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old lathe tools

Just in an idle moment it occurred to me that some of my lathe tools a really old ..... like possibly 100 years old. I say that as I have had my Myford S7 for some 50 years and shortly after I obtained it a very kind retired father of a friend gave me his box of old lathe tools. So if he had been using them for a lifetime or accumulated them over a lifetime then that gets them in the region of 60 - 100 years old.

All the tools are forged some I have are not even sharpened yet, mainly the larger sizes that are a bit heavy for the Myford but all the swan neck tools still give me a good edge and are often used.

I just wondered if anyone else still uses "old" tools from way back or have they all been disposed of in favour of the modern HSS and tipped tools?

Idle moment is now finished .....

Alan

Reply to
Alan Marshall
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I dont have any that old but some HSS ones about 20 years old. I did buy some tipped tools but didnt get on with them. great on aluminium but tended to chip easily on steel and difficult to sharpen. In the end I went back to using HSS tools, can be ground to the shape you need and honed to a good sharp edge. Perhaps I`m just a Luddite

Chris

Reply to
rack2000

Alan, I can't beat that but when I got my first lathe about 25 years ago, my greatest treasure was my little tin of tools that "worked for me" as an apprentice some 15 years earlier. A mixture of HSS (like gold bars to us in those days) and some carbon steel. I still have them but must admit they are really for nostalgic reasons these days. Funny how some bits of HSS have a more comfortable feel than others, bit like spanners really!!

Along with my own tin of treasures I have another tin of very old looking tools that came with my first XL lathe, they are all carbon steel and I'm sorry to say were no b*****y good at all. Can't understand why I've still got them really??

We all need a few "idle" moments to escape the pressures of the rest of life

Best regards

Keith

Reply to
jontom_1uk

Well, my Boley Standard watchmakers lathe was sold new in 1895!

Steve R.

Reply to
Steve R.

Just dumped a box full of lathe tools from around 1905ish. The lathe, a Brittania of the same vintage has been re-furbished and doing good service! A couple of years ago we tried giving it away without success. One cheeky bugger wanted to borrow the Transit (leaving a clapped out old escort as surety) as well to take it 100 miles home as part of the bargain! You never know what you can get away with unless you try I guess.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

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