Toolfreaks Anonymous

[Firewalker]

Glad to hear that this Fanno actually performs better than the " golden child ".
Everybody goes around acting like Silky is unrivaled and practicality made of magic.

That's the same way people tend to act about Gransfors Bruks axes, but I'm not buying it.
Too many good vintage American axes that aren't ugly, have a more efficient profile, and will have ( when still in tact ) a much nicer handle with a proper fawns foot that flares out in all directions.


It's funny that people are so obsessed with GB axes and their general format that they are willing to believe a huge myth which says the creator of the Norlund axe line went to Sweden to learn how to make axes.
They actually believe this and that it makes Norlund the Cadillac of vintage axes, even though they were a budget tool made by METCO and sold in sporting goods stores to casual car campers.
 They will even overlook the fact that the swedish axes of the day were the cheap imports which were offen considered inferior ( they're actually perfectly fine axes, just made affordably and not premium like today ).

Gosh, I'm gonna disappoint you bigtime, my forest axe is a Harbor Freight. $12.99 

[Buldawg76]

I just feel fortunate to have been able to start my tool collecting years ago when made in the USA was pretty much all you could find in this country since you did not have the out sourced goods that proliferate are country today. Its is quite more of a challenge to source good quality truly made in the USA tools these day as compared to 40 years ago and the costs are far greater.

I have socket and wrench sets that I paid under 60 dollars for that are 600 dollars today and not near the quality as well.

I can say easily that one third of my tools are specialty tools made for one specific purpose to work on one specific vehicle or part of a line of vehicles. I have just about every specialty tool required to rebuild anything on a GM vehicle from the 80s to to late 90s before it became a parts replacement type repair scenario like it is today. When I started as a mechanic you could not buy remanufactured parts that you just replace and turn in the core you had to rebuild everything from the ground up. That required special tools to do properly of which I still have all of them.

Never enough tools in my home.

BD

[Buldawg76]

Glad to hear that this Fanno actually performs better than the " golden child ".
Everybody goes around acting like Silky is unrivaled and practicality made of magic.

That's the same way people tend to act about Gransfors Bruks axes, but I'm not buying it.
Too many good vintage American axes that aren't ugly, have a more efficient profile, and will have ( when still in tact ) a much nicer handle with a proper fawns foot that flares out in all directions.


It's funny that people are so obsessed with GB axes and their general format that they are willing to believe a huge myth which says the creator of the Norlund axe line went to Sweden to learn how to make axes.
They actually believe this and that it makes Norlund the Cadillac of vintage axes, even though they were a budget tool made by METCO and sold in sporting goods stores to casual car campers.
 They will even overlook the fact that the swedish axes of the day were the cheap imports which were offen considered inferior ( they're actually perfectly fine axes, just made affordably and not premium like today ).

Gosh, I'm gonna disappoint you bigtime, my forest axe is a Harbor Freight. $12.99 

I have no clue who made mine since it was my dads and is easily 80 plus years old, I have never bought an axe in my lifetime due to not needing to replace the one I inherited from my dad.

BD

[bantam5s]

Glad to hear that this Fanno actually performs better than the " golden child ".
Everybody goes around acting like Silky is unrivaled and practicality made of magic.

That's the same way people tend to act about Gransfors Bruks axes, but I'm not buying it.
Too many good vintage American axes that aren't ugly, have a more efficient profile, and will have ( when still in tact ) a much nicer handle with a proper fawns foot that flares out in all directions.


It's funny that people are so obsessed with GB axes and their general format that they are willing to believe a huge myth which says the creator of the Norlund axe line went to Sweden to learn how to make axes.
They actually believe this and that it makes Norlund the Cadillac of vintage axes, even though they were a budget tool made by METCO and sold in sporting goods stores to casual car campers.
 They will even overlook the fact that the swedish axes of the day were the cheap imports which were offen considered inferior ( they're actually perfectly fine axes, just made affordably and not premium like today ).

Gosh, I'm gonna disappoint you bigtime, my forest axe is a Harbor Freight. $12.99 

I had one of their hatchets and it was a perfectly fine tool.
Not refined in design nor good looking but the steel was perfectly fine and it worked.
I no longer own it but it got a lot of use out of the thing.

[bantam5s]

[bantam5s]

The PM14 palm ratchet arrived,  and I quite like it ( the first batch sold out quick apparently).
Same lower tooth count as the CM13 ratchet,  but much lighter back drag.
Put a bit in it and quickly spin just the bit with your fingers,  the ratchet will spin.



I was wondering how they sell this for only $14 , it's machined from aluminum which is pretty inexpensive to work with.
Easy on tooling and such.
They also leave some tooling marks in it which is just fine with me, I kind of like it actually.

[bantam5s]

I am really loving this new Chapman PM13 ratchet.
Once you break a gun / airgun screw loose you can twist it in your fingers and the ratchet provides a lot of centripetal force to spin the screws out pretty quickly.
Same goes for spinning them in then snuging them down.


Anyone who already uses the Chapman stuff has gotta get one of these when they're back in stock.

[Hoosier Daddy]

reminds me of my "vintage" SNAP-ON thumb ratchet.
 Handy little bugger

[bantam5s]

reminds me of my "vintage" SNAP-ON thumb ratchet.
 Handy little bugger

Snapon , S-K, Craftsman , lots of brands / manufacturers had them over the years but they're not exactly the most popular tool ever.
These have a very old form of pearhead ratchet mechanism while most others use a roundhead mechanism, it has light back drag but no reverse switch and the tooth count is lower.
Luckily the disadvantages aren't an issue for s palm ratchet.

[buellm2]

I was digging around in my garage attic today.   Must have been 100+ up there.    I was actually looking for some aluminum disc targets that came with my Daisy Quick Skill BB gun which I have to get rid of.   Anyways I found this old mitre saw in the original box from 100+ years ago.    I knew it was up there but I hadn't really looked at it in a couple decades.   I should clean out that attic and make it my man cave.   Maybe it's already a man cave since it's filled with cool guy stuff.   

[bantam5s]

I was digging around in my garage attic today.   Must have been 100+ up there.    I was actually looking for some aluminum disc targets that came with my Daisy Quick Skill BB gun which I have to get rid of.   Anyways I found this old mitre saw in the original box from 100+ years ago.    I knew it was up there but I hadn't really looked at it in a couple decades.   I should clean out that attic and make it my man cave.   Maybe it's already a man cave since it's filled with cool guy stuff.

Very nice.
The Disston Backsaw does have the 1917-1940 handle medallion , so it could very easily be from the same time period as that mitre box.

[buellm2]

I'm quite sure it is from the same time period as the box.   The original owner passed it down to his son and them it went to the grandson who was not interested in it.  The grandson gave it to me about 40 years ago.   I'm trying to sell off all my old stuff, unused stuff, weird stuff I've collected all my life.   I don't want my wife to have to deal with it.   If you have any idea what it's worth, please let me know.    Haven't found a similar one with the original box anywhere online yet. 

[bantam5s]

I'm quite sure it is from the same time period as the box.   The original owner passed it down to his son and them it went to the grandson who was not interested in it.  The grandson gave it to me about 40 years ago.   I'm trying to sell off all my old stuff, unused stuff, weird stuff I've collected all my life.   I don't want my wife to have to deal with it.   If you have any idea what it's worth, please let me know.    Haven't found a similar one with the original box anywhere online yet.

I have no clue, I just remembered a few things from a little reaserch I did on the disstonian institute on a couple of saws I've got.

My opinion is that things are worth whatever people are willing to pay, I'd just put it on Ebay and you will probably get whatever they're going forthese days.

[Buldawg76]

reminds me of my "vintage" SNAP-ON thumb ratchet.
 Handy little bugger

Snapon , S-K, Craftsman , lots of brands / manufacturers had them over the years but they're not exactly the most popular tool ever.
These have a very old form of pearhead ratchet mechanism while most others use a roundhead mechanism, it has light back drag but no reverse switch and the tooth count is lower.
Luckily the disadvantages aren't an issue for s palm ratchet.

I have an SK version of the palm ratchet in 1/4" drive and I can say it was used very extensively when working under the dashes of cars as compared to a traditional ratchet. When you have to work where you cannot see being able to hold the ratchet and place a finger on the socket or extension to guide it to the fastener is a must have for quick easy removal or installation. I have had mine for 40 years and still use it today for many jobs.

BD 

[Horatio]

Glad to hear that this Fanno actually performs better than the " golden child ".
Everybody goes around acting like Silky is unrivaled and practicality made of magic.

That's the same way people tend to act about Gransfors Bruks axes, but I'm not buying it.
Too many good vintage American axes that aren't ugly, have a more efficient profile, and will have ( when still in tact ) a much nicer handle with a proper fawns foot that flares out in all directions.


It's funny that people are so obsessed with GB axes and their general format that they are willing to believe a huge myth which says the creator of the Norlund axe line went to Sweden to learn how to make axes.
They actually believe this and that it makes Norlund the Cadillac of vintage axes, even though they were a budget tool made by METCO and sold in sporting goods stores to casual car campers.
 They will even overlook the fact that the swedish axes of the day were the cheap imports which were offen considered inferior ( they're actually perfectly fine axes, just made affordably and not premium like today ).

Gosh, I'm gonna disappoint you bigtime, my forest axe is a Harbor Freight. $12.99 

I have no clue who made mine since it was my dads and is easily 80 plus years old, I have never bought an axe in my lifetime due to not needing to replace the one I inherited from my dad.

BD

There are very few tools I care about. Mostly I view tools as some kind of tool cost per my hourly wage.

I do enjoy hafting axes, sledgehammers, machinist hammers, hatchets.

I would love to fell a big tree with an axe. Just once. Pretend to be Paul Bunyan.

[Sfttailrdr46]

I have done that a few times when I was younger and in much better shape Trust me a good sharp chain saw is the better way to cut down trees

[Lt. Dan]

I would love to fell a big tree with an axe. Just once. Pretend to be Paul Bunyan.

I have done that a few times when I was younger and in much better shape. Trust me a good sharp chain saw is the better way to cut down trees.

That got me to thinking back to my younger days. I can't remember felling a big tree with an axe.  I guess about a 12" diameter tree is as big as a tree I've cut down with an axe.

My father taught me at a young age how to sharpen a chainsaw and I can certainly get them spewing out big chips.

I agree with Don, chainsaws are way better.  LOL

[Hoosier Daddy]

I can say it was used very extensively when working under the dashes of cars as compared to a traditional ratchet.

Well, that explains it.
 I spent a good amount of 20 years with my head on the brake pedal and my feet over the headrest.
 

[bantam5s]

I just received a #5575C case from Chapman for my set, in this case you'll get 7 bit racks and a plastic finger spinner ( already had one )
Their site says you gotta call them if you want the racks that accommodate the Philips bits which are longer, but I actually got 6 of them in my case.

[Buldawg76]

I can say it was used very extensively when working under the dashes of cars as compared to a traditional ratchet.

Well, that explains it.
 I spent a good amount of 20 years with my head on the brake pedal and my feet over the headrest.
 

Yep you must have been fixing the same issues that I was contorting into those positions to remove/install components you cannot see but only feel with one hand if your lucky. I have forced my arm and hand into places that were not big enough for them to fit and then have to struggle to remove my arm/hand to find it cut and bloody, but the car was fixed and I beat flat rate time so I made money. That's the name of the game and any tool that saves time makes you money.

BD