$20 Tool-Fest, Part 5 - You Know The Drill

 Yep, you know what's coming...

This post will be fairly brief, as it concerns the small amount of hole-making stuff in the tool collection.  

First is a small selection of various random drill bits and incomplete sets.

The coolest tool in the drilling category is this vintage ratcheting push drill.

It includes eight various-sized chisel tip drilling bits that store neatly in the handle.

This item is ideal for boring out small pilot holes in wood.

I thought I would include the following in this post because it is somewhat related to metal workpiece hole processing.

This is a nearly complete tap and die set.  All of the components were found loose in the bottom of the tote.  I plan on going down to the local 'Smoker's' store to pick up a wooden cigar box in which to store this set.

At the top of the picture is a small T-handle chuck tool. Not part of the tap & die set, but still handy for other small drilling and reaming tasks.

More posts to come.

$20 Tool-Fest, Part 4 - Screwdrivers

 No yard sale tool collection is ever devoid of screwdrivers. Here is the pic of the variety found in this one. 

Nothing really special here - most are the garden variety, plastic- handled, straight and Philips drivers. Makers include Allied, Craftsman, Philips, and Tradesman, with the rest having no mark.  

The longest one is a coveted Snap-On #SDD 4160.

The crown jewel of this collection, and the reason I re-visited the yard sale on its second day, is this Yankee 30A ratcheting push screwdriver.

Stamped:

North Bros. Mfg. Co.

Phila. Pa. USA

Patended Dec. 11 1923

The tool was made anywhere between 1924 and 1946. In the latter year, North Brothers was bought out by Stanley Tools, who continued manufacturing the model 30A, eventually adding the Stanley mark.

It is in excellent shape and works wonderfully.  I even found the set of three screwdriver bits that originally came with it.

They were rattling around loose at the bottom of the plastic tote, and were a bit rusty.

A quick soak in some vinegar and a rub down with some fine steel wool took care of that nicely. I am elated to have the complete set intact.

This driver is a great addition to my collection of antique and vintage user tools.

Rounding out the screwdriver finds in the box are these two incomplete sets of Makita accessories. Both are long out of production and may date back as far as the 1970's.

I haven't yet done the in-depth research on these to learn their details and history, but that exercise will be forthcoming.

More posts on the way!

$20 Tool - Fest, Part 3 - How 'bout Them Wrenches?

 In today's post, I will focus on the various wrenches (and a few other tools) that have surfaced in this big box o' stuff.

1. Vise Grip 10R - Vice Grip Co.

2. Vice Grip tool - China

3. Adjustable wrench, 8" 200 - Master grip

4. Adjustable wrench, 10" - Top I-Hi Japan

5-7. Ratcheting wrenches - all Pittsburgh Tools

3/4 & 7/8,  5/8 & 11/16,  1/4 & 5/16  

Here are the open-end and box-end wrenches:

These are from various manufacturers, all foreign (Taiwan, Japan, India), and are a mix of SAE and metric.

The large 1-1/4" wrench will be added to my collection as I do not presently own one. The rest of them are duplicates.

Finally, what tool hoard is complete without the presence of lots of Allen wrenches:

Still much more to come!

$20 Tool - Fest, Part 2 Crimpin', Strippin', and Cuttin' !

 Today's post covers those types of tools populating the newly acquired stash.

Here is a pic of the smaller tools:

1. Crimping tool - Taiwan 

2. Slip joint plier - also Taiwan

3. Long nose plier with cutter, 6"  - HDX

4. Long nose plie with cutter, 8" - Commercial Electric

5. Pruning cutter - Fiskars Pat. # 5.367.774

6. Wire stripper/cutter - Taiwan, missing one of the yellow plastic handle covers.

7. Wire stripper/cutter - Great Neck

Here are more larger tools:

1. 14" straight jaw tongue & groove plier- Crescent RT214

2. Aviation snip, straight, compound action - Wiss M3

3. 14" bolt cutter - Workforce 350

4. PVC cutter, 1/2"-1", ratcheting - Orbit.  

The PVC cutter has a nasty notch in the blade, but replacement blades are available.

This item will be a welcome addition to my garden drip system irrigation/ yard sprinkler toolbox.

Tomorrow's post will feature....

.....even more tools!

$20 Tool-Fest, Part 1 - Striking Tools

 To start out this comprehensive assessment of the recently acquired tool stash, I will begin with the biggest items first.

Here are the hammers found in the tote:

On the left is a Plumb 3-pound hand sledge/drill hammer, model USM3.  This tool was manufactured post-1980, as denoted by the Cooper tools logo. Cooper bought out Plumb in 1981.  

Next is a standard, run-of-the-mill claw hammer, covered with paint splatters. It is of Chinese manufacture. 

After that is a smaller claw hammer with no makers mark.  There is a remnant of a paper label on the handle.

Lastly is a small rubber mallet with no markings except for a 'TAIWAN' on the end of the rubber grip.

All of these are fairly useful tools, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 The drill hammer and rubber mallet will be added to my tool arsenal, while the other two will be cleaned up and put out at my next yard sale.

More coming up on the next post.

An Outstanding Tool Score!!

 This weekend, a nearby neighbor has been conducting a yard sale.

The offerings included a large plastic storage tote packed nearly to the top with all manner of hand tools, shop consumables, and a little bit of hardware.

I asked the homeowner what he would take for the whole lot.  

I nearly hit the pavement when he replied, 

"How about twenty bucks?"

Needless to say, I went home pretty darn happy.

Clearly this lot of tools was the result of someone cleaning out their shop/tool box and being interested only in just getting it all off their hands.

Even a quick look through of the lot reveals hundreds of dollars worth of tools.

So, at this point, the focus of Eddie's Random Ramblings is now shifting gears from army men to a series covering the contents of this tool find.

After all, this blog is all about randomness and is prone to sudden changes of content!

Stay tuned.... 

A Cool Fort For The Green Army

 During the days when my 4-year-old grandson is present, I have been working on building a LEGO fortress for the green army man set.

I have a fairly extensive LEGO parts stash, so running out of materials to build a good-sized structure isn't a problem.

I pulled out every box of gray and dark gray bricks and plates that I have and just started building.

Not working to any plans, I just started clicking bricks and let the design evolve.

Here is the end result.

The fortress features a high wall with parapets, a guard tower on each front corner, a working front door, a two-story HQ building with a fortified roof, and a tall observation tower complete with flag mast and banner.

I even built up a few sections of abatis to place out front.

More pics:

This fort is nothing fancy - just the necessary elements to make it play-worthy. Over the next few weeks I might add some additional aesthetic details here and there, but in the meantime it will serve as a splendid centerpiece for many playroom battles!