Throwback

Steve Minnich

A throwback Milwaukee Sawzall.
It works well but I doubt I'll ever use it.
Looks great on a shelf though.

Gordy

Built to last 50's?

Paul S_3

Looks like 50's my grandfather still has all his tools from that time....all the power tools were silver colored Milwaukee and black and decker he has

kcopp

Classic!

Steve Minnich

I'll walk for hours at flea markets looking for these gems. They have to be great deals because I won't spend much on a tool I don't intend to bring to a job site. I also saw what had to be a 50 year old Skilsaw circ saw in great condition with its original steel box. I delayed though in buying it as soon as I saw it. Circled back an hour or so later and it was gone.

Paul48

Nice!........Even back then, they weren't cheap tools. The difference between then and now ,is, you could drive the truck over that, pick it up and keep working.

Solid_Fuel_Man

And it wasn't made in China.........

SFM

L Thiesen

Yes, I remember those from 45 years ago when I started in the trade. Only toke 5 minutes of fumbling with the allen wrench to change the blade then after a few cuts the dam thing was to hot to hold with out heavy gloves. Not everything is great because it is old. I'll take the modern version anytime.

ChrisJ

One of my early jobs was as a mechanic repairing tools for Bosch back in the early 2000s.

The newer tools out perform and generally out last the older ones, metal housings or not.

Guys can sit back and think their 1950s-60s drills without variable speed, no clutch and no reverse are great, but really they kind of stink. They're not built that great either. I know, that's a saw not a drill, but I'm using drills as an example.

I rebuilt a 1960s 3/4" Skil drill for my uncle that was forward only and I think 400 rpm if I'm remembering right. It's a beast of a drill, but without variable speed, reverse or a clutch it's also a very limited tool and fairly dangerous. A modern rotohammer would give it a run for it's money and also hammers to boot.

Yes, they have nice heavy aluminum housings, I guess that's good if you like holding a heavy tool all day.

SWEI

I bought a Skil 77 in 1979. It's still in good shape, but the Mag 77 is a lot less tiring to haul up a ladder. The current generation of cordless stuff with brushless motors is amazing.

Oh, and all four of our Bosch rotohammers rock. The soft-start really shows its stuff with a big core bit.

Steve Minnich

In the mid 80's, I had a metal cased right angle drill without a clutch knock my two front teeth out. I was working on a ladder and my arm wasn't braced properly. Spit'em out and kept working.

ChrisJ

Stephen Minnich said:

In the mid 80's, I had a metal cased right angle drill without a clutch knock my two front teeth out. I was working on a ladder and my arm wasn't braced properly. Spit'em out and kept working.

You knocked your two front teeth out and simply spit them out and kept going?

That's your story is it?

Steve Minnich

It is. : ). 3 witnesses and 2 new Chiclets in my mouth. What else could I do? The extraction was quick and easy. I stopped the bleeding before I got back on the ladder. I didn't want to mess up the lady's house.

Paul48

The appreciation for the old tools is not because they were necessarily better than what's available now. They bring back memories of the tools our fathers and grandfathers worked with plying their trade. It's the same appreciation as the old 63 Chryslers with the push-button tranny, that Pops use to take us on Sunday drives in. Days gone by

ChrisJ

Paul48 said:

The appreciation for the old tools is not because they were necessarily better than what's available now. They bring back memories of the tools our fathers and grandfathers worked with plying their trade. It's the same appreciation as the old 63 Chryslers with the push-button tranny, that Pops use to take us on Sunday drives in. Days gone by

That's fine, and understandable.
But many go into the "they don't build them like this anymore, cheap plastic bla bla bla bla" rants.

Paul48

Do you ride an AMF Harley, by chance?.

ChrisJ

Paul48 said:

Do you ride an AMF Harley, by chance?.

No,
Last thing I had even remotely similar was a highly modified Yamaha Raptor 660.

And that wasn't a unreliable leaky motorcycle.

BobC

I was up on a ladder boring a 4" hole into an attic at a buddies son's house with a 1950's single speed Milwaukee drill (350rpm), using a 1" dowel through the D handle to brace it. About halfway through the old shingles the blade caught my t shirt and tore it right off my back - damn good thing it was a t shirt and not a jacket.

I've seen a few guys break their wrists with drills like that. When something is geared down that much you have to respect the torque it has.

Bob

Fred

I have my dad's early 50's Craftsman circular saw. It is really good shape but I have to agree, the RPM is so slow and the saw is so heavy that it just isn't practical to use today, although he used it and, as a kid, I don't recall him having any issues using it. As a matter of fact, he took pleasure using it. In my mind, I can cut a board with a hand saw about as fast.

Paul48

I can't tell you, how many times I have listened to the old-timers, in my life, complain about the quality of the new stuff. I would always smile and nod in agreement. I could give them that. It cost me nothing. They are all gone now, and I wish I could share a smile with them again.

Docfletcher

Another survivor, the Sawzall's brother...