Old Tools of the Trade

[shipwright]

Back in Canada for the summer. I was doing a shop cleanout this weekend and had an idea for a new thread that might be a lot of fun. I have a spot that I call my "heritage wall" where many of the old tools I once used daily now hang and gather dust. The thought occurred that some of these might seem strange to some of you and then I thought that some of your tools might be pretty foreign to me too.
sooooo.... Lets see the old tools guys. There must be a lot of interesting stuff in our shops, and I think we're all interested in tools .... aren't we?

9244

Paul M

[JPG40504]

Back in Canada for the summer. I was doing a shop cleanout this weekend and had an idea for a new thread that might be a lot of fun. I have a spot that I call my "heritage wall" where many of the old tools I once used daily now hang and gather dust. The thought occurred that some of these might seem strange to some of you and then I thought that some of your tools might be pretty foreign to me too.
sooooo.... Lets see the old tools guys. There must be a lot of interesting stuff in our shops, and I think we're all interested in tools .... aren't we?

9244

Paul M

Some 'narrative' explaining the salient attributes of each tool would be far more educational than merely a 'look see'!;)

[wlhayesmfs]

Paul, this is a neat idea, Let's see what happens and some of us will need to know what some of them are for and the year they were used.
Thanks

[nuhobby]

Some months ago I looked at a Wood Boat magazine. I remember seeing an ad for the longish-headed hammer with metal bands. I think it said the best ones were made from Mesquite. But I forgot everything else:confused: .

[paulrussell]

9244
Paul M
Old tools? I'm pretty sure that last time I went to the dentist he used all of the above.

[shipwright]

Some 'narrative' explaining the salient attributes of each tool would be far more educational than merely a 'look see'!;)


OK the "longish-headed hammer with metal bands" nuhobby referred to is a caulking (pronounced "corkin') mallet. It's used in conjunction with the irons in the photo to drive strands of spun cotton and oakum into the seams between hull planks and decking pieces in carvel (traditional) style boatbuilding. The cotton strand between the handle and the head is a common way of assuring a tight fit with at hand materials. The caulking in these seams not only keeps the water out but it dramatically tightens and stiffens the whole structure. In their day the irons shone (not rusty from sitting around a shop near the ocean).

9248

The next photo is of a pin maul used for driving boat nails (galvanized cut nails) in planking and also any general driving of long bolts, drifts, etc. The spike set is for setting the boat nails in their counterbores for puttying or plugging.

9249

These two are a slick and a lipped adze. Both are used for shaping timbers. The lips on the adze let you shape cross grain without tearing. It's often used for concave surfaces where almost no other tool will work. With practice you can leave a surface that hardly needs sanding, like a plane. The slick is used pretty much like a big hand chisel, which is what it is obviously.
9247

All were in use in the seventies and eighties Bill.

Paul M

[wlhayesmfs]

Great explaination of each. Thanks I hope I can contribute something that interesting to the group. I love to look at old boats and admire the craftsmanship.They are truly artist.

[paulrussell]

OK the "longish-headed hammer with metal bands" nuhobby referred to is a caulking (pronounced "corkin') mallet. It's used in conjunction with the irons in the photo to drive strands of spun cotton and oakum into the seams between hull planks and decking pieces in carvel (traditional) style boatbuilding. The cotton strand between the handle and the head is a common way of assuring a tight fit with at hand materials. The caulking in these seams not only keeps the water out but it dramatically tightens and stiffens the whole structure. In their day the irons shone (not rusty from sitting around a shop near the ocean).

9248

The next photo is of a pin maul used for driving boat nails (galvanized cut nails) in planking and also any general driving of long bolts, drifts, etc. The spike set is for setting the boat nails in their counterbores for puttying or plugging.

9249

These two are a slick and a lipped adze. Both are used for shaping timbers. The lips on the adze let you shape cross grain without tearing. It's often used for concave surfaces where almost no other tool will work. With practice you can leave a surface that hardly needs sanding, like a plane. The slick is used pretty much like a big hand chisel, which is what it is obviously.
9247

All were in use in the seventies and eighties Bill.

Paul M

It had long been my dream to build a wooden sailing ship when I retired. Unfortunately my health no longer offers that choice, but thankfully woodworking has many, many avenues of expression. I did my first lathe turning this week, and while it was only a few humble pens, I enjoyed the challenge and the learning experience.