[b]We got some rain today. It's a blessing, and I'd like to see more of it.
Knowing that it was coming (or so we hoped), I hauled one of those "Rainy Day Projects" into the shop at O dark thirty this AM.....with assorted parts and pieces that might be instrumental in getting a good running start at the project.

A lady friend of mine, (who's damned near as old as I) gave me this old derelict from an era long passed. Told me it belonged to her Grandfather, who served in WW1, as a Mechanic, and than came home and went to Machining, and following that muse. She tells me that he purchased this piece of enviably FINE cabinetry in the early 1920s, and that it travelled with him all over the West, through Fat, and Lean times.



.......certainly looks to have "been around", and has the distinctive REEK of West Texas and Oklahoma crude, after God only knows how many years in Az.,....still oozing out of it's Oaken pores, and beat up green felt corners.



Back before the days of Federal "Hold my bag, and I'll hold yours" nonsense,

......I'm talking about the days when a working man was RESPONSIBLE for his own safety and that of his team members,.....

The Lufkin Co thoughtfully provided a mirror for one to use when and if one was stupid enough to get a chip or particle in his eye. Rather than being rushed off to an opthomologist's office, and taking a month or 6 off, one was EXPECTED to fish the damned thing out of his own eye, and get back on the job.




I can only wonder and speculate, how many miles , down how many dusty and muddy trails, to how many boom towns this old box got hauled,.....to wear an almost PERFECT 2" Micrometer sized pattern into that old funky, dusty felt. Check out the stains in the upper corner,....."Prussian Blue" was part of the vernacular once,.....



I'm throwing a quick rebuild / patch up job at this artifact, and eliminating the gray plastic tackle box that appears off to the right. Lotsa' clamping, gluing, and wood butchering entailed. Trip to wally world in la Ma�ana,...to get some green (maybe RED) felt. I'm not "Restoring" this thing,....just putting it back to work.

..... I like, "The warmth of wood",.....like the smell of crude even BETTER.[b/]

GTC

Is that an old wood tool box?
You said he dragged it around the oil fields.
What was the old gentleman,s occupation?
I really like those old things. I was blessed to be tasked with restoring an old desk. I found some cleverly hidden drawers that contained WWII correspondence and and some old stamps. The stamp drawer had a hidden latch that I found while cleaning the underside of the desk top.
I'll give Homer Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment a big thumbs up, by the way.

Veddy cool piece GTC!

T'aint rubble

Thought: Treat the box like you would want to be treated under similar conditions.

Very cool!

I guess the old boy ran lathes, mills, shapers and presses, Bart.

He probably had a handle on welding and joining metals, too.

Than and again, this may just be something that Bristoe hocked, along the way.

GTC

No way,...I'm gonna' trash it.

....maybe play some punk rock whole so doing.

GTC

Very cool, indeed...if that box could talk, all the things it has seen.

I was thinking about getting a Gerstner box for my reloading room, which desperately needs more organizing. I priced the new USA made models. I haven't bought one, yet

Yup, it definitely has been to "the Front".

The drawers are really a bit shallow for hand loading gear.

They're mellow, easy on the eyes, and soothing, though.

GTC

I got one of them. My dad bought it back in the '30s and I bought it from my mom.

Green felt-lined drawers which contain as many memories as tools.

I'm thinking that when you replace the felt,red would be a damned fine upgrade.

I tried to find Leopard skin patterned felt,....

no bloody luck.

GTC

Ingwe has cornered the market.

I've been planning on buying a Gerstner box for about 35 years, now,...but I can't make myself pay for one.

Those old oak(?) machinist chests are works of art.

Back in the day, it was a tradition to present the graduates of an apprenticeship with a Gerstner chest.

I work with some guys in their 70's who still have theirs and they're still in excellent condition.

They're something to be appreciated.

I realize that your chest is a Lufkin,..but it's very close in style and construction to the Gerstner chests that are still being made.

Gerstner sells the hardware for them at decent prices.

The felt is a bit pricey, however.

http://gerstnerusa.com/opencart/index.php?route=product/category&path=61

I'm gonna' jazz Bart's Red Felt startle center tomorrow, and take a picture of my milling cutter box.

Something about wood and felt that agrees with polished steel and iron.

My little shop is getting the first "upgrade" it's EVER had, and that only on days where it's to chitty to work outside. Pretty amazing what one finds squirreled away in ones corners.

GTC

I have one my dad made many moons ago, tomorrow when I get time I will have to take a pic and post it.

It looks similar to your design, thanks for posting it.

I've always wondered what the correct name is. Now I know. I always referred to it as a "machinist's tool chest", or "oak tool chest."

Last I checked (and drooled a bit) Gerstner makes em' in Walnut, Red Oak, and Cherry Wood.

They have a "second line" that they sell through , and to other suppliers.

I think Grizzly carries that line, amongst others.

GTC

Shoot, now I want one of each.

Well, it looks as though the Storm front's blown off East, and that the skies will clear. We got a pretty fair little rain out of that cal. storm.
Means I've got today to square this thing away. I'll get a few pics of the salvage operation, and grafting in a complete new bottom (solid walnut plank, of equal age no less)

This old beaut will replace that Gray plastic tackle box sitting just to the left of the vice, it's a real space waster with little real storage capacity. That "hutch" hanging behind the Lufkin box was gifted me a coupla' weeks ago, and went up last weekend. I intend to have this old shack a bit better organized, and pronto like,....no good having stuff, if you can't find it.
Got a BIG used Foredom tool that's gotta go in near the existing small one, and a plenum to install before the next stocking job,......That big black hose in the backround is coupled to an external 1 HP dust collector, here's a pic of that setup...

It's a REAL asset, and keeps the dust generated by filing and sanding where it belongs, e.g. .....the hell outta' my LUNGS. I'm planning to make up a sheet metal plenum that swings out from under the bench, and than tucks away when not in use. That big "Elephant C#ck" hose will not be missed, and that much more room will be freed up.
The externally mounted shop vac gets used daily, in 11 years I've only blown one of them off the wall ( A Loose primer did that trick ).
Jeez, ....11 years, I'd say that a little renovating, upgrading, and sorting out is certainly justified.

Later, GTC

Yup, Red felt's pretty snazzy



But than, so's the green



Hell, maybe they'll have blue

Knowing that it will be a thing of beauty when you get it finished.

Funny, makes one wish he'd had armored corners, protecting him from daily attrition. The doggone thing was quite a looker, in it's day.



Fitted a new bottom into the sound upper works. Carving out the original dovetail fitted lower portion was a FINE experience,....good American Oak, and a wickedly sharp chisel being the way to start one's morning. The upper works was dropped onto the bottom slathered with (what else)Brownells Acra-Glas.

The JOINERY in this old beat up relic gladdens the heart, and challenges the imagination.

The drawers are floored with tin plated steel,....well set into .030" slots.
The front of the drawers (where the major repetitive work will be on the joint) are locked up, per below,....



The back end is conventionally 90* dovetailed.

Whoever seasoned the raw wood, milled it to spec., and oversaw the final assembly of this testament to craftsmanship was on the ball, and than some.
Interesting to note that only 2 of the drawers required repair

Looking good.

That's a great old Lufkin machinists box. Tool and die maker or general machine shop tool box. I worked with guys that polished theirs almost daily.
Mine? A 50s or early 60s Kennedy box. Bought third hand in the 70s.

Ain't that the truth!

Ed

The "carrying Handle" is gone, removed.

This old toolbox is DONE travelling,...and has a permanent home now (I can relate to that).

In whatever condition I can spare the time for getting it any prettier,....it's now going to become part of that portable shop,....bolted to the bench.

I'm lucky to have it,....It's lucky to be here.

Win, win.....

GTC

Just keep us posted on the progress, cross.

Mark

Fix it up nice.

I know you're capable of it,...and there's damn little left in this world that's worthy of a restoration.

Lufkin's answer to thr Grestner machinist chest; very cool. There are parts available for that. And im pretty sure it takes a special type of felt that wont retain moisture. Google it all up, its all out there.

what is this thing you speak about, called "moisture" ?

GTC

Too cool for tools? Depends on the tools I reckon. Glad it found a good home!

Any y'all ever seen pics of the Studley tool box?

You know. It's that sticky crap from all those wetlands in your neighborhood.

Remember sex?



g

Yup, something to do with you and your pet pig, I reckon.

GTC

I got what I deserved!

Enduring Legacy, definately.

Abolutely.

I have a couple of old Kennedy 520's from WWII. One had a letter in it dated 1943 on Vargas pinup stationary; pretty cool. Mine are faded a bit; had to re-felt one. Both have the old leather handles, and one of the handles is cracked. Unfortunately, there is no direct replacement for that handle unless I find a serious leather worker to make me a new one.

The Kennedy chests are cool, but they take a very distant back seat to the Oak & Felt chests like the Gerstner's and your Lufkin.

What kind of restroation are you planning to do? Make it look new, or keep the old patina and just fix anything that's not in perfect working order? I can see solid justification for either.

Regardless, you have a fine chest there; enjoy it.

Last I heard the Studley chest was on loan to the Smithsonian. It's an absolute masterpiece of work.

Here's a picture of Studley himself at his bench (which is another masterpiece of work) with his tool chest in the background

Greg, nice post and I really like your project - partly because it reminds me of one I have done.

Fresh out of HS, Dad became an apprentice machinist at Allied Chem in the 30s. He progressed well, became a master and eventually supervised a big machine shop at a large eastern petroleum refinery. Before long, they plucked him to do more advanced stuff in the place and he did so for 30 more years. But, he never lost his skills and love for machine work, and often went to work in custom shops on weekends, and then in retirement, because he loved it. As a little kid, I would look for shavings in his pants cuffs when he came home from work, and after he moved up in the refinery I would see his well-worn and oil stained machinist tool box sitting on his work bench in our basement.

When dad died, Mom asked if I would like to have the box and the "stuff in it" (would I ever ??) and so, on the flight home from his funeral I managed to haul it onto the plane wrapped in brown paper. Once we moved up here, I got to work trying to make it look as good as possible - a LOT of cleaning and resto but so very worth the work. It sits here in my reloading room - and sometimes I get to use the goodies in there while working on firearms, old trucks and other stuff.

Some pics:












Have fun with yours - it will probably look a lot better than this one.

Nope, I'm going to get this Lufkin CLEAN, relined, and in working order, and leave it at that, for the time being. One splash of thinned tru oil will have to suffice.
Too many other taskings right now, my friend.

I WILL post a pic or 2 of an original Singer Sewing Machine Mobile repair / Salesman's box from the same (1920s) era. I think it's in a little better shape.

GTC

Hey now! Think I recognize sumptin' in yer fancy box.

Cool stuff, Jefe.

Bit of a segue here,....concerning the second old box dug out in this mad dash to organize the lurk a bit.

No idea who or what this outfit was about



I think that this thing originally housed a demo sewing machine, and can guarantee the plywood drawers are anything but original.

This old thing could be air dropped, tossed off trains, and used to block up a Model A, if needs be. It is BLOODY HEAVY,.....sitting there empty.



It kinda reeks of Black Powder, and was likely a "Pistol Box" or a line box,....once the original Demo sewing machine that lodged in the lower area went to war emergency steel, or God only knows where else.




Same quality (and stout) joinery as it's now somewhat refurbished companion (that Lufkin Box) sitting behind in the forgoing pics



The Lufkin Box got violated, and taken out of original "collector" status toiday,.....I found an new and un-tapped can of Rustoleum Clear spray enamel,......which is now empty.

The drawers did get their dose of Tru Oil, though



The completely trashed latch hardware got beaded, and sprayed with BBQ paint.

GTC

I have no idea why you sent me a dried squid in that nice old Starret box. It re-hydrated well, and was fairly tasty with a side of brown rice and some Burro jerky,....drenched with Sriracha.

Did it once hold a machine tool or measuring device ?

GTC

Greg,

Great post it is nice to see the old box get some TLC.

And you got to be careful KG is shady if you ever get him in a vehicle do not let him drive unless you got a oh [bleep] handle. You will need something to hang onto!


Mack

I have a Lufkin dial indicator, scale, and some calipers I traded for. My FIL was a railroad machinist, once asked me if I did "fine" work using a mike. I do, he did "only" fitting tapered stay bolts using an inside caliper, transferring to outside bow calipers,turning the taper to fit the reamed hole, and they had had to be tight at both ends. So much for fine work. They took the lathe to the loco with a crane.

They had MATERIAL that would stand up to the demands they were placing on it, and the whole concept of "Longevity" was based on regular and reasonably squared away overhauls and re-builds.

I am by NO means, "OLD",.....and yet remember scraping Babbit bearings in Cooper Bessemers and Atlas engines,....steam, diesel, and Gas.

Lotta' GAS is getting blown around about "Sustainable technologies" and "Sustainable agriculture".

I'd most HUMBLY suggest that the older tech was in a LOT of ways BETTER.

GTC

Yes, it kept machinists and millwrights employed, those big old Ingersoll compressors were allot of hard work. Industry tells us its better to obsolete the machine and get a new more efficient one. I guess economically it makes sense but not good the people that used to keep these machines running.

I wouldn't know a bloody thing about old Ingersoll compressors in Western Canada, Adolph, or Adalwolf, or WTF your handle is today.

Not me,....

question: What's a "Millwright," anyway ?

GTC

I Googled that question a while back and a Millwright is a guy who installs machinery in a plant and makes sure it's level and ready to rock & roll. At least that's what I got from the explanation.

Sounds interesting

The compressors I noted came from Texas back in the 50's. Just one of the many tasks a millwright is called on to perform. You can look 'millwright' up if you like, the trade is mainly machine installation , repair, and trouble shooting. You may call it another name in your area, its definitely not a dog fugger vocation.
My parents named me, common name is Adolph, given name is Adalwolf, means noble wolf. My English gets lazy so that I apologize. Like you, I don't take any sh1t from anyone, this we could agree. The world is changing we must change with it to survive, we don't have to like it though.

Sure wish I'd had the opportunity to learn more about millwrighting, back when I was younger.

....sounds like I might have done fairly well at it, as opposed to becoming a dressmaker.

GTC

Dressmaker would be easier money.

I certainly wouldn't know.

GTC

We really do need a sarcasm button.

These old boxes and well used tools make me homesick for a shop.

" alright, Mr. Dorfman,....start pullin'"

GTC

That wasn't squid, silly. It was octopus. The tool that originally came with the box was for measuring octopi to ensure they were of legal size. Of course, the device can be used for other applications, but you need to multiply by 8...

Here's an old box I have. I believe it was a portable electrical interrogation tool.

See the door at the bottom ?

That's for releasing a small horde of mice in a nightclub.

I would never do anything like that.

GTC

Nope, never, not you.

Wait - is that door for a small horde of mice, or a horde of small mice?

This took a full day longer than anticipated.

A fairly substantial "wreck" yesterday involving dogs and their proclivity to get into mischief sorta' delayed progress. The dogs are fine, and the mischief half repaired, and pretty much forgiven, but that's another story .

Rubber cement and admittedly bogus Wal-Mart "Felt" (made from re-processed and virgin unknown fibers). Wool felt it AIN'T.



Steve Redgewell's had a post running about cleaning up one's re-loading area.... I'll concur, it's always sorta' like CHRISTMAS, finding stuff you thought you'd misplaced , and discovering "Bargains" that were swept up, tossed into a drawer, and promptly forgotten. They say the devil's in the details. Today's detail is about losing a soul-less gray plastic tackle box, and replacing it with the warmth of wood.



Disregarding the poetic and romantic aspects entirely,....shaking out one's lurk periodically has GOT to contribute to both productivity, and efficient use of space. When you've only got a little , it becomes that much more important.



That old sewing machine salesman's box fit's into it's new space slicker than Willie Clinton's finger into Monica's azz.



GTC

Depends on the mission objective.

You show up with your repairman's box, and than just kinda' improvise, from their.

Those boxes have compartments for Tipping money for the peelers, Condoms, a reserve pack of smokes, and several bags of Beer Nuts.

It's rumored the last models had a small O2 cylinder and mask, for hangover abatement therapy.

I love Yankee ingenuity, even if Coonasses have the best abiding handle on it.

GTC

You speakee "Tin Cat" ?

GTC

crossfire;
I have to stop reading your posts sir, as they cause me too be conflicted to often.

You are doing a top notch job on the old tool chest by the way - it's very cool to see some of the old craftsmanship remain earning it's keep.

On the tin cat deal crossfire - this is where the conflict comes in for me as we had several on our Saskatchewan farm and it was my job to empty them.

One or two of them had this flexible metal hose running off the compartment - sort of a cousin to a slinky looking thing - that the mice could exit out of and then get dropped into a gallon jar half full of water.

That was supposed to be a marvelous improvement because you didn't have to empty the tin cat every day then and the mice didn't eat each other in the trap either.

Anyway crossfire, as you've been "around some", you can well imagine what a half gallon jar of mice smells like after a week in the summer.........

I very clearly recall the long conversation I had with my brother convincing him to let me switch the liquid in the jar to diesel fuel.

It still stunk after a week, but at very least I could burn the dead mice.

Unless a person has been on a prairie farm it's tough to have them understand what its like to have so many mice around isn't it crossfire?

Anyway sir, I do parlez vous tin cat a wee bit or at least once surely did semi fluidly - er fluently.

Have a good one crossfire and stay safe down there in your border home.

Dwayne

Dwayne,....

We have common ground, though my experience was not so much grain farming related as "End User, Delivery Chain".

We hauled a gazillion tons of raw grain into Ports all through Latin America in the 1960's. The Lower and 'tween decks were washed down, and lined with burlap and battens. We would than go to the grain elevators ( upriver from NOLA just a bit), and drive the vessel right down to her Plimsoll line with "Raw Grain".

At any number of ports in the Carib, we'd unload. Sometimes with pretty fancy clamshell buckets off a pier, sometimes with stevedores shoveling big old canvas slings full, and our own winches, tackle and booms flying it out, sometimes into barges, sometimes into rail cars, sometimes (rarely,) trucks.

After stripping the burlap and Battens (PART of the saleable / vended cargo) ALL hands would turn too, washing down the holds with the hatches open, whilst making way to pick up a return cargo.......the bilges would be FULL of grain, and Surprise, surprise,.......Dead Rats.

It was always fun, "Washing Down" after a good twist off in a fair tropical port, and the "overtime" welcomed. Picture a crowd of bairly sober, just laid sailors with salt water hoses and brooms.

I worked below decks,though, and one of my MAIN duties was maintaining a uninterrupted flow through our bilge pumps.

It took the better part of a MONTH to get all of the obnoxious debris clear.

Valving off and pulling a "Strainer" that needs a small chain hoist to lift, ....full of fermented grain and jellied rat remains was always an un-welcomed task.



GTC

crossfire;
I wonder if you didn't haul some of the stuff that we grew?

Maybe ours all went to Vancouver then, I'm not certain.

Do you have this feeling we could spend a few hours swapping stories if we ever had the chance crossfire?

Fermented grain and jellied rats indeed sir, yes that's a familiar essence to me I'm sorry to say.

When our big steel bins were empty we'd go block off the aeration fan with a chunk of plywood and then go inside the bin with however many farm cats we could bring along and then begin pulling up the flooring.

For one not used to seeing the floor moving it can be disconcerting.

The mice would be hiking up the rows of nuts that the held the bins together. The cats would have a mouse under each front paw, one in the mouth and be processing what to do next.

Man I don't like rodents crossfire - we've got pack rats here that ate a hole in two of my best saddle blankets and chewed both good bridles up beyond repair. No sir, I'm not a fan of the rodent one bit.

Its always a pleasure conversing with you over the ether space crossfire. Have a good one and stay safe.

Dwayne

Nice touch using the red felt.

The old green felt in my oak chest has seen better days so I may need to upgrade.

The "Kid Safe" Rubber Cement from Elmers works just fine.

Fit EXACTLY, or a touch smaller, slather the stuff all over the bottom of the cleaned drawer, ONLY.....the felt will stretch a bit once applied, and you have lotsa' time to adjust it's skew.

To big leaves unsightly lumps in the corners

I figure I'll tackle the upper works on another day,.....

GTC

Thanks for the tip. I'm glad to know that I have plenty of "work time" with that rubber cement because at my age I don't work too fast.

I used an improvised "Squeegee",....a 5" block of 1 x 1" hardwood, to iron the felt down, and stretch it.

One thing you DON'T want to do is start working that felt with rubber cement on your fingers.

.....sure nice to hit some common ground here,...based on a reverence for tools.

While I can't say I always hit the mark, I think that clean, sharp, and readily ACCESSIBLE tools make for better quality work, and finished projects.

GTC

Yep, I agree on all points.

I tend to be somewhat disorganized and always have a pile of tools laying on the bench.

I need to sharpen them more frequently and put them away when finished.

You're Hired.

Great, if the job has medical benefits and a snack wench, I'm all in.

Hey, Greg, really nice job on the tool box. And, thanks for the some of the experiences of the grain ship. I had a bit on petro haulers, but nowhere near the width and depth of yours.

Great job but that is what I expected from you.

Ya NEVER see shabby results when Greg is on the job.

No, It is Brother Studley's Tools
Including all his hand made Masonis "working tools".
A very , very nicely crafted set. That has been well documented.

Here's my Gerstner

Kojac - that looks like a really nice box. Quite a bit more "sophisticated looking" than my Dad's, and maybe of later manufacture. His was made in 1936. Do you know the mfg. date on yours?

CCCC; I doubt mine is any newer. It has the " Old Style " drawer label, and nickel hardware. The label states that it is a model 052. It measures 26" wide, 16" high, and 9 1/2" deep. IRC I researched some info at one time regarding it's age. Something to do with removing the bottom drawer and looking for a code number written in pencil inside the drawer space. I have misplaced the info that I found there. Go to H.Gerstner.com for more info.

That's easy on the eyes, K..

If it's not too much trouble, could I ask you open that center "Deep Drawer" and show the folks here how neatly the old "Machinery's Hanbook" fits, therein.

I'll bet there's a "Thumb Cut-away"

GTC

Safe bet.