Help identifying old Craftsman tool holder and ratchet?

[Jtoddaz]

What the heck is this? I picked it up today along with this vintage ratchet. It looks like the ratchet is from the 30's but I have no idea what the other item is. The antique store label called it a drill bit holder. What do you think? It has an anchor stamp inside a circle on the underside. Never seen it before.

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[balane]

That's a drill bit index. That's the big one too, I think those sell on ebay for a little chunk of change.

 

[Jtoddaz]

It's numbered 1-60. Does that correspond to any sizing at all? The 1 is about a 1/4 inch, and the 60 is about a pinhole.


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[Provincial]

American drill bits are designated by three systems. Fractions (like 7/16"), Number drills (which use wire gauge sizes) #100 being 0.047 in diameter and #1 being 0.228 in diameter, and Letter sizes (A-Z) which take over where the number sizes end, with the largest, letter Z being 0.413 in diameter.

Your index is a number drill index.

 

[Jtoddaz]

Great explanation. Thanks.


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[jwitt]

The ratchet is a BE (New Britian) 30's - 40's.

Jim

 

[Outlawmws]

Both of those are from the mid 30's to the mid 40's or so.