Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT 1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

[Vividlyvintage]

About my blog; thanks, its not half as interesting as reading about your garage but it has a few interesting articles. I used to post an article a day but it isnt easy finding material to write about. And you dont want to squeeze the hell out of one topic, so unfortenatly I havent written much lately. But there are a bunch of fun things on there. Would you be open to me doing a write up on your garage and your effort in making it the beautiful thing it is today?

Thanks,
"Skrach"
My Vintage Blog:
www.VividlyVintage.com
My 55 Chrysler Worklog:
www.Pop's55.com

 

[Bears Fan]

All i can say is this thing is totally sick! I love the attention to details. This thing is not going to be classified as a work shop but rather a work of art,i love the whole theme, cant wait for some finished photo's...

 

[Red Leader]

The massive yellow saw in the background looks kind of interesting too. I'm not real fond of the open expanded metal guards though, but I bet seeing the spoked pulleys turning inside them looks pretty cool. And check out the perfect circular green frame on it - sort of has the same shape of a big chain hook. Probably a bit too "early" for your place, but interesting just the same.

BTW, the toolbox looks great!

Ahhh....Shopnut!!! I knew I was forgetting a name in my 'feeling bad for not contributing to others' threads' post...probably because I was thinking of first names. Your shop is definitely included in there, 'cute' signs and all

The band saw behind it...looks kinda like an Oliver or some such saw. Probably dates from the 1920s or thereabouts. There are guys that specifically research those types of saws. There are also guys that cut holes in their ceiling to fit aforementioned saw in their garage

If anything, I admire their dedication

It would be neat to have a saw like that...but big tools come with big problems - babbitt bearings, cast iron repairs, impossible-to-find replacement parts, when something is out of true, it is really out of true, old electricals, etc...not to mention moving the beasts.

That's said not to steer one away from those tools. Many folks enjoy the challenge of working with the 'big boy' stuff and have the means to do it. I'm not in that caliber and not sure if I ever will be so I let the others have at it and enjoy from the distance. For those that can appreciate them, they are some of the finest tools ever made, and really in a completely different league from all the hobbyist stuff.

 

[Red Leader]

Use the tall drawer in the top chest for your fresh stack of N95 masks. I like the masks with an exhalation valve on them. Definitely should be using them when you are making dust of any sort. It looks like the clear, inner plastic bag of 10 masks would fit in there, even if the cardboard box wouldn't.

Dave, bet it feels good to get tools into the toolbox drawers. As for the arrangement of everything, let it sit on you for a week or two. As you go about using it you might want to swap things around. Maybe you find yourself reaching for something that might normally get used with another tool.

Does it feel weird that the tools are in drawers? I found it weird. I'm still getting use to the drawers and I constantly open the wrench drawer when I need the screw drivers. Or the ratchet drawer when I need sockets. One of these days... lol

Ditto to both comments. The mask drawer is great - maybe I can use it for all relevant safety gear: gloves, respirator, safety glasses, ear plugs. Lord knows I'm always misplacing that stuff and spending half my shop time looking for it. Great idea

Girl, I hear ya. It is strange. Especially since I still have a huge pile of stuff on the floor. But it is good. It is getting there.

For me, I've found out some interesting things. 1) I have tools that I will never use or need (at least for the foreseeable future. I'm thinking that they will be excellent contest items for the garage and 2) it really put into perspective how meager my wrench collection is. Not that I'm trying to go for a huge collection just because, but as it turns out, I have just a handful of the 'good' wrenches, and the rest of the other 'good' are actually duplicates of those wrenches.

To be honest, I'd like to get a wall mounted Craftsman mechanics cabinet and fill it with the historically accurate tools and that will satisfy the collection bug, but then fill the tool chest with top quality Wright, Williams, S-K, or Snap On tools. I remember growing up in the garage and being used to seeing all the high quality Made in USA tools and so when I would stumble upon an imported tool, it always felt odd, like it was out of place. Likewise, I'd like my son to grow up knowing what good tools are so that when he inherits most of them, he will have a true appreciation for them

 

[tinbender 66]

Wow! Tools in a tool box, what a concept!! It'll figure itself out over time. In that tall little drawer on mine I keep my lasers, voltmeter, code scanner etc. in it.

I love that slatwall! Something else I can search for.

 

[Red Leader]

About my blog; thanks, its not half as interesting as reading about your garage but it has a few interesting articles. I used to post an article a day but it isnt easy finding material to write about. And you dont want to squeeze the hell out of one topic, so unfortenatly I havent written much lately. But there are a bunch of fun things on there. Would you be open to me doing a write up on your garage and your effort in making it the beautiful thing it is today?

Thanks,
"Skrach"


My Vintage Blog:
www.VividlyVintage.com
My 55 Chrysler Worklog:
www.Pop's55.com

Scratch,

On the contrary, the blog is great and I would be honored by any write up. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of 'showcase' or 'finished product' type pictures, at least not yet. But if you still want to do it I'd be more than happy to help however I can.

Some great reads on the blog. I like all the WWII ones as well. Check out the 'McCollum Memo' or Eight Action Memo if you have not already for some interesting reading related to Pearl Harbor. Some folks think that the powers-that-be either had some inside knowledge about the inevitable attack or actually pursued a course of action that led to provocation. Then there was the ceasing of communication right before, the mini subs that appeared, and the other events that were clear warning signs. I'm not sure how it all played out. In any case, many men and women lost their lives that day and we will never forget them.

 

[Red Leader]

All i can say is this thing is totally sick! I love the attention to details. This thing is not going to be classified as a work shop but rather a work of art,i love the whole theme, cant wait for some finished photo's...

Bears Fan,

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm glad this project has been of interest to you.

I can't wait for the finished photos either!!!

 

[Red Leader]

Wow! Tools in a tool box, what a concept!! It'll figure itself out over time. In that tall little drawer on mine I keep my lasers, voltmeter, code scanner etc. in it.

I love that slatwall! Something else I can search for.

Yeah, novel concept, eh?

 

[shopnut]

Ahhh....Shopnut!!! I knew I was forgetting a name in my 'feeling bad for not contributing to others' threads' post...probably because I was thinking of first names. Your shop is definitely included in there, 'cute' signs and all

/snip/

Hey now, don't be making fun of my sign RL!

Don't worry, I've got kind of a slow roll thing going on right now so you're not missing much at the Asylum these days. But work does continue, nevertheless - mostly in the Audio/Video arena at the moment and I'll be sharing that shortly.

Thanks for the info on the old-old band saw. I knew you would have a tidbit or two to share.

(BTW, my first name IS Shopnut - says it right there on the birth certificate! My parents always did have good foresight. )

 

[flybefree]

Team,

Got the deburring wheel this weekend that Red Leader recommends...let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I heat teated a knife blade this weekend and the polishing routine used to be about 9 different grits of sandpaper...all I did was use the deburring wheel. Saved me 45 minutes of sanding...and when you are weekend hobby guy that is about 25% of my work time.

Just thought I would report back.

Shaun

 

[scoutkid]

Hey RL, do you have a home for this? Free if you want it - i don't have the room!

 

[Wingnut65]

Team,

Got the deburring wheel this weekend that Red Leader recommends...let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I heat teated a knife blade this weekend and the polishing routine used to be about 9 different grits of sandpaper...all I did was use the deburring wheel. Saved me 45 minutes of sanding...and when you are weekend hobby guy that is about 25% of my work time.

Just thought I would report back.

Shaun

Dave and Shaun, I just got my EXL today. But it will have to wait until this weekend at the earliest that I can give it a try. Looks like it has a lot of potential.

scoutkid, That looks similar to my dad's old one we still have in Miami.

 

[Red Leader]

Alright guys,

Wife and child fell asleep a little early tonight and since we are keeping the car in the garage now, I thought it might be a good chance to clean up and organize things out there a little bit. Here is the current state of the garage, checking in:

I feel like I'm at an AA mtg with this thing...it keeps wanted to get dirty and filled with 'stuff', and I keep needing to clean it, although it is supposed to be a super pretty 1950s homage garage - yeah right! It will get there, but sometimes I think this thread is deceiving

Oh yeah! By the way, you guys have never seen my smaller toolboxes. Here they are.

My All-American:

The Waterloo:

The PowrKraft (full of goodies I'll be giving away in later contests! Yes...preview shot!):

I have no idea if any of them are worth anything or not. All I know is that the All-American holds a LOT of stuff and I've had it up to around 40lbs filled.


The other day I also got to work on fixing the car. Here is the part that was busted:

To get the rest of it off of the steering column, you DO NOT drill out the 'rivets' - they are not rivets at all. Put a slot in them with the dremel and whala! They screw right out. When they are first put in, they have a bolt head on them which twists off at the right torque.

What I did was take the old broken assembly, removed the keyed cylinder, pulled out the key pins, cleaned them then re-installed in the new keyed cylinder and re-installed in the new assembly housing. That way I have the new parts but can use the same key instead of having to open the car with one and start it with another:

We've had nice weather recently. Hopefully it continues and makes me want to keep working out there.

 

[Red Leader]

Hey now, don't be making fun of my sign RL!

Don't worry, I've got kind of a slow roll thing going on right now so you're not missing much at the Asylum these days. But work does continue, nevertheless - mostly in the Audio/Video arena at the moment and I'll be sharing that shortly.

Thanks for the info on the old-old band saw. I knew you would have a tidbit or two to share.

(BTW, my first name IS Shopnut - says it right there on the birth certificate! My parents always did have good foresight. )

I know far less that a lot of guys for sure...they have the history down to an art.


You have good parents.

 

[Red Leader]

Team,

Got the deburring wheel this weekend that Red Leader recommends...let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I heat teated a knife blade this weekend and the polishing routine used to be about 9 different grits of sandpaper...all I did was use the deburring wheel. Saved me 45 minutes of sanding...and when you are weekend hobby guy that is about 25% of my work time.

Just thought I would report back.

Shaun

Awesome Shaun! I'm glad its working out for you. Not to tempt you even more, but they make them in several grits...you could always start out with a rougher grit and move to the fine grit and cut down on time even more.

Those things sure have saved me a bunch of time and are the best thing ever for tool restorations.

 

[Red Leader]

Hey RL, do you have a home for this? Free if you want it - i don't have the room!

Wow, that is a really cool offer! Thank you for it! I actually am fascinated by this type of saw. There was one up on Craigslist that had the cabinet base and everything, but was missing a few things...maybe I could combine them? Hmmmmmm!!!!!

Let's talk soon.

-Dave

 

[Red Leader]

Dave and Shaun, I just got my EXL today. But it will have to wait until this weekend at the earliest that I can give it a try. Looks like it has a lot of potential.

scoutkid, That looks similar to my dad's old one we still have in Miami.

Jeff let us know how it works out for you. I'm betting you are going to like it.

 

[Red Leader]

So a day or two ago I get a package in the mail. I'm thinking...hmm, what is this?

When I open it, I get a very welcomed surprise:

This little drill press box is courtesy of GJ member Shoottx, who kindly thought of me when he found this little gem.

Thanks Shoottx!!! That was totally awesome of you!

I have actually been astounded at the type of offers I've been getting. I unfortunately cannot take advantage of them all (wish I could), but it is really cool to see the garage project bring together so many of us with like minds with the Craftsman stuff. I really am humbled by it and very thankful as well. This project would be really blah and unexciting if it wasn't for all of you guys who go out of your way to help it along and keep things interesting. You are appreciated

 

[SpeedinLemon]

Dave - You've shown us some amazing work in this thread, but getting a car in that garage may top them all!!??!! How's the back feel after that? Seriously though, great work on that toolbox and the slat wall.

I dont know if it was you that mentioned the searchtempest site for searching multiple CL locations at once, but i've found that useful lately. No epic scores yet, but lots to look at!

Chris

 

[smschriefer]

Dave, get the RAS! I can give you pointers on how to rebuild it! I know I haven't been posting much, but I am around. I should be done with my RAS soon and will get the pics posted. Life got in the way and delayed me, but all that is left is painting the motor body pieces and slap the motor back on. The rest is reassembled and waiting for action.

 

[Titaniumboy]

Awesome Shaun! I'm glad its working out for you. Not to tempt you even more, but they make them in several grits...you could always start out with a rougher grit and move to the fine grit and cut down on time even more.

Those things sure have saved me a bunch of time and are the best thing ever for tool restorations.

Red Leader, your garage is fantastic. I've been lurking for awhile, but finally signed up at Garage Journal.

I especially enjoy the pictures and text of your tool restorations. It really is something when you are able to take a rusted pile of junk and make it look better than new.

I picked up a 1" wide 6" diameter EXL wheel. Unfortunately it has a 1" hole and my bench grinder has a 1/2" arbor. I've been to all of the hardware stores around here and none of them have arbor bushings. I see that if I buy a brand new grinding wheel that some of them have a variety of plastic bushings that come with the wheel, but I really don't need yet another grinding wheel. Where are you guys finding arbor bushings for the EXL wheels?

And speaking of EXL wheels, are you running your EXL on a bench grinder or a bench buffer?

And speaking of grinders and buffers, how many are required? I have one bench grinder and I find that between grinding wheels, EXL wheels and wire wheels that I'm continually swapping wheels. And on my buffer I'm always switching between different buffing wheels.

Titaniumboy

 

[flybefree]

I had to make the 1/2 inch adapter on my lathe...had some plastic stock laying around.

Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

Red Leader, your garage is fantastic. I've been lurking for awhile, but finally signed up at Garage Journal.

I especially enjoy the pictures and text of your tool restorations. It really is something when you are able to take a rusted pile of junk and make it look better than new.

I picked up a 1" wide 6" diameter EXL wheel. Unfortunately it has a 1" hole and my bench grinder has a 1/2" arbor. I've been to all of the hardware stores around here and none of them have arbor bushings. I see that if I buy a brand new grinding wheel that some of them have a variety of plastic bushings that come with the wheel, but I really don't need yet another grinding wheel. Where are you guys finding arbor bushings for the EXL wheels?

And speaking of EXL wheels, are you running your EXL on a bench grinder or a bench buffer?

And speaking of grinders and buffers, how many are required? I have one bench grinder and I find that between grinding wheels, EXL wheels and wire wheels that I'm continually swapping wheels. And on my buffer I'm always switching between different buffing wheels.

Titaniumboy

Thanks for your thoughts on the thread.

PM me with your address and I'll send you a spare adapter

 

[Red Leader]

Okay guys,

I have some free stuff to give away!



What should the next contest be? I need some good suggestions!

 

[machine_punk]

My suggestion for a competition/give-away.

MIG...Most-Improved Garage (picture of before you started cleaning up and a current picture of your progress).

 

[e-tek]

What a great thread - learning more about CM tools than I ever would have thought! Great work on the refurbishing too.

 

[Red Leader]

My suggestion for a competition/give-away.

MIG...Most-Improved Garage (picture of before you started cleaning up and a current picture of your progress).

Ooh, I like!

How about this...if this roller-coaster of a garage build has encouraged you to get out there and do something with your garage to improve it, what was it?

Best entry wins.

How's that?

 

[flybefree]

Most inspirational! I love the inspiration I get from the guys/gals here...the story behind the thread is often the most interesting.

Shaun

 

[machine_punk]

Your garage has certainly inspired me to develop a theme for the metalworking studio in my garage (The Aerodrome Studio) and start pushing back the piles of Stuff, so I have more room to work on my projects. You are a regular on my thread, so I don't have to show you what I'm working on here. Anyone else can go take a look at the thread in my signature line.

P.S. are you intentionally being obscure about what you have to give away?

 

[Red Leader]

P.S. are you intentionally being obscure about what you have to give away?

Nope - I'll try and take some pictures of some of the goodies I have

 

[Red Leader]

Dave - You've shown us some amazing work in this thread, but getting a car in that garage may top them all!!??!! How's the back feel after that? Seriously though, great work on that toolbox and the slat wall.

I dont know if it was you that mentioned the searchtempest site for searching multiple CL locations at once, but i've found that useful lately. No epic scores yet, but lots to look at!

Chris

Haha, yes, you make a good point. The car is in the garage!!! That is a huge accomplishment Although since we now want to keep it in there most of the time, in essence my shop space got cut in half. Not really, since I know I can just back it out when I need the room, but extended-time projects that sprawl all over the entire garage are pretty much done. I'm not too upset though...it means I just need to be more creative with my space...which is what makes it fun!

Thanks for your nice comments on the tool box and slot board. Both are still not done, but are getting there. I'm sure I'll have more motivation when the weather starts getting nicer.

Regarding search tempest, yes it is a great tool. It is how I found my '49 Craftsman art deco grinder. I've also seen many quest items on there. I also found some GIB goodies on there that are in the infancy stages of making their way into the 1950s Craftsman Garage, but may take a while to get here (currently in NJ).

 

[Red Leader]

The 'White Unicorn'...

So I got a message a few days ago asking if I was looking for a Craftsman scroll saw. I discussed the matter and was pointed towards a 24" King Seeley scroll saw that was up for sale. I politely informed the gentleman that unfortunately it was not the model I was looking for. The one I was after was the ever elusive, extremely rare 20" self-contained scroll saw that only appeared in the 1956 and 1957 Craftsman power tool catalogs. The White Unicorn.

So then he proceeds to tell me that he saw one for sale a while back. He didn't pick it up because it looked kind of odd and at the time had no idea that I was looking for one. And yes, he saved a picture of it.

Reminiscent of those fuzzy, grainy Loch ness monster or Bigfoot pictures

After he learned that it was very rare and I had been looking for one for so long, he was kicking himself for passing on it - be he did tell me that he made a new post asking about it in the event that it did not sell. He told me he would get a hold of me if he heard anything about it. A true gentleman.

So there it is. The White Unicorn. They really do exist, and are still out there. This is the second reported sighting within a year's time, and actually only the second photo I've ever seen of one in the wild, so I'm super jazzed and encouraged that more sightings will pop up. The first one I spotted I followed up very intently, but it was not to be as the seller decided to keep it. It was a power bronze version with the attached work light. I'm kicking myself for not capturing a picture of it. It was beautiful.

While we missed this latest one, I was able to learn more about the saw from the description, which he also saved. This tool was made by Syncro and had a code of 110.24561. It may have had other end codes (like 24562, etc) since Craftsman like to change the code based on year or accessories.

So there you have it. My #1 quest item.

My other quest items you can see below in my signature. Originally I had listed a Craftman-badged 20" Parks planer as a quest item, but soon realized it was too big for my garage (it is HUGE). While Parks NO 20 planers are somewhat 'common' (relative term), a Craftsman-badged one had never been photographed in the wild before. Then about 2 months ago, one was finally found and documented through it's Sears Roebuck tag, although the faceplate was missing.

Seeing that a smaller planer would fill the role more appropriately, I switched my sights to the ultra rare 12 1/4" Planer that only appear in 1956 and 1957 that was manufactured by Belsaw. To my knowledge, this exact model (unknown code #s) has never been seen in the wild, never photographed, and never even discussed. Craftsman's contract with Foley-Belsaw lasted at least until the 1970s, of which you frequently see the Belsaw type planers for sale, but never the original model.

 

[Wingnut65]

My suggestion for a contest was going to be who can go over and spend the most time in the 1950s Craftsman Garage, but your idea is probably better.

BTW, you inspired me to buy a bunch of cans of flat black and paint the metal on my garage door black. I must admit that it looks great. And, thanks for the idea.

 

[Red Leader]

Okay guys, here is a sneak peak of some of the upcoming contest items. I need some help identifying some of them!

Drill bit sharpening jig:

I think this is a saw blade filing jig?

A 1970s tight spot 'reach' type tool:

Some vintage snap lines:

Don't know what the heck these are...measurement tools?

Viscosometer:

Cool Socket speed wrench (vintage USA!):

I have no idea what this is but it fits on the drill bit jig?

REALLY old looking set of pliers:

Hmm...you've got me. ???

Vintage 1930s Ebosa alarm clock (swiss made baby):

Well, do we have a good start here? If anything is too crappy or in the 'It looks like I'm trying to get rid of this junk' category maybe I'll combine some items for the various contests. Also, as I find cool things in my searches there is always the potential for new and exciting contest items.

So...what should we start with?

 

[bluebolt]

Pic 4 is a choke or small engine throttle cable, not a pick up tool.

Pic 10 IS the adjuster for the drill bit sharpener and needs to go with it. How come you didn't chuck it in the box you are sending me with the Craftsman Crown circular saw LOL.

Pic 12, the Nicholls tool, may be for pulling cotter pins

 

[gilr]

The round disks with Picador brand on them look like offset disks used in "wobble" type dado sets. The numbers look to be metric offsets that you set the disks to match the width of the dado and the blade will wobble to that width to cut the desired width slot. I could be wrong, but they look just like the ones on my Craftsman offset dado set.

 

[Titaniumboy]

Thanks for your thoughts on the thread.

PM me with your address and I'll send you a spare adapter

Red Leader,

PM sent. Thanks for your generous offer.

On a separate note, did you buy your giveaway prizes on purpose from yard sales, or are they coming bundled with tools that you're buying?

Titaniumboy

 

[machine_punk]

It is hard to tell the size of the 'Picador' discs, but they look a LOT like spark plug gap gauges.

The curvy metal "Nichols" might be a fid (a tool for working with rope...possiby wire rope or aircraft cable in this case, since the tool is metal and the fids for regular rope are usually wood, plastic, or bone. I've never seen a curved fid, but that is the tool of which is most reminds me).

Your garage has certainly inspired me to develop a theme for the metalworking studio in my garage (The Aerodrome Studio) and start pushing back the piles of Stuff, so I have more room to work on my projects. You are a regular on my thread, so I don't have to show you what I'm working on here. Anyone else can go take a look at the thread in my signature line.

P.S. are you intentionally being obscure about what you have to give away?

If you are actually starting a competition, please consider this (see quote above) my entry. It seems like you are looking for the garage which is inspired to improve by seeing what you have done in your garage. I would definitely be interested in the drill bit sharpening fixture, the choke cable (could do something really neat in my garage with that), and the curvy fid/thing with Nichols on it.

 

[gilr]

It is hard to tell the size of the 'Picador' discs, but they look a LOT like spark plug gap gauges.

Good point, I think your answer may be the correct one, not the one I originally thought.

 

[Red Leader]

If you are actually starting a competition, please consider this (see quote above) my entry. It seems like you are looking for the garage which is inspired to improve by seeing what you have done in your garage. I would definitely be interested in the drill bit sharpening fixture, the choke cable (could do something really neat in my garage with that), and the curvy fid/thing with Nichols on it.

Yes! Let's roll!

Everyone, tell me your story on how 1950s Craftsman Garage has helped you in your garage or a project you've worked on. Already have a few submissions.


We'll start with something cool.

Best response will get this: