How the times have changed

[My Old Tools]

Anybody remember using punch cards to input data?

When I went to engineering school, after the navy, we were transitioning from slide rules to calculators, many only had 4 functions and some professors wouldn't allow them when taking a test. I spent $400 on a HP 45 that had 45 functions and was not programable.

I had an HP35 that also cost $400 new and was only available through an HP office, no retail. And yes, I have punched a bunch of card decks, not for data, for programming.

 

[KenC]

If your phone number was something like "Butler 212"....then your old.

\\\\

My odd telephone number story:

When my Mom, Dad and I moved to the town where I now live, way back in the early '50s, all telephone calls were operator assisted, even local.

Numbers where 2 and three digit. 01 to 999 max. Ours was 349. Sometime in the '60s we upgraded to dial, numbers became the first two digits of an exchange name followed by a single digit (the NNX in telco-ese). that was followed by 4 digits, ours became 0349, just using our old number.

Then when the exchange names were dropped, (70s???_ the first three became numbers.
But the last 4 never changed.

Somewhere there 'Touchtone dialing" was introduced but cost a couple of bucks a month to upgrade from dial, a buck more if you wanted a wall mount
'Princess' phone in color!

Damn, I'm old!

Fast forward to 2007, I inherited my folks house. Decided to move there, (30x60 shop!) and kept there phone.

So, my phone number is now the same as it was in 1955!

Back on tools: I '95 or so I bought my Dad a 12V Skil drill. I think he used it once. Now I have it but of course the old NiCad is shot, drill and charger looks new.
Anyone know where one could get a rebuild on that old sealed pack? I'd really like to have it working, and give to my Grandson.

 

[KenC]

Who else learned to drive a three speed on the column with a foot operated dimmer?

Me! Me! Me!

Actually I learned from Dad on a '54 Dodge baby hemi automatic, all two speeds. But driver's ed car was a '58 Ford 352 four barrel stick shift car for a couple of months until our 59 Cruisematic came in.

 

[7thDimension]

Anyone know where one could get a rebuild on that old sealed pack? I'd really like to have it working, and give to my Grandson.

You could probably get new batteries for it on ebay... Otherwise you can get new cells and rebuild it yourself.

 

[CNGsaves]

{clip}

Back on tools: I '95 or so I bought my Dad a 12V Skil drill. I think he used it once. Now I have it but of course the old NiCad is shot, drill and charger looks new.

Anyone know where one could get a rebuild on that old sealed pack? I'd really like to have it working, and give to my Grandson.

Take everything to All-Pak Battery and they can test charger and likely rebuild the NiCad with all new cells.

I took in cordless beard trimmer and it's new battery runs like a turbo sumbitch !!

 

[2mJps]

I realy dont see that a cordless drill is all that good when it is used alot. They have there place but its not that big of a deal to plug in a drill when your in the shop.

 

[NoahG]

I'm still a twenty-something, but I can't believe that my Milwaukee M12 FUEL beats the pants of the 18v Dewalt Ni-cads that were considered top of the line when I was in high school.

 

[logixjock]

I'm still a twenty-something, but I can't believe that my Milwaukee M12 FUEL beats the pants of the 18v Dewalt Ni-cads that were considered top of the line when I was in high school.

I don't know about all that. I have an 18v DeWalt NiCd drill with pretty fresh batteries bought about a year ago on Amazon, and a Millwaukee 12v Fuel, and while the Fuel is awesome for what it is, and it's generaly the first one I grab because it's so light compared to the power it has, it in no way "beats the pants off" of the DeWalt. I've drilled 1/2" holes in plate steel with the Fuel, but it's all it wants while the DeWalt will do it handily. I was hoping the M12 Fuel line would be a good replacement for the 18v DeWalt stuff, but it's not quite there. I'll be in the market for an M18 replacement when the new DeWalt batteries die this time.

Same with the M12 Fuel impact driver, the power to weight ratio is awesome, but it just runs out of *** at the top end. I wish I'd have bought the standard M12 line and saved the cash towards the M18 Fuel line.