on :”What Are We Really Preparing For” it was mentioned a hand tool thread might be useful.
The idea is what tools do you think you might want to prep for. This thread is for “non-power” hand tools. (someone else may want to start a power tool thread)
Make recommendations, suggestions, complains,…. that might help others.
Duct Tape and WD-40. That’s all anyone needs… Sorry…kidding. ;-)
Claw Hammer
Hand Saw (for wood)
Hack Saw (w/ extra blades)
Hand Axe
2-Pound Double-edged axe
Sharpening stones
Sledge Hammer
Pry Bar
Screwdrivers
wire cutters, electrical tape wood rasps plane knife hatchet shove hoe pick axe scissors “Yankee screwdrivers” (push type, hand drill- crank Brace with twist drils
Here you go DennisC. Good thread.
Axe, hatchet, adze, broad axe, pick, shovel, hoe, rake, froe, wood chisels, cold chisels, hickory malet (for froe and wood chisels), draw knife, punches, lots of steel files, wood rasp, “brace and bit” hand drill with various size bits, tape measures, clamps,cross cut saw, bow saw, miter saw, regular carpenters saw, machete, bench vice, hand push motorless lawnmower, posthole diggers, steel wedges, wood wedges.
And of course the normal array of hand tools most of have such as crescents, hammers, pipe wrenches, socket sets (metric and inch variety), vicegrips, channelocks, screwdivers…etc.
I’m sure that I have missed some things. That just about covers my list of tools that I have gathered together. If I have missed something useful let me know so can go get it too;-) If anyone has a question about why I have listed something, or what it could be used for, let me know and I will explain.
My thinking — Need to enlist the help of any really old-timers — guys that did carpentry before WWII who would be in their 80′s now. There must be some instructions somewhere about how to use hand tools — the way to swing, hold, and be able to keep going all day, to really work with them. Maybe some hand craftsmen are maintaining the craft knowledge? What made some hand tools more efficient than others. Balance, weight, blade strength and sharpenability, grip, adjustment? I do recall that my dad used some kind of gel or vaseline type stuff to clean and coat his metal tools to keep them from rusting? What was that stuff? He also used a wax to clean the handles, maybe rosin for grip? One time we went down to get a new handle for his axe. He picked up every handle they had and sighted down it to check for alignment and warping. He told me never to buy a handle that had knots in it. He had two or three he liked that he swung around, I guess to check for weight and balance. He said he would rather make his own but it was hard to find the right type of wood branches. He worked in mining, plumbing, lumbermilling and as an electrician before WWII, during part of which he was a drill sargeant and then an airplane instrument mechanic 3 years in the So. Pacific with no days off. Oh, I wish he were here now — he was one tough and determined guy. His stories on mine explosions and cave ins, Coulee dam concrete, and walking on log jams near Greys Harbor were a wonder. They had to be pretty creative in the Depression. His mother raised him and his brothers after his dad died in the 1918 epidemic. He was (and still is) an inspiration; he never gave up on anything; if stopped, he’d say ‘lets think about it; tomorrow’s another day. And he’d always say — “oh, I wish I could find another pair of boots like those old cork-soled loggers I had —” I googled old tools, and found that even just hammers are have become collectors items and are going for hundreds of dollars!! And no, my husband has Craftsmen tools, and they are not as elegant as I recall my dad’s - but they seem less clumsy than the cheap ones I was looking at Home Depot.
BB This topic has much engaged me, as I am a bit of a Luddite. (Can’t stand this infernal computer thing!) I feel the more hand tools the better. No power, no power tools. No gas, no chainsaws. So, I’ve gotten even extra handles for my splitting maul and sledge, extra blades for my 36″ and 18″ bowsaws. My two man crosscut saw is ready. I’ve got extra mousetraps (I guess they are “hand tools”). I’ve even got an antique pedal-powered gigsaw, but I’m thinking of converting that into a pedal-powered sewing machine.
Scissors-paper scissors, craft scissors, leather/cardboard cutting scissors, manicure scissors, hair trimming scissors, first aid scissors, fabric shears, kitchen shears, garden shears.
Oh yeah, wood splitting maul. BB, forgot to list my sledge hammer and pry bar, thanks. In addition to the duct tape and WD40 I have also purchased a box of baling wire (lots and lots of wire in one box, very heavy too), and also JB Weld, and solder (you can solder things together the old fashion way with a hand held soldering iron, something I still have not purchased). We also need to list chains and ropes of various sizes and pulleys. A come-along is also needed. My is extra heavey duty. Many sold now are little whimpy things that break way too easy.
Sheet metal sheers too.
Gary again, This infernal machine cut me off! Ah, well. It seems others are covering the topic well.
Yes!! The pulleys!! My dad used to do science demonstrations for the grandkids — imagine my amazement when I came home to find that he’d hooked up a pully to a sheet of plywood he was raising to the rafters in his workshop for a storage platform. He had two grandkids balanced on both sides of it, both between 4 and 5, and was lowering them up and down and teaching them about gear ratios, levers, and balance. But to be on topic, does anyone know what he wiped down his metal tools with and used on the handles?
assorted pvc connectors, teflon tape, PVC weld/glue, washers for the faucet, plunger for the toilet
coat hangers and duct tape oughta do it
heddie-my husbands away for a couplr of days, when he returns I’ll ask him. He’s got a basement full of hand tools. He has his Great Grandfathers wooden toolbox with tools. Could it be mineral oil? I know he uses that for a lot of things.
Don’t forget garden tools. Dh and I are working on raised beds and gardening in tires so we can eliminate tillers and just use hand tools: trowls, cultivaters, and pruners. I have an old 5 gallon bucket that I filled with kitty litter saterated with used motor oil. When I finish with metal hand tools I just stick them down in the bucket and it keeps them cleaned and oiled.
Okieman – at 17:20 --- and solder (you can solder things together the old fashion way with a hand held soldering iron, something I still have not purchased
IF you have electricity. Generally, modern-day soldering irons require AC power. We used to use “fired” copper-head soldering irons in high school metal shop…heat them up in a kiln and solder all day with tin solder and flux. I’m not even sure you can buy flux anymore, since the fumes were considered rather toxic.
However, at any electronics shop, you can purchase packets of e-z solder. Small tabs, about 3/8 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. You wrap them around the wires and apply a lit match or cig lighter. They’re not much good for precision work, but for general connections, they’re great.
BB,
Can’t buy flux anymore? Geez, my soldering days seem like a long time ago now.
heddiecalifornia – at 17:25 --- It sounds like you’re describing naval jelly. It’s a rust inhibitor and remover. It usually can found at any store that sells tools. Let’s see---I have a good idea where you live, so if I were you, I’d check Orchard Supply or even Kragens Auto.
My DW’s uncle in western NY just uses plain old motor oil on a rag. He has a ton of old hand saws and jigs, drill bits and clamps. Anytime he uses any of his old tools, he takes the time to wipe each one down with oil. I’ve seen Green Mom’s idea in practice---but instead of kitty litter, they used sand. I like the idea of litter.
MAV in Colorado – at 17:30 --- ?? Coat hangers?? ;-)
Melanie – at 18:12 --- I’m not sure. I haven’t had to use flux in so long, but that’s what I had heard on the Great Handyman Revival and One-Stop Information channel = HGTV! After watching that and every episode of Home Improvement, I feel fully qualified to build a complete house now…
Except for the framing, rafters, roof and walls, that is…
Not to be confused with Eccles’ flux capacitor, of course!!! ;-)
BB,
I built my first computer from an HP kit. My soldering iron is still in a drawer someplace.
i.e.-coat hangers and duct tape- Years ago I was zipping down 1–75 with two toddlers in the backseat when I noticed sparks flying up from the back of the car. My exhaust pipe had come lose and was smacking the road. I pulled off way over the side of the road, and wired the pipe back up with two wire coat hangers and some duct tape. It held until I could get to an exit where there was a service station with a mechanic on duty. (We’ll just gloss right over the mechanic’s remarks) Wire coat hangers and duct tape are good things to have around.
Naval jelly…hmm…is that similar to toe jam, but from the belly button? I guess you have to have an “insy” and not an “outsy” for it to work.
Also, lets not forget-sewing needles-for fabrica and leather/canvas. hopefully not for sewing up wounds…;-(
Crochet hooks and knitting needles. Knitting is “all the rage” now and supplies are much easier to find than say ten years ago.
An asortment of threads including carpet thread and buttonhole twist. extra buttons-just a good basic sewing kit. Of course my basic sewing kit is a 12×9x16 inch tackle box-you may not want to go that extreame.
or maybe you would…..
Green Mom,
Mine is in a circular sewing kit, but I can still never find a “sharp” when I need one. Add extra bobbins if you are a sewer.
Melanie – at 18:24 --- LOL!! Same here.
I’ve got about 30 soldering irons somewhere here. Over the years, I kept misplacing them, so I’d run down to Chicken Shack and pick up another one for 5 bucks. If I ever find all of them, I’m gonna be rich after my yard sale!
I’m beginning the hunt for a reasonably priced treadle/hand-cranked sewing machine. I saw one today that needed a new wheel cable but I passed since I haven’t done research as to how difficult it would be to replace that cable.
Green Mom@1854: My basic sewing kit is a walk-in closet.:D
BB,
I do the same thing with the soldering iron I do with the keys and my glasses. The rest of the house is a disaster, but the soldering iron is in the top right drawer of the work bench and the glasses and keys are always on the breakfast bar. Except for the two hours where I could find neither this afternoon.
A hand plow. They’re used “decoratively” around here… I josh my husband by saying, “Come the flu, that one’s home with me!” (Pointing to one at a local McDonalds.)
always on the breakfast bar. Except for the two hours where I could find neither this afternoon.
ROTF!! ;-) I’ll bet you found them in the very last place you looked!
The glasses were on the sink in the upstairs bathroom, which I never use except to shower. The keys were already in my pocketbook. Oh, the middle aged memory….
thanks all, for the clues on the tool coating. It must have been either naval jelly or bearing grease, as it was too thick for motor oil. Yes, we have a Orchard and Kragen’s right here in town, I’ll check both.
On treadle sewing machines, I would recommend this web site www.treadleon.net they have everything you need to know about buying, fixing, restoring treadles including Singers and Whites.
My mother has two in her basement, that’s what I learned to sew on. You might want to contact her <g>.
Whoa, on the Naval Jelly! The active ingredient is Phosphoric Acid and it’s a great item to have for REMOVING rust, but I certainly wouldn’t advise using it as a rust preventative.
Any good lubricating oil will work fine as a rust preventative on metal tools. A lot of old timers used to soak ax handles and such in Kerosene. I’ve been told that Kerosene not only keeps the wood from drying out, but it’s supposed to add a bit of flexibility, giving just a tiny bit of “spring” to the handle when it is being used.
Thanks for the treadle site!
I think I need to upgrade my hammer/screwdriver type tools. Who makes the best quality? (I just got some Wusthof kitchen knives and LOVE them. Now thinking about other tools.)
Okieman – at 17:13 What’s a froe?
Melanie – at 19:57 My mother has two in her basement, that’s what I learned to sew on. You might want to contact her <g>.
Thats how I learned too,, but I never thought I’d see someone else admit to it. <smiling to myself> My GM was way behind her time. She use to tell me thats why she had such great looking legs.
blackbird,
A froe is used to rive green wood into smaller useable pieces. Historically it was primarily used to make wood shingles. It is also extremely handy for breaking down freshly cut wood into pieces close to the size you need.
For example, if you were going to make a wooden stool, you would cut down a tree to use for the legs. Lets say it is 5 inches in diameter and you want the legs to be an 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You take your froe and mallet (preferrably hickory) and rive the sides of the piece until it is close to the desired size. Next you take a draw knife (or spokeshave, either will do) and shave the piece down to roughly the 1 1/2 inch diameter you desire. You could then leave it in a roughly round shape or work it some more to make it as perfectly round as you like. For the stool top, you take a short piece of a log, say 18 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, use your froe to break out a 3 inch thick by 18 inch by 18 inch board (or whatever thinkness you would like). Using your drawknife, you smooth it down and take off the sap wood on the sides (you could take the sap wood off with the froe too), then use a plane to smooth it up some more.
The reason a froe, hickory mallet, wood chisels and a drawknife are so important is that you can take freshly cut wood of the right type, make tool handles to replace broken ones, make rough furniture (I made a bedstead), make small pieces of green lumber…etc. I’m do not enjoy using power tools very much, probably because I am not very good with them, and everybody expects the finished product to look perfect. Making things with old timey hand tools is more fun, and people expect the resultant product to look rough, even though the carpenters of old were capable of making perfectly fitting and exquisitely beautiful furniture. The stuff I make is very rough, primitive things that get the job done.
Anyway, hope this has helped some.
Something not mentioned yet is a set of taps and dies. There are many instances where having a set of those will allow you to repair/improvise to keep metal machinery functioning. Don’t be without a set. And cutting oil.
Green Mom – at 18:54 - Now why hadn’t I thought of a tackle box for my sewing stuff? I’ve always got things overflowing, and a container that can be closed and latched will at least keep those needles and threads from escaping into the night to do whatever they do.
Okieman – at 09:34, thanks for the explanation! I’ve used hand tools much more than power ones, but my experience is limited and doesn’t go much beyond hammer and nails.
Maybe we all should be planting small trees everywhere so by the time we need new furniture and firewood, we’ll have some on hand!! Johnny Appleseed, anyone?
Seriously, though, great helpful lists and information so far. I’m finding my mom has most of the items, and we can ad to them.
blackbird:
on another thread, DennisC mentioned garrettwade.com as a good source for hand tools. I have no experience with them, so don’t know about service etc.
heddiecalifornia – at 13:14 I have had good service from garrettwade. The have hand tools. They are somewhat pricey but I have been impressed with their quality. But for most people, I would say try Sears and their life time guarentees. They have a small portable “grill” that has a frying pan griddle, wok, rosting rack. It is suppose to cook with just 8 to 10 charcoal briquets. Not exackty a hand tool, but has anyone had any experience with it? It was designed for rural areas in africa to conserve fuel.
Yes, I have been planting trees and “edibile” vegetation on my land. I can grow normal fruit trees (wild animals and gophers get them). But I have planted things like pine nuts, gooseberries, strawberries, onions, garlic, wild oats (the deer love that),….. and also some medical plants. It is not that I think that society will crumble. It is just I like to take a hike and not worry about going back home for lunch. (also a few burried water/food containers).
If you are going to keep your tools down in a damp basement- be sure to give them a shot of WD-50 or some light oil. I like to use the old ammo boxes to keep my tools in. (they keep out moisture).
Again, I think society will go on- but it there may be a long wait for a plumber/handyman etc if 40% are sick with the flu.
Thanks, Heddie and Dennis. Will check out both sources. Appreciate the info.
A little help for the duck tape are Pop rivets & washers – which can fix numerous things from light metal to leather to cloth, etc. Also a good awl, extra needles & thread.
I gave my RCBS Rockchucker reloader and associated gear to a nephew a few years ago. A small investment in a Lee Loader could put us back into the ammo reloading business.
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Years ago in my auction and flea market period I would buy old tools because they pleased me. I sold what my husband didn’t want. But I have a very strange assortment left after my youngest son took what he wanted when he moved cross country. What my husband used for building a fantastic library, (which he enjoyed) has my nephews name on it. This gives me a reason to poke around garage sales, which I long ago gave up doing. Its time for another life style change for me. I think I’ll use Tasha Tudor as my role model and retreat back into the 1800. Is she still among the living. I just bought a book of hers for 1$ and the content look on the ladies features makes you long to retreat into the past with her.
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