This week's boot sale tools

[carpenteire2009]

I wasn't expecting much when I ventured out to a boot sale yesterday, especially when the rain started as I was half-way there in the car. Anyway I managed to get two nice items, I think.

First is a 16" tenon saw, USA-made according to the medallion, the etch on the blade was too far gone to make out. The pics below are after a lot of cleaning as the blade was very rusty and had some mortar droppings for good measure. It cleaned up pretty well I think, doesn't look like it ever did much work the teeth have not been sharpened and some of the original laquer was still intact in places. Could it be a more modern Disston? I'll probably reshape the (awful!) handle after I re-sharpen. I paid €5 for this.

Next item is a "Footprint" 9" pipe wrench, again this was very rusty but the jaws were perfect and it looked unused and more neglected (probably sat in a bucket of water! Anway it cleaned up well and only cost €3, which was probably €1 more than I should have paid considering its original condition.

 

[Biliphuster]

My god that handle looks like someone inflated it. On the plus side there is plenty of meat there to reshape into a nicer form.

 

[bugbear]

Nice cleanup on the Footprint wrench.

BugBear

 

[carpenteire2009]

The oversize handle actually caught my eye! Certainly plenty of wood there to allow for a bit of creativity. I used my "special brew" to clean up the wrench- LIDL limescale remover (a dilute acid) heated up in the microwave to help it act quicker. It's great for "killing" off rust and leaves a nice partina after scrubbing with a small wire brush. I hate to see tools cleaned up using a wire wheel, it destroys any patina and doesn't look right to my eye. The acid does a better job, reaches all nooks and crannies and is less destructive if a little more time consuming.

 

[whiskywill]

That is such an ugly handle. :shock:

 

[Bod]

That saw, is a perfect example of what happens to a product, when the accounts run the firm, rather than the engineers.

Bod

 

[tobytools]

That saw, is a perfect example of what happens to a product, when the accounts run the firm, rather than the engineers.

Bod

+ bod.

cough, clifton, COUGH!!

TT

 

[carpenteire2009]

I hadn't realised how popular the Clifton debate was on this forum! I have 2 Clifton planes and a 2 saws by Flinn and I have to say the saw handles leave a lot be desired. Believe it or not the ugly handle on this €5 bootsale saw is MORE comfortable than that on the Pax handsaw that cost many multiples of that.

 

[carpenteire2009]

I spent a few hours working on the saw today; I reshaped the handle so that it no longer offends the eye, could probably refine it further but I don't want to spend anymore time on it right now. Once the handle was finished, sanded and given the BLO treatment I turned my attention to the teeth. The saw was filed rip cut and had never been sharpened before by my reckoning so I gave each tooth two strokes with a file and called the job done. A few test cuts in some pine followed and the saw cut very sweetly I must say. I was very happy with the overall result but reshaping the handle was very time consuming with the tools I had, I must try and pick up one of those fancy handle-maker's rasps some time!