Dad's tool's

[julianthegypsy]

I hear schools are terrified, in the times in which we live, of an accident happening on a lathe or milling machine. The insurance companies probably don't allow it.

I think it's more to do with not having any teachers who know how to turn them on. Design technology is a made up subject, woodwork and metalwork have now been absorbed into "resistant materials", which covers, or doesn't cover, woodwork, metalwork, plastics etc, so you end up knowing very little about lots more different materials!

 

[ronan]

I think it's more to do with not having any teachers who know how to turn them on. Design technology is a made up subject, woodwork and metalwork have now been absorbed into "resistant materials", which covers, or doesn't cover, woodwork, metalwork, plastics etc, so you end up knowing very little about lots more different materials!

That seems a pity, one of the few subjects i liked at school was metalwork, i used to look forward to it. I remember still sitting in the following classes with the stink of carbolic soap off my hands, as that was what we had to wash our hands with. The teacher we had was a good tradesman himself, he used to get us involved in projects that weren't on thr curriculim, helping in the repair of a power hacksaw was one. Great.

 

[the artfull-codger]

I hear schools are terrified, in the times in which we live, of an accident happening on a lathe or milling machine. The insurance companies probably don't allow it.

I'm afraid you're wrong there m8, of course the insurance allows it, when working on a lathe/milling machine/brazing hearth/ wood lathe /router/dovetail jig it's on a one to one,the foundry molding is done by students & the pouring by teacher & technician, orbital sanders, biscuit jointers,hand saws etc can be used by themselves after being taught how to use them, the sawbench /over & under planer& bandsaw are a no no of course,not all schools have all these facilities of course but plenty still do.

 

[Wedg1e]

My dad was self-employed as a car mechanic (actually he wasn't trained as one and never claimed to be one: he used to say "I repair cars" ) and as the only place you could buy tools was a professional tool supplier (no B&Q, Screwfix, internet etc. in the '70s) at professional prices, he used to get my mother to buy him stuff as xmas presents.

His garage was burgled by the usual suspects in the early 90s and virtually everything was taken: he'd lost enthusiasm for working on cars by then and moved onto installing telecoms kit with my cousin so only replaced a few important items (no insurance ).

He died in 2009 and it's only now that my mother is starting to make noises about disposing of what is still in the garage; I've got his ancient Lesto GEG-1electric sheet metal shear and will probably nab the 1970s Devilbiss (I think) portable compressor for old times' sake... it's the type that's meant to be used with a constant-bleed spraygun but of course the gun got stolen, they only didn't get the compressor as he had it in the Lakes for blowing the pipes clear on his static caravan. I used it for spraying a few pushbikes in my teens

Apart from a big Record vice and a few jacks and stands, his remaining tools don't even fill a small cantilever toolbox, thanks to the thieving scum.

My workshop, on the other hand... will probably cause our lass, my daughter and son-in-law no end of grief in disposal. Nursy won't have any need for any of it, my daughter wouldn't risk chipping a nail and the S-I-L would never be allowed the space or time for any of it.
I guess one of my brothers would have a good rummage but the other wouldn't know a spanner from a screwdriver.
Sadly I reckon it'll be a call to some scrap-gyppo who'll offer them fifty quid for the lot and retire on the proceeds. I've been very lucky to have been given some expensive stuff over the years and had bargains elsewhere, but even what I've spent would pay for a good family holiday.
Unless I can hang on a for a few years and instill some technical interest in my grandsons...

 

[brewdexta]

The neighbour just brought round some lathe and milling tools that had been languishing in his barn for a few years, well rusty but a quick rub down with a wire brush and a dunk in citric acid should sort them out.

 

[Angusdog]

The only real tool my dad gave me was a gas regulator when I wanted to get into airbrushing as a teen. I took it along to BOC to get a cylinder of compressed air and they were horrified. Why? My dad was an anaesthetist and it was a medical regulator he had spare. Someone (probably him) had filed off the pegs which mean the regulator could only be used for a particular gas (nitrous, halothane etc). The bloke said "You could fill some poor bloke's lungs with acetylene!"

 

[madwelder]

A lot of my first tools were given to me by my grandad when I was young, all sorts of odds and sods. He died when I was 8 so his old cantilever toolbox painted in the same colour as his car has a lot of sentimental value to me. As for my dad, he has pretty much any DIY tool you could need but he rarely passes anything onto me as I also have most things I need.

 

[Premiershipman]

Interesting comments about the health and safety aspects leading to lack of skills.

Back in my days of school we made all sorts of stuff in woodworking etc, including a lamp that my mum and dad still have.

However, nowadays it would have to be PAT tested !!!

There must be a middle ground as on my trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester we saw the other end of the scale, back in the days when young lads worked in the mills and had to work under looms and near belts and pulley losing fingers and sometime getting dragged up to ceiling level by pulley belts and dropped 20 feet back down onto concrete floors.

However, half the time it is down to insurance not letting schools teach woodwork/metalwork etc, surely disclaimers could be used as engineering skills are seriously in decline, both here and over in the US.

Shady

 

[Cyberprog]

Sadly my father was never really into his tools. I have what was in the cellar, but they're mainly just DIY bits and bobs.
I have managed to acquire the woodworking bandsaw my grandfather had, but as woodwork isn't my forte, I've no had anything further from his workshop. I guess when my gran dies it'll need to be properly cleaned out, but until then, the tools can stay where they are.

 

[TAITSIE]

My two sons and one daughter have discussions every time I go into hospital about who gets what with my tools , nice to know they really care about me

 

[the snooper]

The neighbour just brought round some lathe and milling tools that had been languishing in his barn for a few years, well rusty but a quick rub down with a wire brush and a dunk in citric acid should sort them out.

a barn thought you had been out with a metal detector and dug them up

 

[the snooper]

infact the more i look at the pictures the more i expect tony robinson and the time team crew to pop up

 

[brightspark]

My two sons and one daughter have discussions every time I go into hospital about who gets what with my tools , nice to know they really care about me

infact the more i look at the pictures the more i expect tony robinson and the time team crew to pop up

mebbe there from the iron age

 

[Tman]

Got some great tools from me old Granda. Britool, gedor, Gordon,king dick, starlewillie all proper tools made to last forever. Some are 60 years old and as good as the day they were made. Most will probably see me out.

 

[brewdexta]

infact the more i look at the pictures the more i expect tony robinson and the time team crew to pop up

Scrub up well don't they

 

[TAITSIE]

Scrub up well don't they

mmm

 

[the snooper]

Scrub up well don't they

are you sure they are from those boxes, your not pulling a fast one by any chance they look a little too clean

 

[brightspark]

are you su

are you sure they are from those boxes, your not pulling a fast one by any chance they look a little too clean

and there all the same size whereas there not in the boxes lol a tall story post i think

 

[brewdexta]

This is what they looked like before the tool fairy transformed them into shiny tools

I got a tray of tools to fit my lathe, a tray to fit a lathe about 5 sizes bigger, a tray of drill bits, a tray of various t-nuts and bolts plus a dozen spanners that I stuck in citric acid. a couple of spanners were vaguely spanner shaped but mainly rust, the rest looked much worse than they were.

 

[Parm]

My grandad was a tool maker. I have all his old jigs fixtures clamps and tools. All of which I use on a regular basis. My favorites are his Stanley No 4 Plane which has been modified to make rebates as wells as the custom made hand saw which cuts on the pull stroke, very accurate it is too