It came out of a cabinet shop that went belly-up recently before I got it, and they were using it until they closed.

The oldest tool I use on an "every day I am in the shop" basis is my 1956 medium arm DeWalt GE radial arm saw. It is indispensable and I probably use this tool more than any other powered tool save for the shop vac and the dust collector.

[Raymond Seward]

1946 14" Delta Band Saw....still runs straight & true.....

[Rollie Kelly]

Keith, maybe you need to be fettled a little bit.

[Gary Radice]

1921 Wysong and Miles mortising machine model 272
Late 1920's Crescent 26" bandsaw
1949 Crescent 12' jointer
1950s Parks 12" planer, Boice Crane oscillating spindle sander, Delta scroll saw
1960s Delta 12" wood lathe and Powermatic 1150 drill press
1970s Delta Unisaw

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a Black and Decker 3/8" drill I bought from K-mart back in the early 1970's.

Somewhere in the house is my 1963 jig saw and 1963 1/4 sheet sander.