Getting involved in electronics can be tricky business. Every time a new technology is invented, processor speed increased or new storage medium is heralded as the next great thing, your computer, stereo or television is one step closer to needing to be upgraded.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case when it comes to woodworking tools. Power tools built in the 1950’s still slice through lumber and planes and chisels more than a century old still slice and dice joinery as well as they day they were made. And, they can still do their work despite the fact that many of these babies sat languishing in some cellar or out building for decades before being brought back to life.
This week, let us know how old the oldest tool is in your collection. Power or hand tool – it doesn’t matter. The one caveat is that the tool still has to do work for you in a your shop – no living room display case models are allowed.
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Tom,
I still use a 1940 Delta Drill press. It is my only drill press and it has been in use by me for the past 30 years. It still has the original motor on it. I have replaced the spindle bearings twice. It only has .005″ runout. Plenty good for me and my woodworking.
With the exception of my little low-angle block plane which was purchased new, none of my planes are newer than 1930’s vintage. I recently got a Union #7 jointer that dates back to about 1915. Somewhere along the line, someone drilled a hole in the heel to allow it to be hung on a pegboard. The previous owner tuned it up nicely, replaced the broken tote with a nice cocobolo substitute, and honed the iron to glinting sharpness. Definitely not a collector’s item, but it’s massive, stable, and does the job for which it was intended. Just like a brand-new LN, it worked fine for me “right out of the box.” There’s something very cool about the karma of these old tools; every time I use them, I wonder whose hands have come before mine.