5/16" drive

[Empty Pockets]

I recently bought a box of small tools, while sorting it tonight, I discovered my first 2 5/16 rive tools.

a Bonney 5/16 F X 1/4 M adapter
a small SnapOn socket

My question is, how common is this 5/16 drive stuff.

thanks

 

[davethorik]

Sure it isn't 9/32?

 

[four.cycle]

I found a 5/16" hex drive socket set on Ebay a few weeks ago, but didn't buy it.
I sent the photos to a couple of our in-house experts here, but none of us could figure out who made it.



(* and yes, it was definitely 5/16" hex drive - I had the seller confirm it. *)

 

[Empty Pockets]

Sure it isn't 9/32?

Might well be, used a tape measure after a day'd work

 

[r_olson_06]

I found a 5/16" hex drive socket set on Ebay a few weeks ago, but didn't buy it.
I sent the photos to a couple of our in-house experts here, but none of us could figure out who made it.



(* and yes, it was definitely 5/16" hex drive - I had the seller confirm it. *)

I have a 5/16" hex bar and socket made by Williams. I will get some pictures posted up of it.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Private Lugnutz]

a Bonney 5/16 F X 1/4 M adapter
a small SnapOn socket

Sure it isn't 9/32?

What Dave said.

I'm not aware of Bonney or Snap-On producing midget drive tools in a 5/16-inch square drive size. Both used 9/32-inch square drive. Bonney switched to 1/4-inch in the mid 1930's and Snap-On went to 1/4-inch during the war and dropped 9/32-inch as soon as the war (and USAAF demand for 9/32-inch) was over.

Photos and/or markings would help.

Snap-On and Bonney 9/32-inch square drive tools both had M- model numbers.

 

[r_olson_06]

5/16 hex bar and socket by Williams.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Empty Pockets]

What Dave said.

I'm not aware of Bonney or Snap-On producing midget drive tools in a 5/16-inch square drive size. Both used 9/32-inch square drive. Bonney switched to 1/4-inch in the mid 1930's and Snap-On went to 1/4-inch during the war and dropped 9/32-inch as soon as the war (and USAAF demand for 9/32-inch) was over.

Photos and/or markings would help.

Snap-On and Bonney 9/32-inch square drive tools both had M- model numbers.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow when I go out to the shop.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Attached is the promised pictures of the Bonney Extension

 

[Empty Pockets]

Here are the pictures of the Snappy Socket

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That bonney extension may be a refrigeration socket. Refrigeration ratchets are female, so the 5/16 opening is the drive end. Here are a couple

 

[3baygarage]

Attached is the promised pictures of the Bonney Extension

That bonney extension may be a refrigeration socket. Refrigeration ratchets are female, so the 5/16 opening is the drive end. Here are a couple

Yes, that Bonney is a refrigeration socket. The Snap On is likely 9/32 drive.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Mystery solved!

 

[3baygarage]

I picked up a Bonney like that at the flea market a few weeks a go. The seller had it in with his extensions. It was funny, his expression when he tried to put a 1/4 extension in it.

Four Cycle I'll admit I don't recognize that hex drive set. The label is quite hard to read. Do you have a link to it?

R- nice Williams. Those are hard to find. I have a few pieces and the Husky 5/16 set.

 

[four.cycle]

3baygarage:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-UNBRANDED-KNURLED-SOCKET-SET-METAL-BOX-2-BREAKER-BARS/253276522561

 

[3baygarage]

Thanks, I was hoping there were some additional pictures. Do you think that case says Stevens Walden? So hard to tell, but looks like it might say Mass. on it.

Walden had a 5/16 set as shown at AA:

http://alloy-artifacts.org/Photos/tools/walden_516hex_socket_set_f_cropped_adjust.jpg

 

[Oldtuleguy]

That was my guess, but logo is shot. Cool set.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I'd say you found a match.

I downloaded the image of the lid and enlarged it, but I couldn't make out much. I thought it looked like "Worcester" (which narrowed it down to only about a dozen different makers.)

I wasn't sure what it was, and somebody else wanted it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Attached is the promised pictures of the Bonney Extension

That is a Bonney RF4 Valve Stem socket. It is 1/4-inch male drive. It was plugged into a Bonney RF22 ratchet, which was 1/4-inch female drive. All the pieces in Bonney's refrigeration sets (RF80, RF81 - same as RF80 with some extra extensions and DBE wrenches) were 1/4-inch male drive. In fact, many of the pieces from the standard 1/4-inch male drive midget set (V8 - V18) did double duty in the refrigeration sets, along with special valve stem (RF2 - 5) and packing gland nut sockets (RF6, 16, 67, 71, and 73). The 5/16" square opening in that socket is the service opening. Sets also included 3/16" square (RF2), 1/4" square (RF3), and 7/32" square (RF5).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I found a 5/16" hex drive socket set on Ebay a few weeks ago, but didn't buy it. I sent the photos to a couple of our in-house experts here, but none of us could figure out who made it.

Sorry I haven't paid any attention to the 5/16-inch hex drive topic running through this thread, concentrating on the OP's original sockets and questions instead, which have turned out to be 9/32- and 1/4-inch square drive, as I suspected.

FWIW, here are my thoughts...

I see the similarities between the Walden set and the Unidentified eBay set, but, there are a lot of differences, too. The cases are not built the same, for one (look at the hinges). The sockets in the Walden set are two (2) squares and six (6) 12-point, while the unknown set has two (2) squares and six (6) hex sockets. Also, is there any precedence for those kinds of Ell-handles in Walden production? In any drive size? And do those sockets look like Walden sockets? Note that the Walden set had a spinner and a sliding tee. Also, and most problematically, I don't think that banner type label is Walden or Stevens Walden. They used a circle with the words Walden Worcester in it, sometimes with Stevens accompanying it. In fact, the same box that 3bay posted has that embossed on the outside of the lid.

It really is a shame that the label is illegible.

 

[3baygarage]

It does kind of look like it says Worcester Mass.. What other brand might that be?

A real mystery on our hands.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If it says Worcester, no other brand that I know of. Lowell Wrench was in Worcester, but they weren't making little stuff like this, again, that I know of.

I don't know if it's your influence (power of suggestion) or what, but, just when I was thinking you guys were seeing things, I now think I see at least the "CHESTER, MASS." part of WORCHESTER, MASS., whereas I wasn't seeing it before. And I am actually positive that I now see an "EN" at the end of the second line of marking on the label. See the thumbnail, left original, right marked up.

But I've never seen a Walden label like this, which looks 20's-ish to me.

 

[four.cycle]

It did not look to me anything like any Walden Worcester label I've ever seen.
There is no "H" in Worcester (either in spelling or pronunciation) so I'm inclined to think it was not "WorcHester".
There were a mess of tool makers in Worcester, Massachusetts:

Brosnihan / Sargent Brosnihan / Brosnihan Wrench Co., Worcester Ma.

Coes/ Coes Wrench Co., Worcester, MA.

Lowell Wrench Co. Worcester Ma.

St. Pierre / St. Pierre Chain Corp., Worcester, MA.

Wakefield / J.E. Wakefield Wrench Co., Worcester, Ma.

Walden Worcester / (see also Stevens-Walden) / Walden Worcester Mfg. Co, Worcester, MA.

Warnock / Warnock Mfg. Co., Worcester, Ma.

I think we can eliminate Great Neck as a possibility, as they only manufactured screwdrivers at their Worcester facility. (My brother-in-law was the Great Neck sales manager for North America for several years.)

Thanks for taking a look at that thing, Private Lugnutz. Your eyes caught stuff that mine did not.
I was still vacillating about it when it got sold. Somebody else wanted it more than I did, obviously.
I've gotten a couple other screwball sets from that seller - he finds some pretty odd stuff now and then, but I think he's winding it down as far as Ebay goes. (About 1900 items listed now vs. the 3500 he had listed a year ago.)

The knurling pattern on the end of the sliding "T" handle doesn't match the one in the Alloy-Artifacts picture either.

I guess it will remain a mystery for now.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

There is no "H" in Worcester (either in spelling or pronunciation) so I'm inclined to think it was not "WorcHester".

Certainly not (pronounced Wusster), and excuse my lapse - and just ignore it in the image It's late and I'm not redoing! The crazy thing is I had just spelled it correctly in the same post. And on top of that, I was just there two times earlier this year (Holy Cross was recruiting my daughter!)

 

[four.cycle]

Kind of wish I'd just grabbed the thing when I first saw it!
Oh well... I have enough "what is this?" sets to keep me busy for a while.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The style of that label reminds me of King or Newton Pressed Steel sets. See thumbnail. They were in Massachusetts, but in the Boston area. I don't know if that's just a coincidence, or they shared a label supplier with the unidentified mfgr of the set in question. I don't think it's theirs, though. I'm convinced that says "CESTER, MASS.", for one thing, and the King/Newton sockets are very distinctive, they don't look anything like the sockets in the unknown set, and neither do the handles.

 

[3baygarage]

Interesting. Don't know if I ever heard of Newton. King is an old one I always forget about.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Same company, same address (in the Newton suburb of Boston), same tools. They changed their name by at least late 1926. (You won't find that on Alloy Artifacts or anywhere else.) I have a set of each and a whole write-up locked and loaded and almost ready to go that I will soon be sharing here and in much more elaboration on the Tools Archive. I have a few 1915 - mid 1920's socket sets that have been under wraps for a while. A recent acquisition (the mysterious FOAK AFAIK W/M extension in this thread here!) has reinvigorated my interest. Much more to come in 2018.

EDIT: Back on topic, though, you see what I mean about the shape and style of the label? This would be in that tweener stage, after wooden boxes and pressed steel sockets, and before machine forged heavy wall sockets and standardized fully interchangeable handles. If it is a Walden from that era, it really is more of a previously undiscovered dinosaur than a known unicorn.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I see what you mean about label