Show your Millers Falls tools!

[Old Radar]

Nice--and your cord looks good, too!

 

[thickhead]

I was expecting to see a hook of some sort to facilitate hanging. The nut holding the back tight to the body could certainly be replaced with one but I find it odd that it's not already there.

Looks like there are mount holes/bosses on either side of the case near the power cord attaching point for a bail it could hang from.

 

[Old Radar]

I was expecting to see a hook of some sort to facilitate hanging. The nut holding the back tight to the body could certainly be replaced with one but I find it odd that it's not already there.

Looks like there are mount holes/bosses on either side of the case near the power cord attaching point for a bail it could hang from.

I just took a look at them and although they are un-tapped, one hole looks like it has seen some wear and a little metal deformation towards the rear end of the tool. Maybe it was fitted with an inverted U-shaped hanger with ends that fit into both holes and the tool balancer cable attached to that?

 

[ghnl]

Can't remember if I already posted here or not...

Was my Dad's. Also have a Millers Falls 0-1" micrometer in the wooden box and a Craftsman 0-1" in a cardboard box. .

 

[hsvtoolfool]

Those with keen eyes will notice that this rag tag collection is not strictly Millers Falls tools...

Oh thank heaven I'm not the only one with this problem!

This thread got me sorting and counting my MF chest. The funniest tool in my collection is a MF #182/192 brace/drill combo. Injury is common while using this awful thing. Someone desperately wanted to brag about having a patent to their name.

I found mine in the bottom of a wooden tool tote in a flea market for next to nothing. I immediately laughed because I thought it was a gag-gift for wood workers; something my grandad would have thought was a hoot. Like a "left-handed screw driver" or the classic "round-tuit". I was shocked to later learn it was an actual thing...

https://oldtoolheaven.com/brace/brace4.htm

 

[4xdog]

This Milllers Falls No 63 ratcheting slotted screwdriver was my grandfather's, a man who died in 1957 a few months before I was born. He lived in New England (ME, MA, NH) all his life as an account manager/district manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

From the stained wooden handle and overall look, I'd probably date this from the 1930s-1940s.

I have a few tools from him -- all good quality and none of them abused. I may have a small hammer, too -- gotta check. His split bamboo fly rods did not survive in the family, alas....

1 division = ½ inch on the hardwood background

Thanks for the 1938 catalog link, RTM. That screwdriver was a bargain at 80 cents -- that's the equivalent of $14.57 today.

 

[RTM]

It shows up in the 1938 catalog, you can go forward and back to see start and stop dates, changes in the handle material, etc

https://archive.org/details/MillersFallsCatalog421938


https://archive.org/search.php?query=millers+falls+catalog&sort=-date

 

[yeldogt]

Millers Falls No. 480 Dyno-Mite Jigsaw. The Dyno-Mite name itself compelled the $10 out of my pocket

I have two of those .. sort of.

My dad was a big MF tool guy -- his great uncle worked there. Anyway -- I grew up using that jigsaw .. it's still my go to Jig whenever I need one.

I have newer -- but I never use them .. I guess when you are used to using something.

My original one was soaked in a fire so I picked up another -- like new for $15.00 on e-bay a few years ago.

It's noisy -- but with the correct bit -- very easy to use.

 

[h.240]

A drill from my Grandfather; a 312AB. Quite a heavy drill with 1/2" Jacobs 34 chuck. What I find interesting is its ability to run on AC or DC power.

 

[Old Radar]

You could shine that bad boy 'til it gleams!

 

[h.240]

That just might happen, I thought about keeping it as is but I don't see myself using it much. It would look great polished.

Sent from my Pixel XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[pfaustus]

Crappy lighting on a dreary morning, but here are a few more Millers Falls items I am unpacking from back when I lived near Greenfield.
View media item 102098View media item 102100
The little red box on the side contains a block plane blade wrapped in treated paper, but was obviously intended for more than the one that still remains.

 

[pfaustus]

More MF planes. Equivalents to a #7, a #5, 2@ #4 and 2@ #51/2, and a bunch of block planes. The block plane on the right is a craftsman made by MF.

View media item 102111
View media item 102114
View media item 102113
View media item 102112

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Guy wanted one hundred and seventy-five George Washingtons for this angular knuckle-joint bit stock I spotted at the flea market this morning. Date is for Anthoine patent 171,235. I left it behind.

 

[Adam Aragon]

Someone tell me what is this socket. Came across it in a thrift store yesterday. Two brands, Cornwell and Millers-Falls CO.

 

[Provincial]

I appears to be marked for a 9/16 opening. Is it a hex opening? If the walls are thick, it could be for use with an impact wrench.

The double branding is unusual. It could be a Cornwell socket that was used by Millers Falls to service something that MF made or sold.

 

[3baygarage]

Now that's a neat socket. I'll agree with Provincial on the impact wrench. It would likely indicate made by Cornwell for the Millers Falls electric impact gun.

The double stamp, how cool is that.

 

[drivesitfar]

I can't say I don't like any MILLER'S FALLS tool I've found ever cause they made quality stuff.

 

[chenry318]

I think these are the only two Millers Falls I own so far.
8" brace no733 and a 2/32" set.

 

[d42jeep]

This Milllers Falls No 63 ratcheting slotted screwdriver was my grandfather's, a man who died in 1957 a few months before I was born. He lived in New England (ME, MA, NH) all his life as an account manager/district manager for Liberty Mutual Insurance.

From the stained wooden handle and overall look, I'd probably date this from the 1930s-1940s.

I have a few tools from him -- all good quality and none of them abused. I may have a small hammer, too -- gotta check. His split bamboo fly rods did not survive in the family, alas....

1 division = ½ inch on the hardwood background








Thanks for the 1938 catalog link, RTM. That screwdriver was a bargain at 80 cents -- that's the equivalent of $14.57 today.

Your Grandfather obviously took better care of his than the original owner of mine.
-Don

 

[Mintgrun]

I picked up a couple of Millers Falls screwdrivers recently. Unfortunately, someone decided to use the ratcheting one as a mallet. I think I might chuck it up in the lathe and re-round the end an eighth of an inch shorter, to eliminate that damage.





I have two more stubby drivers that are similar to this one. I appreciate the large diameter grip. They're very comfortable in the hand.



This awl has a similar handle, but was in pretty rough shape when I found it.



I pulled it apart, cleaned the metal shaft and epoxied it back together.



The wood is nothing special, but at least it's back in service. It was fun to rework the flutes in the handle.



Tom

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I snagged this No. 108 Universal Angular Bit Stock at the flea market this morning. You may recall that I spotted a No. 109 (with the Anthoine c. 1895 patented angle mechanism) last July that the vendor, more of a dealer type, wanted an arm and leg for, linked here. I was happy to get this one in a box of junk for a junk price. According to the Old Tool Heaven site that Old Radar helpfully cited for me on the Garage Sale thread, where I first reported this find, this example was made between 1910 and 1922.

 

[RTM]

I want one for the fun factor, no need for it yet. Nice find in a box lot.

 

[Jim C.]

I got this Millers Falls model 14 jack plane for free, but it needed a little help before it was ready to work again. Besides the normal dull cutting iron that seems to come with most old planes, the rear tote was cracked and the lever cap was missing. I couldn’t find a vintage correct OEM replacement tote so I had to repair the crack. The crack was through and through, and fortunately no one had tried to repair it. That gave me the opportunity to make a clean repair without having to contend with someone else’s previous (and usually botched) attempt. I did eventually find an OEM vintage correct lever cap complete with just the right amount of “patina” so it looks like it was with the plane all along. A little research determined that the plane is a Type 3, manufactured between 1941 and 1949.

Jim C.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this little 6” square at an estate sale on Saturday. An evaporust bath took care of the rust on the rule.
-Don

 

[piehammer]

Some tools from my Grandfather - Millers Falls, Winchester, Heller, and one that just say D.A.M.

 

[My Old Tools]

Just finished cleaning this one up.

 

[slowtwitch73]

GGGGGrinder

 

[piehammer]

Another one from my Grandfather. Miller Falls No. 5 hand drill from 1935 (I think). It has the side handle that screws out, so I think the date is right.

 

[d42jeep]

I picked up this hacksaw at an estate sale yesterday. It got the full restoration treatment. I even found a Millers Falls blade for it. I’m not exactly sure when it was made. They made them for quite a while.
-Don

 

[Woolfat]

I picked up a Millers Falls shear and wanted to share it here. I'm having a hard time finding info or a picture of another one. It came with the handle, two adjustable arms for the handle, and what I'm guessing is a piece that can hold the handle up when not in use. The whole thing is seized up at the moment and one of the blades is chipped pretty good. Once I spend a little time with it to get it unstuck, I'd like to get the blades reground. Or if the chipping is too deep for that I'd replace the blades but I don't know where to start asking or how much to expect that would cost. Anyone out there have one of these?

 

[RTM]

The only Shear I can find anywhere near related is in a Goodell Pratt catalog. They Bought (or merged with) GP somewhere around 1931

So I'd guess that it's after the merger, but I have not found it in a MF catalog yet.

Goodell-Pratt Company : Complete Catalog Number 16 : Goodell-Pratt Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

388 p., illus., 13.9 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[Woolfat]

Well, as I understand it 1931 is also when they moved headquarters to the Greenfield, Mass. site and this shear is marked for the Millers Falls, Mass site. So I took that as meaning pre-1931. According to OldToolHeaven a merger with Backus Vise Company in 1873 made it possible to build a foundry at the Millers Falls site. That was also when the name changed from Millers Falls Manufacturing Company to Millers Falls Company. This shear is marked with the "Millers Falls Co." name. So, maybe that puts this somewhere in the 1873-1931 window?

 

[RTM]

You were Thinking ahead, more than I was. I just used brute force, started at ~1925, my favorite catalog, and went forward, then backwards. Then jumped to GP. Here is where I was looking.

International Tool Catalog Library : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

These guys knew they made one, but I can’t find any details on the sub tabs.

Millers Falls Co. - Products Manufactured | VintageMachinery.org

www.vintagemachinery.org

 

[bonneyman]

Great tools all!

 

[Woolfat]

Thanks so much, RTM for the info and links. I did find a company to make new blades and sent them the old blades to be reverse engineered. Turn around is a few weeks or so - I'm not in a rush. Meanwhile I'm reaching out to a few other guys I know trying to pin down a little more info or at least a picture of another one.

 

[Nutria]

Drilling down on drills. Most of what I think I think is courtesy of Randy Roeder (OldToolHeaven.com).

These are all users, and they do get a surprising amount of use. Multiple posts seemed cleaner, but please merge if otherwise.

First up, no. 104, 1910-1921

 

[Nutria]

Next up a No. 5, Type 15, 1935+, sporting the banded livery that a friend's father applied to all of his tools. I'm proud to have it in my shop until I eventually have to hand over stewardship to the next person.

 

[Nutria]

Then a no. 7, 1917-18. It began its life as many young American (and other) soldiers ended theirs in France.

 

[Nutria]

A young punk 2-01, probably from the 1970s. Note the lower-quality stamping.