Post up your Powr-Kraft and other Wards tools

[My Junk is Stuff]

Was just down in Eufaula OK visiting relatives and hit the local antique stores and found the Powr-kraft drill at the last one for $15. I’m guessing 1930’s but haven’t had a chance to research it. Might be able to shorten the cord up if it’s not too stiff as well will see. Love finding nice shiny stuff like this. Btw it is a little 1/4” size as well. I'm kind of kicking myself, as one of the other stores had a Montgomery Ward hedge trimmer of about the same vintage. It was about $40 so I passed. Should have gotten it.
Update: Cord is real stiff and the outer insulation cracks at the slightest movement. The inner two wires also have cracking insulation. So will have to locate a similar cord and then clean and service it a bit. I'm guessing I'll wear some gloves when playing with this little beauty lmao.

 

[d42jeep]

I found a $1.00 yardstick at an estate sale yesterday. I was unable to leave it behind.
-Don

 

[Nick Danger]

My father preferred Wards over Sears. He bought his tools there from the late 60s through the early 80s.

The metric combination wrenches were a 1977 Christmas gift from my parents to me. I had bought myself a metric bicycle, so I needed metric wrenches.

Most of these tools have been superseded, but I still use those screwdrivers every week.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Picked up these today at the pawn shop. My first ever Powr-Kraft. I do have some Wardmaster too somewhere. And there was one Wardmastr in here too. Also a wartime Craftsman and a Proto ratchet as well and some Diamond nut drivers. I haven’t seen a box like this. The last picture looks to be a military stamp or something I did find that guy in my area he passed in 1994 so not sure the age of the tools. There was also some T-handles and a Walden Worcester socket in there as well. Got a whole other box of tools too. Paid $40 for this box and tools and $10 for everything else I got.

 

[Username already in use]

$40 for the box and the Duro made PowrKraft tools is a pretty good deal. I’d say you did well.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Thanks. I seen it setting there in the pawn shop and I had to have it. Any idea on the time period? Couldn’t find another box like it? I’m guessing probably 70s based on the tools.

 

[Lesserstore]

Nice haul, I like the hammered green paint. I found that box in the 1962 and 1966 Montgomery Ward catalogs, but they weren't in the 1970 catalog. Unfortunately that's the best I can do because the online availability of MW catalogs is lacking.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Nice haul, I like the hammered green paint. I found that box in the 1962 and 1966 Montgomery Ward catalogs, but they weren't in the 1970 catalog. Unfortunately that's the best I can do because the online availability of MW catalogs is lacking.

The flip lid looks close to number 8 in the catalog because my has the flip top.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are my Wards tool finds for today. They came from a preview of an upcoming sale up the street.
-Don

 

[amecks]

Just scanned this Powr-Kraft thread. The tool boxes are cool. I was just working on a ebay listing for a complete set of Powr-Kraft open end wrenches, a 10 piece set 1/4 thru 1-1/8. It was missing the 1/4 - 5/16 wrench but I finally found one that I think may be correct - but still not 100% sure. The main difference is the sizes are on the raised panel, not on the wrench ends. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is the right wrench for the set?
Thanks
Al

 

[d42jeep]

Just scanned this Powr-Kraft thread. The tool boxes are cool. I was just working on a ebay listing for a complete set of Powr-Kraft open end wrenches, a 10 piece set 1/4 thru 1-1/8. It was missing the 1/4 - 5/16 wrench but I finally found one that I think may be correct - but still not 100% sure. The main difference is the sizes are on the raised panel, not on the wrench ends. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is the right wrench for the set?
Thanks
Al

Hi Al,
I checked my Powr-Kraft DOE wrenches and my smallest one in that style is 3/8” x 7/16”. Since those wrenches were supplied by Barcalo to Wards, I checked to see if Barcalo made both styles and found out that they did. My best guess is that your wrench marked on the raised panel is not quite the same vintage as the rest of the set.
-Don

 

[amecks]

I remember seeing an ebay listing for the set including the original vinyl roll. That set (if I remember correctly) had a 1/4 - 5/16. I tried to find one for a long time and finally found this one last week. Its a little rusty and slightly mismatched but it'll have to do.
Thanks, Don.

 

[d42jeep]

My pleasure, Al. I found a PowrKraft-Kraft jig saw at a Tahoe garage sale today. I actually saw it at the seller’s previous sale but accidentally left it behind. It works just fine but needs some cleanup.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Today was clean up day.
-Don

 

[lardy1]

I couldn't walk past it at a garage sale.

 

[outofbounds]

Found this old Dogbone wrench with what I believe to be a Powr-Kraft Part No. but not other affirmation to that effect. Neither Google nor Ebay are bringing anything to the surface, and there seems to be a dearth of Powr-Kraft hand tools catalogs online, in favor of the power tools catalogs which are plentiful. It looks rather similar to the Craftsman equal of the period.

 

[outofbounds]

Turned up this glistening beaut on the garage sale circuit last week, in the original box. Looks like it has never been asked to shave a block of wood once in it's life.....

 

[d42jeep]

I found what I believe to be a Waterloo sourced machinist’s box at a garage sale Sept. 6. It cleaned up pretty well.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Username sent me a link to a sale of Powr-Kraft screw holding drivers. This picture certainly indicates that Crescent was the primary supplier of Powr-Kraft screwdrivers, although there were certainly a few other suppliers.

Here a some of mine with similar handle appearance.

But here are some obviously supplied by others.

-Don

 

[rustyzman]

Here's one I have.

 

[Motochick]

I love restoring old tool boxes and have always wanted one of these. This one was right down the street and full of tools. Bummer thing, it needs NOTHING! No work to do but a little cleaning. Any idea what era it is from? The only marking I could find was the word "MODEL" stamped on the bottom floor pan in two places. Castor are not original but they roll real nice and it came with two working locks/keys!

 

[Mintgrun]

This is the tiniest V-shank wrench I've found. I like digging to the bottom of the wrench bin, to see what's sifted through. Sometimes I find little treasures. Tom

 

[Mallen]

I have bunch of Powr Kraft sockets and a ratchet laying around. Nothing too interesting except one of the sockets is an 8 point. I guess I am young enough that 8 point sockets just strike me as strange.

Square drain plugs are still used and 8pt sockets are still usable on them. Taps still have square ends as well.

 

[Mallen]

I have a ton of them from a big lot of tools I bought. Ill see if I can get a chance to post pictures.

 

[onetonbb74]

I only have a couple powercraft tools

 

[d42jeep]

I found some Powr-Kraft items recently at an estate sale in Mill Valley, CA. I posted the cleaned up partial nutdriver set in the nutdriver thread but they belong here as well. The last picture is a 1/4” nutdriver I picked up on eBay to add to the set. It may be a while before I find a 1/2” one.

 

[four.cycle]

nice set, d42jeep
who made those for Wards? Western Forge?

 

[d42jeep]

They look very Stanley-like to me. I think Western Forge was busy with Craftsman.
-Don

 

[Lesserstore]

When I was doing my Stanley screwdriver history I found that Stanley had an S code, Crescent-Bridgeport had no code, and an unknown maker for G coded one. If the G is the first letter of a manufacturer like a lot of Powr-Kraft codes are, it could be Great Neck because that's the only big maker of screwdrivers that starts with a G that I can think of.

 

[d42jeep]

I found some Wards related wrenches at a family run estate sale yesterday. The Riverside wrench set came out of the evaporust looking brand new. I don’t believe that they were supplied by Barcalo. Who used those oval raised pads? The little DBE is obviously Barcalo supplied.

 

[four.cycle]

they've got the right shanks to be Indestro/Duro made, but those oval-ended raised panels are definitely odd.
on the flip side, the italicized "CHROME VANADIUM STEEL" on the 9/16" x 5/8" and 11/16" x 3/4" 45° offsets is a dead-on match for the text stamped on that era of the Indestro DBE wrenches.

 

[d42jeep]

Indestro was a supplier of Riverside wrenches, according to AA. It just seems odd that the wrenches differ in appearance so much from the tools Indestro was making for themselves. They are actually very nice looking wrenches in beautiful condition.
I took some pictures of this masonry bit set to post on the rolls thread but it belongs here of course.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Here is a little riverside wrench

 

[d42jeep]

I found a Powr-Kraft and Wards Master Quality wood chisel at a vintage sale yesterday. My buddy will turn a new handle for the Wards chisel.
-Don

 

[WNYflyer]

DOE set picked up many years ago. Made by Barcalo.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice! Your Barcalo supplied set looks quite a bit like my Thorsen supplied set posted upthread. I have some of the Barcalo supplied DOE wrenches but not in a roll.
-Don

 

[WNYflyer]

Nice! Your Barcalo supplied set looks quite a bit like my Thorsen supplied set posted upthread. I have some of the Barcalo supplied DOE wrenches but not in a roll.
-Don

Very nice Do you happen to know the time frame from the change over from Barcalo to Thorsen supplied?

 

[d42jeep]

Although I have no evidence, my impression is that they we’re using both suppliers at the same time. Same with Thorsen and Wright. A lack of catalog information is always difficult. The Powr-Kraft 100 wrenches were still being supplied by Barcalo.
-Don

 

[wrenchguy]

I never seen a set like this. Really didn't need anymore modern tools but the square drive will come in handy with the old stuff I work on.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Wright's "10-Point" idea.

looks like it's in great shape!