New Old Tools

I really like old tools. Of course I like new tools too, especially hand tools. But there's something special about a tool that has a little age and wear on it. It just looks and feels comfortable, I guess.

There aren't really many old tools in Oklahoma, because there haven't been people here using tools for that long. (Yeah, I know, there were people here using stone tools, but you know that I'm talking about relatively modern tools, so don't be a smart aleck.) Most of the old tools are back on the east coast. But sometimes I run across some interesting hand tools anyway.

This past Saturday I picked up the items in the above picture at a local garage sale. These were just dumped in a box with some junk. As you can see, I got a decent old large chisel, which I'll probably never use since I don't plan on building a log cabin soon. The neat old four-fold rule is nice. I already have a couple larger, newer ones, but this old Lufkin has a lot of character. According to that well-known on-line auction this item is worth ten times what I paid for all five of the tools shown.

I'm going to like the little steel vernier caliper. It should come in handy. And the little 4-inch combination square is good to have.

So, all in all it was a nice GS find. It's this kind of stuff that entices me to go out early on Saturday mornings. Its a big job staying out of the way of the feeding sharks (oops, I mean ladies sorting through the kids clothing, cracked dishes, Avon bottles and assorted foo foo). But sometimes it pays.

Added: Yes, I do realize there are only 4 tools in the picture, not five. I can count; I just need to double-check sometimes :)