Old power tools

[John T Barker]

I've got an old power (circular) saw that belonged to my grandfather so it was probably purchased and used in the 40's and/or 50's. It's silver metal and worked the last time I used it 20 years ago. Does anyone buy these things for any reason? I hate to throw things away.

[Lee Schierer]

I am not aware of anyone that buys old tools, but before you use it take a close look at the cord. Those old cords had rubber insulation and it gets brittle with age and will crack exposing the live wires. Many of those old tools were not grounded either. I would recommend replacing the power cord. Molded plug extension cords are inexpensive and work well as replacements.

[Rick Whitehead]

I think that very few people collect older power tools, and even fewer people use them, mostly for the reasons Lee mentioned.
You can probably get more information about your saw on either the Old Woodworking Machines forum (www.owwm.org) or the Tool Talk forum (http://www.papawswrench.com/).
The latter forum has a section on old power tools.
Rick
EDIT: I should have said "HAND-HELD"power tools instead of "older power tools" in my original post. I didn't mean to include stationary machines in my comments. I'm a member of the OWWM Forum, and most of my stationary machines are old.
Hand-held power tools have been improved greatly since they were first introduced. Hand-held circular saws, like the one mentioned by John, the OP, have seen a LOT of improvement in power, weight, and guarding.The older hand-held power tools can certainly be restored and used safely (I have an old Stanley router, and it's a very good one), but some tools, like sanders, have been improved so much that they have left the old models far behind.
Rick

[Jon Endres]

There are a surprising number of people that buy, restore and continue to use old power tools. Especially stationary machinery, but handheld ones are popular too. They typically don't command high prices unless they are rare. I have quite a few 1940's through 1960's vintage tools, including a bunch of Porter-Cable made when it was virtually bulletproof. Most of the time all the tool needs is a good cleaning and polishing and a new power cord.

[Erik Loza]

Same story here. I owned a number of 60's-vintage Craftsman power tools that came down from my dad or Grandpa. Hated to get rid of them, because I'm fundamentally opposed to tossing out a tool which otherwise works fine but what I found was that things like the blade locking screw for the jigsaw, for example, got so worn out that the tool just became imprecise. So, it made more sense to replace them. The chuck wore out on the Sears drill and I guess I could have replaced it but the newer model I now own is quieter, has more torque, a better chuck, etc. You just get to a point where you want something more modern. At least I did.

Erik

[Tom M King]

What kind of blade guard does it have? I've seen some scary old blade guards on circular saws, like one that hinges at the back instead of rotating with the blade.

[Bill Ryall]

Well... I don't know anyone/any place that buys handheld tools, but when I come across them, if there is any life left in them I refurbish them (new grease, new cords & plugs, new brushes, clean the case) and put them back to work. I have a shop full of modern tools, but I find enjoyment in refurbishing and putting back to work the old steel bodied tools. The quality is often much better than a lot of stuff out there, albeit not necessarily as ergonomic. I'm confident my collection of old handheld tools will still be working when I no longer can.

Couple pics from the project I am currently working on:




Plus, there is the satisfaction of restoring something and putting it back to use.

[James W Glenn]

My dad still has a bunch of full metal craftsman tools, and while they all could use a rebuild, they go when you pull the trigger. I did get a good "in one hand, through the heart, out the other hand" zap from a metal circular saw I was given. trashed it after that.