patlun
Well-known member
What a beautiful box!
Model A Ford garage
- Thread starter bolensboneyard
- Start date
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
Nice box, Bobby! When can I come pick it up?
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Bob this makes me smile. You will find it so rewarding. Takes your mind off of all the useless information out there as it is all about patience and focus; something I have been trying to hone. For me, the key to all the handwork was getting proficient at sharpening; especially hand saws. You are right. They are just as fast and a lot more forgiving. Even a rip saw cuts amazingly well, and fast, when it is sharpened correctly; and it is actually a RIP saw. I have a small panel saw that is sharpened in three different sections. Six inches of "soft start" six in the center for a modified combination, and the last section near the handle for rip. I actually bought it for the handle, so my panel rip saw would match my crosscut in the tote. When I was studying it for sharpening I could see it was purposefully sharpened that way and gave it a try. Now I keep it sharpened the same way. Glad the seller thought he only had a buggered up hand saw; as did I. I paid about 25% of what it would have sold for if this was known or a common current practice.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Andy you can come, get fed, housed, and we will take some logs, cut the lumber and build us each a tool box out of red oak. Are you home for a while now? Ginny made some jelly out of the palm fruit. Must have been the sugar that has resurrected me from the dead. I still have the dump truck and am going to move out some of my Model A stock pile too. Glad to hear from all of you. Been cutting a lot of grass, and wood. Bobby
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bobby, I'm pretty sure you got me started with the saw sharpening. I even bought a couple of US-made Nicholson files and labeled them so I wouldn't use them for other tasks.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
You go Bob. Look for a saw vise and if you don't have one a magnifying light. Makes it easier to see angles. If you can find one get a file guide made for the vise. Disston made a nice one but a complete one is pricey. One on ebay right now is missing one end. You can do it without one but starting out you get more of a feel for the repetition of angle. Lots of good info out there on saw set etc. If I can help let me know by PM.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Whats new?
Hope you are healthy and planning to have a good Thanksgiving
Hope you are healthy and planning to have a good Thanksgiving
xtremek
Well-known member
^ What he said.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
drives xtremex and all. I am great and have had a great Thanksgiving thanks for asking. Hope you are the same. I have been doing a lot of farm chores but no projects per say. Cut some more lumber. Running a fence line using posts that used to be a garden. I put in a new pump in and resurrected my old well. We also learned how to sew (and fix sewing machines) Ginny and I are using old Singer sewing machines from the forties. We each made our own summer bath robes. Came out great. Pictures NOT forthcoming. I know I know I'm just plain mean.
I did restore an old Singer cabinet machine from the thirties. It is all walnut with cherry vinier front and sides which I stripped and replaced. Got the old girl running like a clock too. Paid three dollars for it. Had the stuff to restore it on hand. A lot of labor though stripping and sanding. I used a chisel plane to strip the vinier off I got from Lie Nielsen (great tool) however I forgot I had it and ordered another thinking it was the smaller one I wanted and at a great price. That one was discontinued and only available as scalped prices. Now I have two and still will not spend the money for the more expensive one. Guess I will sell it eventually. I hope I never forget I have a wife and bring home a spare; especially one I paid good money for x?%*#@. Pictures of that? Check at the coroner's office.
xtremek
Well-known member
Thanks for the morning chuckle.
racer-john
Well-known member
Here's helping you out (veneer) lol.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bobby, I love old sewing machines. We inherited two Singers from Liane's mother (years before she passed away): a 15-91 Singer cabinet model and a 221 Singer Featherweight portable (apparently 19 pounds was considered light in the 1930s).
The 15-91 Singer home machine is as close as they get to an industrial model. Instead of a belt drive it has a gear drive so it will sew through 10-15 layers of canvas. Liane's mother made a canvas cover for their utility trailer for camping at the end of Long Island (Hither Hills State Park) and gave the machine a good workout.
In the '60s Liane's mother went through an Antiquing phase and painted the cabinet yellow with wipe-on brown highlights. Luckily it wasn't very good paint and I was able to strip it and put on a nice oil finish. She didn't do the sewing surfaces so I knew what it should look like. Biggest luck-out was its side -- it's the perfect depth and really close color match to the shallow dresser and cabinet in the guest room.
With the lid unfolded, it's a good size sewing surface (I made a cheap cover to protect the expensive canvas on our 19-foot speedboat and it worked great in the garage.
The 221 Singer Featherweight is a very rare version. They made a ton of them but a tiny percentage got a Wrinkle finish. Liane's machine is one of those, manufactured in the August 15, 1940 batch of 25,000 at the Elizabethfort NJ plant.
- August 1940 - a very small handful of Featherweights were finished with a Wrinkle finish (aka Crinkle), however, the Wrinkle Featherweights in this batch were most likely put into storage and not distributed until 1947, when they received the chromed, striated faceplate.
One of these (with better case) sold for $4,275 in 2015. It has all the accessories, manual (the one on the left is the UK version) and tools. Might not fetch that high a price but Liane wants to sell it because she is convinced our children will throw it (and everything else) in the dumpster. I only say this because neither of these machines comes with a screen or app.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Bob I love my featherweight and I want a crinkle one as they are more masculine looking; bad enough I have to be the only guy in sewing class and who gets to fix the broken ones. My 15 is a RAF 15K and dressed out as such. Sews through leather and six layers of denim. Let me know if you decide to sell the featherweight. Maybe a trade for Lie Nielsen plane. You did a nice job on the restoration.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Bob just read the rest of your post. They don't go for that high now from what I have seen but none of them are cheap. Most expensive i have seen is the 222K. It has an arm and they are popular with the quilters; also great for sleeves. Shoot me a price on it by PM. The 222 in nice shape will bring $1600 with all the extras. Some ask more but they are in GB and our dollar isn't worth much there. Those will sit there. As for the collectors I am selling much of mine so I can downsize and have more space. Not having much luck getting my money back on the pricey stuff. 66 Mustg. is up to 72K if you don't mind paying 10K to the auctioneer.
don long
Well-known member
Bobby
Nice to see you up and posting again and great to know that all is well with you guys
No sewing lessons here, don't have a machine and don't want one either lol.
Nice to see you up and posting again and great to know that all is well with you guys
No sewing lessons here, don't have a machine and don't want one either lol.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bobby, my bad. I saw your PM but got called away and didn't think you'd appreciate a call late in the evening. I have some errands to run tomorrow but I promise to get back to you.
I agree the 222K machines are a rare model and certainly much rarer than a garden variety 221. Even the Wrinkle finish is quite common on a lot of models but:
"Featherweight historians, JJ & Leo from The Featherweight 221 Factory, have only logged 43 known Wrinkle Featherweights in all their years of keeping records. They both fully acknowledge that more Wrinkles were made, but how many — no one knows exactly."
xtremek
Well-known member
Is there anything you two don't do? Just curious.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
I'll let Bob speak for himself but I shy away from anything that is" Fashionable"
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks Don.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Kirk, the whole musical instrument world is outside my wheelhouse. Tried playing grandma's pump organ and was given bribes to stop. I can play a CD pretty well.
Sweet Old Bill
Well-known member
Bob, I must be older than you, I do a pretty good job playing a radio. My bank will tell you that I do not know anything about a CD! j/k
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bill, it's funny you mention those CDs. My father-in-law never made more than $7,500 a year but always had a savings account at the bank. When he retired in 1974 he had lived through the crash of '29 and the subsequent Great Depression so he kept his money in a Chase Manhattan bank. Someone at the bank talked him into putting some of it into Certificates of Deposit. Every time a CD expired he drove from bank to bank to find the best rate. Before he died in 1988 (the day after his 48th wedding anniversary) his nest egg was huge with some certificates having paid 10%, 12% and once more than 17%. In 1989 I was happy to get a 13% car loan in Australia. Of course the same time CDs were paying high rates, inflation was turning them into zero sum investments. In 1974 prices went up 11% and in 1980 they went up 13.5%. Some people think those were the good old days.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
This is for the above model 15K singer I restored. Machine is now running great too. The sewing box on the left I built by hand from red oak sawn on my mill. The S is hand carved in relief. Made to match the machine, lumber was sized and planed on machinery but hand sawn and hand planed for fit. Moulding was hand made with wooden planes, as were pegs for spools inside. All finishing done without spray. The ring for the pin cushion was lathe cut out of American Ebony.
xtremek
Well-known member
That's some gorgeous work.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks VladimerThis is a wonderful sewing machine.
I also have a Singer typewriter in my village. My mother got it from her grandmother.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks Xtremek
racer-john
Well-known member
Singer also made cars. (in England ) Friend had one, a ragtop, came out one morning, all four tires flat. Bad english air. Lol.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
They manufactured rifles during WWII also.
xtremek
Well-known member
That's pretty wild. But that's the way every company used to be.
Seattle_Speed_Shop
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2021
- Messages
- 122
Great shop and projects! I like model A's too.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks speed shop. Did you check out the vintage speed equipt. on the banger pickup? Some rare items there.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
my BIL inherited several old sewing machines in very cool wood carry boxes, but my bride wants a brand new one with all it's upgrades.
my guess is that there isn't anything you CAN'T DO if you put your mind to it so keep up that attitude and post some of your doings when you have time. how are the turtles liking their new digs?
I hope you have a great holiday season and maybe 2022 will be back to a NORMAL way of life again for all of us.
cheers
my guess is that there isn't anything you CAN'T DO if you put your mind to it so keep up that attitude and post some of your doings when you have time. how are the turtles liking their new digs?
I hope you have a great holiday season and maybe 2022 will be back to a NORMAL way of life again for all of us.
cheers
don long
Well-known member
Hey Bobby
I just dropped by to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and thank you for our friendship over the past years.
God Bless
Don
I just dropped by to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and thank you for our friendship over the past years.
God Bless
Don
xtremek
Well-known member
Happy Christmas and a merry New Year to you and yours.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
drives we had a quiet holiday as all the kids and grands had other turkeys to fry. Just Ginny and I but the food was still great. The turtles are down in the mud right now except to sun themselves for ten minutes then get back in the warmer water. Only project I have now except chores is the night gown (flannel) I am designing for my wife. It is almost done and I will post pictures; although I can't promise the model will be willing to be in them.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks Don. Hope y'all had one too.
OP
bolensboneyard
Well-known member
Thanks X Same to you and yours. I know it's to late but This is the first chance I have had to stop shopping. Not one tool store. Just fabric stores. For you younger guys that read this. Learn to sew (for real) then go to the fabric store and casually let it be known that you are making an "outfit" for your girlfriend. Words are important here. All women within ear shot will stop, look. and listen. Be prepared to be approached. Do not do this if you are uncomfortable with female attention. complements. or aggressive looks. Married men should NOT, no matter how sincere, open their mouths unless their wife is close by.