Old Tools

[Rob Z]

Phil and I were talking about old tools...here is an old tool that belonged to my grandfather. This is a tape that has 1/4" scale on one side and 1/8" on the other. Grandpa worked for a large lumber chain in the middle west and west coast, and in the 1950's he was in charge of getting new yards built in southern California. This tape would have been used to read and scale off of plans in the field.

For my friends in the UK, you might need an explanation about the way the phone number is listed....maybe this was done in the UK way back when, I don't know...the exchange of the phone number used to be a word rather than numbers, and when you called the operator to get connected on your call you would ask for the exchange by word rather than dialing a number.

If you have some old, historic tools-this is the thread to post pics and describe what you have.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi Rob, thanks for the pics, is this a scale rule? You are right about UK tel. No. we used to have letters as a prefix rather than numbers. Just a little story about our diferent mesuring units, we use the metric scale as you probably know, (I still work mostly in good old feet and inches). A few years ago, I did a job in Texas, we were laying a big floor, (power vibro method) this entailed laying a sand and cement screed,or mud as you might call it. The foreman plumber asked my screeder " how high's that floor coming up so I can set my gully hieghts. My screeder replied 70mm. The plumber after a long pause said " Huh-Huh I'm Texas, how high is that floor coming up" My sreeder looked at his tape, which was metric and imperial, replied just over 2 and a half inches. Job done. Thanks for your reply to my question by the way. Cheers Rob.

 

[Rob Z]

Hi Phil I can just imagine that interaction between a plumber in Texas and a tile setter from the UK.:smilewinkgrin: Plumbers are their own breed, and a plumber from Texas.....

Yes, that is a scale rule. I'm sure it was for quick references to plans out in the field.

There is a dictionary of tile terms here in the Arms somewhere...UK-USA tile trade terms explained. Yes, mud is "screed" in the UK.

PS I'm glad to see you're still using feet-inches. I'm fighting it to the bitter end. 😀 My kids however now automatically refer to things in centimeters thanks to their indoctrination in the school system . 😀

 

[jay]

sorry rob no hand me downs in tool department and a 3 piece cane fly fishing rod is not clasified as a trade tool good post will keep an eye on it :8:

 

[hillhead]

I have old carpentry tools that i used 20 years ago.lol.measuring rules.brace and bits.pump screwdrivers.lol.

 

[White Room]

I have a rebate plane my Dad owned, dated 1935

 

[Rob Z]

sorry rob no hand me downs in tool department and a 3 piece cane fly fishing rod is not clasified as a trade tool good post will keep an eye on it :8:

Close enough Jay, post a pic!

 

[Rob Z]

I have old carpentry tools that i used 20 years ago.lol.measuring rules.brace and bits.pump screwdrivers.lol.

Few now know what a brace and bit is, or the pump screwdriver (pre-cordless)

 

[doug boardley]

Few now know what a brace and bit is, or the pump screwdriver (pre-cordless)

we called them Yankee screwdrivers, funnily enough Rob:lol:

 

[White Room]

Still got one Doug😳A yankee