Tool Nostalgia

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jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
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Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
1 of the few tools I still have from my early days is a Diamond brand Rawl Drill. Some of you will remember these. Drill is metal with a plastic or rubber shield to guard hand. Bit has a cone base & is tapped into drill with a hammer. Hold it against masonry wall and hit with a hammer. Twist a 1/4 turn or so after each hammer blow. Were excellent for cinder block or mortar joints. Rather tedious for brick. We used them a lot in the days before battery drills. A tapered key is used to remove the bit. Drives into a slot just above the bit and forces it out.

I had lost the metal key for mine, that is used to remove the bit. I knew I'd never find 1 these days, but got to looking on E Bay. Someone had a drill with a whole set of bits from 3/16 to 1/2 inch. All in cloth rollup bag. I had never seen anything but 1/4 bits, as we always used them for plastic anchors.

Opening bid was 99 cents. I made that and got the set for 99 cents plus 7 something for shipping. So, a little over $8.00 for a classic tool in good shape. I received it today. I'll seldom use it but I'm glad to have found it and for such a bargain. I think I paid about $7 for my old one in 1976.

If anyone still makes these bits, I don't know of it. Someone told me awhile back that most SDS bits will fit the drill, but I don't think so. Haven't tried it when had tool handy, but the shape seems too different.
 
fisherelectric said:
A rawl drill and don't forget the Yankee ratchet screw driver and your star chisel.
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I have a Yankee screwdriver too, but it quit working in reverse. Those are still handy sometimes. Star chisels are still on the shelf here and there, last time I checked.
 
I have some of the old hand twist drills too.I remember my first set of hand tools.I spent less than a 100 dollars.I wasn't allowed to have a tape measure.But, the folding rule with the depth slide was OK.This was a requirement from my Dad---boss.I think there's a 25 year old analog Fluke or Amprobe still un-opened at the shop.
 
TobyD said:
I have some of the old hand twist drills too.I remember my first set of hand tools.I spent less than a 100 dollars.I wasn't allowed to have a tape measure.But, the folding rule with the depth slide was OK.This was a requirement from my Dad---boss.I think there's a 25 year old analog Fluke or Amprobe still un-opened at the shop.
Click to expand...

My first set of tools in 1976 cost just over $60. 4 screwdrivers, side cutters, needlenose, small knife, pocket level, 420 & 430 channelocks, 6' folding ruler,
pouch & belt. Co. deducted $10 a week from my checks. We weren't disallowed tape measures, some had them and some not. But everyone had to have the folding ruler.

I know 1 guy who uses his folding ruler regularly. Surprisingly, he's about 25. Much younger than you'd think would prefer it over a tape. But he loves it.

In recent years, I've seen people with half that many tools on jobs. They borrow anything they don't have & purposely don't have much of their own. That would not have been allowed when I started out.

I am not an extremist, but I think everyone should have the basics and build out from there. No one person will always have it all, but 2-3 guys working together should have most anything between them. 1 well tooled guy on a job should not be plagued all day long with chronic borrowers.
 
I agree with you on the borrowing of a tool issue.If you ask to borrow a basic hand tool over one time you need to go purchase your own.I basically do a tool check daily and I keep up with all my tools.Some of these young helpers don't value their tools as a way of making a living.
 
I still have:

Dad's old Lufkin folding rule with a scale on the back side used for calculating 45 deg. offsets in piping, a 1972 vintage Milwaukee Hole Hawg, and all of the tools required to make lead joints. Got a Wiggy, from late 50's-or mid 60's era, from the FIL that just passed away.
 
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I have one of those drills. It was a hand me down from someone. I used it like maybe once or twice back in the mid 80's on some side jobs before I had my own drill.

And I used my folding rule a lot back then. I remember always needing to make sure I bought an inside reading rule. I?m not sure when I switched over to my tape.
 
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