Today's finds (bit rambly)
Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA
>After consulting with my son about ventilation in his office/apartment (in a building shared with a silk-screen-T-shirt guy - I think he should just move and get away from the chemicals), I stopped by the local Habitat store to drop off some stuff, and found a couple of interesting items, including the brace below. I think this is the same one that I declined to pay $3 for at an estate sale recently; good thing, as I paid $1.10 (with tax) for it today.
The chuck is just a square tapered hole, with what appears to have been a threaded hole in one side, I assume for a set screw that would just slow down the desire of the bit to slide out, but even without the set screw, the bit stays pretty well. The underside of the opposite end is stamped, "Warranted *CW*," the asterisks representing actual little asterisk shapes. I'm not sure what they're warranting - presumably not the superiority you find a lot of saws warranted for.
As you can see, the handle end's a bit out of line, having been pushed on too hard in the past, and the rotating knob has spun itself to death, so this will be a project down the line, but it's a pretty little thing.
Am I correct in thinking this is probably cast iron? Regardless, what's the best approach to straighten it without breaking it?
I also picked up a Disston saw, marked "240/for cutting metal," shaped like a small straight-backed handsaw with very fine teeth, and about 5" of teeth on the back at the tip - not quite sure what those would be in support of, and the Disstonian Institute doesn't indicate whether they're an original feature; I assume it's a plumber's saw or similar. That one was (a) shiny and (b) free, a Toddly price if I ever saw one.
And, also free, my first Spear and Jackson handsaw, a bit bent and usual rustiness, but pretty. Another project, down the line.
At an estate sale on the way home, I picked up a Plumb broad hatchet for $1, needs a new handle. Not bad for winter rust hunting side trips from the real mission.
Back to rearranging the barn to keep stuff dry...we had about 1/2 inch of rain last night, more coming soon.