NOTE: Repost from another web locatation to preserve the memory...

In November of 2012  I went to see my Aunt and Uncle over the weekend, and came home with a very small, but important, set of items.

The white 'blob' at the base of the picture is a sandbag. Doesn't seem like much, but way back when, my grandad had a real cabinetshop, and the sandbag in the picture is a third of three that I now have in my shop, stamped with my grandad's mark. My dad gave me two, and while I was talking with my uncle, I happened to mention LJs and a project post I made some time ago that had sandbags from the cabinetshop. He said, "I've got one of those, I think."

And he did.

How cool is that?

The eggbeater is a Millers Falls 2A, with bits in the handle. Uncle said it was his dad's (my grandad). One problem: it's missing one of the three 'jaws' within the chuck.

So if anybody has a loose one lying around… (UPDATE: That issue has since been resolved!)

The 4-fold ruler is an excellent Stanley two-footer, and it'll go straight into the tool cabinet. Also grandad's.

The handsaw is really something. My uncle had it hanging above a workbench (yes, it's got grandad's stamp on it, too), and when I asked about it, Uncle said, "Oh, that was Grandpa's saw." Meaning my great grandpa's saw. First a shot of the tote.

painted brown, and has a missing medallion. The space where the medallion belongs has been carefully filled with water putty. I have a spare 'badge' and will match the parts up soon. Another couple pics to show the condition of the business end of this saw.

The teeth are very unevenly sharpened.

And the teeth seriously need jointing.

And the picture doesn't capture how bad it really is. Which brings me to some opine time…

My grandpa and g-grandpa depended on tools like that saw that now sits in my shop for their livelihood. And one or both of them had to sharpen it. Without the benefit of the web, or DVDs, or weekend training courses. And they didn't do it right. But even with the rusty blade, it cut wood just fine. I'm not saying it doesn't matter, but to me having tools perfectly set up in my shop matters just a little bit less. I'll halt progress in the name of perfection to some degree, but as my dad and I say, I'll settle for excellent more often.

I don't know what I'll do to remedy this tool's condition… It may get shortened to maybe 20", just to make it more useable. And that'll address alot of the 'curve' that's present. Will I remove the brown paint? That I don't know either. But it'll sit on my workbench for the next several weeks while I get in touch with my family's past, and I'll love it for it's imperfections.