[OP]
Contributor
I went through some of dad's estate which included a lot of my grandfather's old tools. Here are two homemade tools that I found: a chipbreaker screwdriver and a lathe shaping tool or maybe a profile scraper. I don't think safety was really a top priority if it was a lathe tool. It is still fairly sharp, and appears to have been sharpened for stock removal. I found it interesting.
I will use the chipbreaker driver as my new favorite. I doubt I am going to try the other one.
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Contributor
Interesting old tools. The repurposed file looks like it could be used like a draw knife to round stock.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
I thought perhaps, but I sure wouldn't want to have to do it that way.Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
Contributor
Maybe the reason it is still sharp is because it didn't work as planed.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Out of curiosity, can you tell if he tempered the file-now-scraper? I guess he must have, or else the file would have shattered at those narrow points...
[OP]
Contributor
I had the same curiosity. I just got home last night with them and have not really had time to test it. It is very firm when you put bending pressure on it.
I am sure it was a one-off for one of the many things he made, from wooden boats to fine furnishings. It likely served that purpose and was stored away for whenever it might be needed again.
Last edited by Malcolm Schweizer; 06-13-2016 at 3:44 PM.
Contributor
Awesome. I have my grandpa's hack saw, but not quite the same mystique as a chipbreaker driver. You could cut a slot in the shaper and have the world's most interesting re-repurposed bottle opener...
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
--Yogi Berra
[OP]
Contributor
I could just use it to open champagne bottles like so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCp9-tEHa8U
Contributor
Now that's some Skills!
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
--Yogi Berra
Member
Really nice work on the old file. Was Gramps a professional woodworker of some sort?
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
If the "lathe tool" was actually used at a lathe it may have had a handle or handles. The short tang may not have proven sturdy enough for the handle to survive. It could have been used as a scraper, by hand, for fine adjustments to curved surfaces after other lathe tools...
[OP]
Contributor
He was a machinist and a boatbuilder. He built wooden boats that he raced on the Mississippi River. He was trained in WWI working on aircraft, and he put a Hispana Suissa V12 into one of his racing boats. There wasn't much the man couldn't do. He also made fine furniture and I suspect this was used in turning or dressing the turning of a bedpost.
Member
No WAY would I hold that tool to a spinning piece of wood.
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