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

Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
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carbons4

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Jan 19, 2012
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I have a question for anyone that can help. I am looking for any info on the 1950's Craftsman wall cabinets.(there is a picture of the mechanics version on page 79 of this thread) How many different versions did they make? I have 2 different versions.One like on page 79 and one that has a place for a hand saw on the door and less holders. Anyone have pictures of these other versions and what tools came with them and what years they were made. Thanks for any and all help. Once again,great article in the ultimate garages magazine.
 
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Red Leader

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I have a question for anyone that can help. I am looking for any info on the 1950's Craftsman wall cabinets.(there is a picture of the mechanics version on page 79 of this thread) How many different versions did they make? I have 2 different versions.One like on page 79 and one that has a place for a hand saw on the door and less holders. Anyone have pictures of these other versions and what tools came with them and what years they were made. Thanks for any and all help. Once again,great article in the ultimate garages magazine.

Check out this link and view the 'Mechanics Tools' catalogs:

http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id116.html


I believe there were only two versions made as well. For you to have both, is impressive.

Thanks for your kind thoughts about the garage and article!

-Dave
 
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Red Leader

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CONGRATULATIONS! :beer: very nicely done.

Joe Zeppe

That's awesome! Must be some motivation to keep on going. Sure it will look great on the wall.

Congratulations, Red Leader! A well deserved recognition for your work and creativity.

Seeing what you and Jack Olsen and others have been able to do with your garages helps remind me that it is possible to have a very nice place to enjoy some time to myself. And I've finally got most of the "Honey Do" list items checked off, so maybe this year I'll be able to get something done with mine.

If I can just incorporate a fraction of what I've been able to learn from this site, I'll be very happy. Thanks again to you and everyone for sharing your stories with us.

GGB

Congrats on the mag article Red Leader! So well deserved and couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

And I see Wingnut65's radio even made the photo :thumbup:

(EDIT: BTW, if you can post the whole article, please do so - I would love to see it.)

Great job on a Great Garage! Every time I stop in to look at your garage I feel like a kid again in my Dad's Craftsman workshop in the 1960s...

Thanks guys for your continued support. I really appreciate it. Would be VERY hard to make this happen without your encouragement.

Right now it is still cold so I don't spend too much time in there but I have been doing some rehabbing of some tools. Also, should have some new tools out there, maybe not in the near future, but in the future. I cannot recall if I even made mention of it when I went on my trip to VA, but I picked up a General 450 tablesaw and a 24" drum sander. Both are not at the garage (and I'm glad, I'd have nowhere to put them!) but they'll hopefully make their way down here at some point. I rescued both from a warehouse that had been taken over by a company that wasn't interested in any of it. The 24" sander will actually come in handy in a huge way. Unfortunately, vintage arn in the way of belt and drum sanders is very few and far in-between. If I could replace it at some point with something vintage, I'd love to...but not sure when or if that would happen. The General...wow, what a beast of a saw. Much heavier than a Unisaw, and has (to me) the more desirable feature of having the massive cast iron trunnions mount directly to the underside of the table, ensuring a precision lockup between the arbor and the tabletop. I think I have pictures around here somewhere...

Found em! (pics or it didn't happen, right? :D )

p1010037z.jpg

p1010036my.jpg

p1010041g.jpg



p1010040se.jpg

p1010039eg.jpg


Now where will I put such things? :lol:
 
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MPOWERD

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Jun 7, 2011
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578
Wow... Serious table saw and sander... They would take up half of my garage!

Check out this link and view the 'Mechanics Tools' catalogs:

http://www.roseantiquetools.com/id116.html


I believe there were only two versions made as well. For you to have both, is impressive.

Thanks for your kind thoughts about the garage and article!

-Dave

Wanted to thank you for posting the link to the old craftsman catalogs. Was very enjoyable to scroll through some of them, seeing what my father looked at before he bought his shop tools back in the 1950s before I was born...
 

Thermo690

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Jan 2, 2013
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Well, its been a while since I posted, and for good reason...

We have a new baby boy on our hands!!!!! :beer: Mom and son are doing great - couldn't ask for anything more. I am seriously blessed:thumbup:

I have zero free time right now, except to write this post. As we fall into a good routine, you might see a little more of me in the future, but for now, he is keeping us pretty busy:D

great news, when do you start his training?:D
 

mwbailey

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Jun 30, 2012
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Rock Hill, SC
Picked up the "Dream Garages and Shops" magazine at Books a Million about a week or so ago. I like your article as well as the others. I figure one good idea per magazine makes the price worthwhile. I got a few from this one!

Really liked you post: Now I have a twinge of what it feels like to be Jack Olsen.

Amen.
 
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Red Leader

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Wow... Serious table saw and sander... They would take up half of my garage!



Wanted to thank you for posting the link to the old craftsman catalogs. Was very enjoyable to scroll through some of them, seeing what my father looked at before he bought his shop tools back in the 1950s before I was born...


Ha! You should see my garage now! (edit: no, no you shouldn't) :D

I could (and have) spend hours just looking at all the old catalogs. Check out Power Tools, 1942, nearer to the end. There is a vise that Craftsman only made that year and it looks awesome. I want it:D
 
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Red Leader

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Picked up the "Dream Garages and Shops" magazine at Books a Million about a week or so ago. I like your article as well as the others. I figure one good idea per magazine makes the price worthwhile. I got a few from this one!

Really liked you post: Now I have a twinge of what it feels like to be Jack Olsen.

Amen.

Thanks! There are some really amazing garages in that mag. It was an honor.


This project never started with the thought "I want to get into a magazine" but it is kinda cool seeing your OCD published:lol:
 

E.rodz

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st.paul MN.
Congrats Red leader shop is looking good! I wonder how fast you could crank that new to you belt sander up to? you should be able to lauch some big stuff accross the shop with that.! keep up the great work!
 
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Alessandromack

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Feb 27, 2013
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Found this thread while google-ing this old craftsman rolling tool chest i pulled out of a trash pile today (in Miami)

oldcraft.JPG


Was hoping to figure out when it was made, after going through about 50 pages of this thread my guess is mid-50's.

thought I'd share my, what i consider, a mega-score with some folks who'd appreciate a good find. Not going to restore it, just cleaned it with some gibbs and filled it up already.

Alex
 

Nightshift

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London, Ontario
Alex, you need to hook up with Red Leader here ... he can probably tell you what vintage your tool chest is. Bill

(he's gonna be drooling over your lucky find)
 
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carbons4

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Jan 19, 2012
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Pulled it out of a trash pile...........GEEEEZ!!! Looked for two years to find my lower like that. Have a 7 drawer machinist box on it that I use at work. What a find!!!!!!!!!!!
 

cdrewferd

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Apr 5, 2006
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Westminster, CO
Red Leader, this build is awesome. I'm only up to page 100, but I'll catch up soon.

On a side note, I know you're mainly into Craftsman/Delta but was wondering what you thought on this Hamilton drill press? http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/3569812489.html

I'm looking for something that's more table top as I don't have room for a floor model.

Anyway, great build and I can't wait to get current and see all the awesome things you've done. Might have to stop by and check these amazing machines out as I'm just up in Westminster.
 
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Red Leader

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Congrats on the new addition!! The little one I mean not the saw!

Congrats Red leader shop is looking good! I wonder how fast you could crank that new to you belt sander up to? you should be able to lauch some big stuff accross the shop with that.! keep up the great work!

Thanks guys! Our little guy has been a ball and kept us busy this past year. It has truly been a joy and a blessing.

The tools, I know, are just ridiculous. The hobby is a dangerously slippery one though. Although, it is nice to know that from the looks of this forum and others, that I am not going over the cliff by myself:lol:
 
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Red Leader

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Found this thread while google-ing this old craftsman rolling tool chest i pulled out of a trash pile today (in Miami)

oldcraft.JPG


Was hoping to figure out when it was made, after going through about 50 pages of this thread my guess is mid-50's.

thought I'd share my, what i consider, a mega-score with some folks who'd appreciate a good find. Not going to restore it, just cleaned it with some gibbs and filled it up already.

Alex



First of all, AMAZING find. That is truly spectacular. I haven't 'found' anything for free like that. Wow. If you do a nationwide search on C/L under 'vintage Craftsman tool chest' or some such, I guarantee you that 95% of the ads you'll see will be deleted. These are something that come up for sale and do not stay up for sale. People want them bad, so it is incredibly intriguing to know that someone would just throw it away. Just incredible.

That being said, would you be able to get a close up of the handles and the top of the top box? The handles look a little different to me than others I've seen. Also, the corners of the top box look like they have gussets, which is different as well. The Craftsman crown logo started appearing (mainstream) in about 1959 so your box is before that. It will be late 1940s to 1950s. If I was to hazard a guess, the rounded corners (from what I can see) on the top box are more indicative of an earlier box. That is pure conjecture, however. Most of the industrial metal furnishings I've seen that are earlier tend to have some smaller details than later stuff - rounded and gusseted corners would be one of them. I just checked my top box and it has a single sided curve - on the top. If yours has the 3 way curved corners, I'm betting it would be earlier than mine. Late 1940s-early 1950s I'd say. Mine most likely dates to around 1954-1958. Next time I check the catalogs I am going to be looking hard at the corners of these boxes! Haha. I don't know if the boxes had any type of serial or identification markings on them. Not from what I've seen.

If you care, the Rustoleum hammered gray is almost a dead match for the original color and pattern. If you do use that paint though, I would recommend a good primer and clear coat, as the Rustoleum spray paints have not proven to me to be very durable.

There is the potential that the chest/box could clean up really nicely. If you are all about preservation, some nice hand-rubbed elbow grease with some automotive finish polish might work wonders if the rust isn't too deep.

In any case, great save. I love seeing this stuff. Thanks for posting it on the thread!
 
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Alessandromack

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Feb 27, 2013
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Thanks Red Leader,

You'd be amazed at what people throw out here in Miami, there is a bulk pickup at every address every week. I think I find a lot of stuff like this because most of the population down here are recent immigrants from poorer situations in South America and the Caribbean, while the rest are the jet set party crowd living in the high rises along the beaches. Old stuff just gets tossed out because it's not "cool" in their circles. There is an army of guys in trucks that comb the trash piles every week for metal to sell as scrap, this box was lucky i found it.

This box has almost no rust, just a lot of discoloration from the same hands touching the same areas over the last 5-6 decades. The drawers open and close smoothly and there are no dents. I'm a patina guy so will definitely leave as-is. I have a larger box already so i'm gonna have to start collecting more tools to fill this one up with :)

Here are some pics, your input is much appreciated!

box1.JPG


box2.JPG


box3.JPG


box4.JPG


box5.JPG
 
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HSpencer

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South Central US
That toolbox is gold. Your right on a mega-score (Free is best of all). It would be well with it for a good cleaning, or a paint either one. Depends on it's new owner's preference.
Great Find!
 
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Red Leader

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That one to me has some accents and features that to my untrained knowledge of parts manufacturing, definitely has an older feel than mine. Mine has the late 50s vibe going on. Yours definitely has a 1940s-early 1950s vibe.

Such a sweet score. Nice save:thumbup:
 

Alessandromack

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Feb 27, 2013
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Thanks for the accolades, i failed to mentioned the drawers were packed with vintage hand tools, they went to a good friend of mine.

alex
 

Dan in Pasadena

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That thing is cool. I think I'd use some 0000 steel wool on it to bring up the shine on the handles and remove the most egregious rust. Then the Gibbs spray and hand buff it. It'll look fantastic - and I'm USUALLY the guy that would have to do a total repaint restoration. Wonderful score.
 

FunkyfullWidth

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Oct 3, 2011
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Three Rivers, ma
This thread and your garage is an inspiration to us all, I'm sure. I've always had a sweet spot for vintage machinery and tools, but you sir have taken it to another level I could only dream of. Your ingenuity and perserverance is truly something to be proud of.

My girlfriends grandfather said he would be giving me an old craftsman radial arm saw and an old bandsaw which is what got me looking at this thread. I've been more of a metal guy so seeing what you've been doing with wood is definately awe inspiring. I also inherited a few of my grandfathers old tools, a polished metal jig saw and a few sanders as well as his handtools. I'll post pictures of some of my older stuff in my garage thread as to not clog up the works here. But once again, my hats off to you.
 

carbons4

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Jan 19, 2012
Messages
92
This last sunday I found a later version of the roll around,(and I did not get it for free either),that has the crown logo on the bottom drawer of to one side. Not centered like the older ones.
 
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