Vintage work crew photos

[Beserkleyboy]

PJ, The Chicago is probably 1960s. The base is cast 'pot metal', probably zinc, tin or such.The helical cutters are as sharp as...a real testament to old school 'fit for purpose' manufacturing...never been resharpened! I enjoy the sound and Insense Cedar smell from each and every sharpening! The travel on the spring loaded feed device of the green one allows any length above maybe 2". Its housing is sort of a bent cast material, not like modern steel plate, but visually porous surface like cast iron. maybe someone here can explain the metallurgy, I only do wood-urgy... Cheers
Jim

[PJs]

No clue about bent cast material...doesn't make sense, but what do I know. Could be that it is sheet metal but was seriously oxidized, then restored and painted along the way¿ Looks like several layers of paint. The radius top and front panel may be lead soldered like old body work which can have very clean lines??

Cheers,
PJ

[Beserkleyboy]

PJ. Big rainy day here...been Google image looking for maker of the green machine! Found a good pic on Pinterest of the EXACT same machine! I've messaged the person to see if she has any ideas...stay tuned...
Jim

[Moby Duck]

Those "slit" beams look like 6" nails to me, not slits. You can see them better if you blow up the picture and look at some of the items that are hanging on them.

https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

[Toolmaker51]

Those "slit" beams look like 6" nails to me, not slits. You can see them better if you blow up the picture and look at some of the items that are hanging on them.

https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

Yup, 'slits' are nail shadows. 1930's would need decent lighting in foreground to overcome backlit exposure of windows. There is a deep field of view denoting a small aperture. Very good detail front to back and entire width. Kind of sepia looking, I expect it really was black and white.
I want two of those 18" steering wheels for mill knee cranks. I knocked about for some joke about shop overhead, but nothing worthwhile

[Frank S]

Car repair workshop; labeled as 1930. Nice ceiling storage. I guess they slit the beams, and then they just put a hook in there? Looks great with pistons.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

I know where that set of 4 open skirt pistons would fetch a $1000.00 apiece right now tonight. I could also unload those Waukesha and Buda or the set of Packard within a couple of hours. But for me personally I'd take that leg vice and those transmissions lying on the lower right side. Did anyone notice the pair of 24" head or block shaving files hanging on the rt hand wall?

[wizard69]

Personally I have always loved mechanical pencils. I have several. I love the way they write and draw. Used them for years making Crime Scene drawings.

That is interesting, are Crime Scene drawings even made anymore? Seems like a few photos and an edit program would be far faster.

Given that I grew up years ago and the high school I attended still offered mechanical drawing classes. There is certainly a reward from taking a pencil to paper that you can't get from CAD drawings. While the company has gone completely digital with tool design I still like having the ability to quickly and sometimes crudely sketch out ideas.

[wizard69]

Hmmm. Crime Scene drawings. You a planner or investigator? lol.

I agree on mechanical pencils. Sort of costly, nice ones are worth it.
Graded wood pencils still have a good feel for drafting, but not so hot in general away from the board. To me, proper sharpeners have disappeared.
Mechanical pencils 1.1 Ø [lead holders] need a couple small items to function but are superior otherwise. Have a pretzel bucket full of spare lead, all grades, insuring I'll live to 130.
Clutch pencils [0.05 and 0.07 Ø] are convenient writing wise, and giving or losing one no big deal. 10 for $1.50. I'd like them more with colored lead easier to find. Time comes I want to mark drawing features red or green. So here I use ink most of all.
Drafting has really gone down hill, CAD users have no clue how line weight enhances readability. Big deal, the program reads it accurately. Programs don't crank handles. So colored ink stands in, when a lot of leader lines intersect without a break, to match coordinates.

Boy did you hit upon one important issue, the state of CAD drawing. I think part of this is due to the loss of drafting as a profession, a lot of companies require their engineers to generate all drawings from details on up. Of course none of these engineers have had extensive training in generating engineering drawings, nor do they have the time to care. Also there is an an assumption that high quality color is available every where and further they assume a drawing will never be ran through a photo copier. I've seen electrical drawings that really suffered from poor drawing practices and then people wonder why the machine doesn't work right.

[marksbug]

Hmm that kinda looks like our old shop.....kinda, I washed the floors after those guys moved out...

the machine dosent work right because the engineer dont know squat, have never operated anyything but thier computer and phone,not a clue haw the real world works.just do a little on the putter and let it finish the job...without any real input as to what the thingys is supposed to do....Imho engineers that havent successfully worked building repairing and making thongs before they "got engineered on paper" are for the most part full of them selves and brown stuff that stinks and usually clueless but have excuses for everything and can site oh somuch useless stuff thats usually rong but like to hear them selves thinking they are impressing somebody....and yes the uneducated guy/gal can come up with oh somuch stuff that works or is transferable to somany other things..kinda like Heady Lamar.and oh somany others.janators,field hands and somany others that addvanced the world as we know it. even all of us with out solutions to whatever that may or may not work for us but can be added to too do what we are needing it to do. remember there is always a better mouse trap...somewhere else.

[volodar]

Beserkleyboy, thanks for the pics. My goto pencil sharpener is a "BOSTON Self Feeder 4" . Its general config is like your pegboard mounted one, but the mechanism is identical to your green one's. Bought new in Toronto in 1959 for first year university. Now mounted upside down to picnic table serving as office and computer desk. It never fails.

Peter