Vintage Craftsman 1/4" drive socket set Help completing set please

[LanceMc]

I have an old =v= Craftsman 1/4" drive socket set my dad gave me that belonged to my great grandfather. It is missing a few sockets.
Where can I find a listing of what contents it should have? The sockets have a single line and the =v= but the ratchet and breaker bar do not. I think the extensions are newer replacements. Thanks in advance.

 

[RTM]

Might try poking around in this thread

My Small But Growing 1/4" drive Socket Set Collection

Oops, this should be in General, will try to ask there.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[d42jeep]

Check the bottom left set. I believe it to be complete.
Closer view missing the sliding tee
-Don

 

[LanceMc]

Might try poking around in this thread

My Small But Growing 1/4" drive Socket Set Collection

Oops, this should be in General, will try to ask there.

www.garagejournal.com

I saw that thread. I looked for a while but couldn’t find a similar set with a description of sockets and contents. Of course I didn’t read all 58 pages-yet

 

[LanceMc]

Thank you
The sockets go from 3/16-7/16?
Which ones are the 8 point sockets?
Why 8 point sockets anyway?

Check the bottom left set. I believe it to be complete.
Closer view.
-Don

 

[Cruzan80]

1/4 and 5/16 are the 8pt sockets. Looks like you may have one or both (hard to tell w the shadows in the pics).

 

[d42jeep]

The contents of the set on the left should be the same as what goes into your set. The 8 point sockets are most commonly used on pipe plugs.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I found this partial set at a sale in August. It needs a longer extension and an 8 point socket.
-Don

 

[Cruzan80]

To help stop any potential confusion, your "box-head" ratchet is also correct. It just pre-dates the catalog snip that Don posted. Those also just had the = lines, before the =V= was added to them (ratchet and breaker bar).

 

[LanceMc]

Oh wow! Thank you all so much! You're a very helpful bunch

 

[four.cycle]

@LanceMc -
Although this set has a different box, the contents would essentially be the same:

Craftsman 1/4" drive SAE socket set =V= (Moore Drop Forge era, Oval-Head ratchet)

 

[LanceMc]

Thanks
My great grandfather that owned this set passed away in 1962, so I would guess that this set is from the 50s, but that's just a guess.

To help stop any potential confusion, your "box-head" ratchet is also correct. It just pre-dates the catalog snip that Don posted. Those also just had the = lines, before the =V= was added to them (ratchet and breaker bar).

 

[LanceMc]

Thanks to all of your help on this thread, and all the other threads I've been reading, I have a much clearer understanding of what this set should have.
I managed to find the three correct missing 6pt sockets (1/4", 5/16", 7/16"), sliding "T" handle and extensions on epay. The only thing I couldn't find is the 5/32nd 3" cross bar.
Also of note is the universal is a New Britain made in USA. I gather it is a later addition.

 

[d42jeep]

The cross bars are quite hard to find. They are unlikely to be for sale on eBay.
-Don

 

[LanceMc]

The cross bars are quite hard to find. They are unlikely to be for sale on eBay.
-Don

Well, shucks. Maybe I'll have my machinist friend make something suitable.
I reckon I should rummage all the pawn shops around here too.

 

[alinc100]

Thanks to all of your help on this thread, and all the other threads I've been reading, I have a much clearer understanding of what this set should have.
I managed to find the three correct missing 6pt sockets (1/4", 5/16", 7/16"), sliding "T" handle and extensions on epay. The only thing I couldn't find is the 5/32nd 3" cross bar.
Also of note is the universal is a New Britain made in USA. I gather it is a later addition.

I believe it has been determined IIRC this box with the stamped raised letters is 53-58ish. Sadly the catalog illustrations are sometimes not clear. I don't think they expected us to be discussing such things 75 years later.

 

[LanceMc]

I just need one socket, 1/4" dr 1/4", to make this set as complete as I think I'll probably be able. Of the two 1/4 sockets I've bought on ebay, one looks like the correct wall thickness but has -v- instead of =v=, the other has the correct =v= but the socket is noticeably thinner as well as having 'made in usa' stamped on it. I guess I'll just keep looking.

Yeah I bet you're right!

I believe it has been determined IIRC this box with the stamped raised letters is 53-58ish. Sadly the catalog illustrations are sometimes not clear. I don't think they expected us to be discussing such things 75 years later.

 

[Oregon Dave]

I just need one socket, 1/4" dr 1/4", to make this set as complete as I think I'll probably be able. Of the two 1/4 sockets I've bought on ebay, one looks like the correct wall thickness but has -v- instead of =v=, the other has the correct =v= but the socket is noticeably thinner as well as having 'made in usa' stamped on it. I guess I'll just keep looking.

Yeah I bet you're right!

First, it is great your having tools from your Dad, that belonged to your Great Granddad; mathematically a youngster with the right kind of family ties.

Second, a bazillion of those sockets were made; you have the right idea about searching for them; a lot of my tool inventory was added while looking for something specific at estate sales, flea markets etc.; came across a tool I couldn’t live without at a price I couldn’t walk past - ended up enjoying the process - some say it’s in the male genetics!

Third, you’ll find the cross-bar.

 

[LanceMc]

Thanks Dave

I forgot to mention one socket I bought from eBay, a socket I think was the correct one, the seller sent me a glow in the dark wall plate. They sent the socket to the person that ordered the wall plate

 

[Oregon Dave]

Thanks Dave

I forgot to mention one socket I bought from eBay, a socket I think was the correct one, the seller sent me a glow in the dark wall plate. They sent the socket to the person that ordered the wall plate

None of my business, but sometimes, unbelievably high asking prices plus absurd shipping charges on r/o-bay draw inferences to consumer I.Q and makes searching the thrifts stores more financially prudent. eBay can make sense; other factors considered.

 

[four.cycle]

@LanceMc - I have a bag of oddball Craftsman -V- and =V= sockets, but no 1/4" 6-points. Pretty much everything else, though.

Shipping ONE socket now is about $9.00 via standard USPS ground mail. That's why you pay $12 - $20 for a single socket on ebay.

You can buy sockets at garage sales for 50 cents a pop, but you have to burn gasoline driving around. Life's full of trade-offs.

 

[LanceMc]

First, it is great your having tools from your Dad, that belonged to your Great Granddad; mathematically a youngster with the right kind of family ties.

Second, a bazillion of those sockets were made; you have the right idea about searching for them; a lot of my tool inventory was added while looking for something specific at estate sales, flea markets etc.; came across a tool I couldn’t live without at a price I couldn’t walk past - ended up enjoying the process - some say it’s in the male genetics!

Third, you’ll find the cross-bar.

None of my business, but sometimes, unbelievably high asking prices plus absurd shipping charges on r/o-bay draw inferences to consumer I.Q and makes searching the thrifts stores more financially prudent. eBay can make sense; other factors considered.

I actually have many things from my great grandpa who passed away several years before I was born. I have his carpenter's chest he made to store his tools, three cabinets he made out of redwood or cedar, I have his watch he used when he was a railroad fireman, a few of his planes and the like.

I sure hope to find the cross bar. I have been looking at the pawn shops, but I really need several hours and my reading glasses, yes, I'm in my mid fifties so seeing small stamping on small sockets isn't as easy as it used to be. I'll keep looking.

@LanceMc - I have a bag of oddball Craftsman -V- and =V= sockets, but no 1/4" 6-points. Pretty much everything else, though.

Shipping ONE socket now is about $9.00 via standard USPS ground mail. That's why you pay $12 - $20 for a single socket on ebay.

You can buy sockets at garage sales for 50 cents a pop, but you have to burn gasoline driving around. Life's full of trade-offs.

Thank you for looking! I've never been a fan of garage sales and flea markets etc. Maybe because I got drug around to all of them when I was a kid, lol.
I have had some success finding things at the local pawn shops. I'll keep looking.
Thanks fellas

 

[four.cycle]

I sure hope to find the cross bar.

Those cross bars (aka "tommy bar") fell on the floor and rolled under the workbench down in Grandpa's basement and got buried when the kids sold the house and the developers bulldozed it.
Thousands of years from now, archaeologists are going to dig those up and be mystified as to their purpose.

 

[Oregon Dave]

Thank you
The sockets go from 3/16-7/16?
Which ones are the 8 point sockets?
Why 8 point sockets anyway?

Didn't see an answer; 8 pt. sockets are for square nuts.

 

[four.cycle]

^ those really early sets didn't go down to 3/16".
You should be able to find that set of yours in a catalog at ITCL

some early 1/4" drive sets started at 1/4" - that depends on brand and how far back you go
earliest 1/4" drive sets only went up to 3/8".
1/2" didn't get added to a lot of brands until the late 1950s-early-1960s.

 

[Oregon Dave]

I actually have many things from my great grandpa who passed away several years before I was born. I have his carpenter's chest he made to store his tools, three cabinets he made out of redwood or cedar, I have his watch he used when he was a railroad fireman, a few of his planes and the like.

I sure hope to find the cross bar. I have been looking at the pawn shops, but I really need several hours and my reading glasses, yes, I'm in my mid fifties so seeing small stamping on small sockets isn't as easy as it used to be. I'll keep looking.

Thank you for looking! I've never been a fan of garage sales and flea markets etc. Maybe because I got drug around to all of them when I was a kid, lol.
I have had some success finding things at the local pawn shops. I'll keep looking.
Thanks fellas

Post a decent description of the pieces your looking for and the dimensions of the cross-bar.

Some GJ'ers posts infer a nearness to sources you may not have; re: other than pawn shops. Here we have a fellow buys storage units & estates; makes for great 'tool pick'n'

Also your Great Grandad's wood & red wood; lived in Beecave for a time, just out of Austin, beginning of the 'Hill Countly'; lot of cedar, actually Ashe juniper, lot of red cedar around Austin - cool to have heritage tools - same deal here; am glad to have them on the job with me.

 

[LanceMc]

Didn't see an answer; 8 pt. sockets are for square nuts.

Thank you.
I think I read that on another thread so I didn’t follow up on my question. Much appreciated.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I am NOT a collector, I AM a user !

My Craftsman 1/4" set is a bit newer (late 60s?) and came with a blow mold plastic case. I think all of sockets and the breaker bar are original. I think it came with the 1/4" "hand driver. The clear and blue one with the female 1/4" in the top of the handle. No ratchet, but a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter. This set is still my "most used tool", when you include the items I added on.

"Add ons" include 3" and 6" extensions, universal, and a full set of Craftsman 1/4" metric sockets.

 

[LanceMc]

Post a decent description of the pieces your looking for and the dimensions of the cross-bar.

Some GJ'ers posts infer a nearness to sources you may not have; re: other than pawn shops. Here we have a fellow buys storage units & estates; makes for great 'tool pick'n'

Also your Great Grandad's wood & red wood; lived in Beecave for a time, just out of Austin, beginning of the 'Hill Countly'; lot of cedar, actually Ashe juniper, lot of red cedar around Austin - cool to have heritage tools - same deal here; am glad to have them on the job with me.

I will do as you suggest and ad a "looking for" thread.

I actually grew up in Iowa and that is where all my family is from and still remain. The Army brought me to Texas and we stayed here after I retired. My great grandpa was a farmer in his last decades. When I was a young boy I remember looking through his house on the farm we called "the eighty". It was abandoned following his death in the 60s and left to the harsh elements of NW Iowa and eventually fell into the basement and was burned, the basement dug up, filled in and farmed over the following spring. I will write more about his cabinets in my shop build over here. I'm not positive they are redwood or not but maybe I can figure that out sometime.

Beecave is a cool place. We go that way to shop at The Natural Gardener maybe one a year. The hill country is my second favorite area of Texas. Big Bend country is my favorite.

 

[LanceMc]

^ those really early sets didn't go down to 3/16".
You should be able to find that set of yours in a catalog at ITCL

some early 1/4" drive sets started at 1/4" - that depends on brand and how far back you go
earliest 1/4" drive sets only went up to 3/8".
1/2" didn't get added to a lot of brands until the late 1950s-early-1960s.

I think what Don d42jeep posted above shows the set I have from the Sears catalog. That's what I've been going by anyway.

 

[rust in the eye]

@LanceMc - I have a bag of oddball Craftsman -V- and =V= sockets, but no 1/4" 6-points. Pretty much everything else, though.

Shipping ONE socket now is about $9.00 via standard USPS ground mail. That's why you pay $12 - $20 for a single socket on ebay.

You can buy sockets at garage sales for 50 cents a pop, but you have to burn gasoline driving around. Life's full of trade-offs.

Not always so, sir.
Opening a USPS acct affords anyone "commercial" rates, third party services such as PirateShip offer discounted rates with UPS and USPS. Flat rate boxes are easy but not cost effective for light weight parcels. USPS offers several service options. My own anecdotal experience with USPS is they shine for lightweight,<4#, or jamming 70# worth of iron into a large flat rate box.
I have a fedex acct which affords me (very) modest discount but I seldom use them as they like to revise, usually upward, the billed amounts after shipping claiming different package size and dimensions than quoted. Been round and round with them, even got to the point of dropping off at a retail Fedex location and demanding them to verify my weight and dims. Billing was still unpredictable.
A member here recently sold me a small ratchet that cost him(me really) almost $13 to send via USPS. It could have been done for half that amount.
Walking into a post office you'llpay full retail every time, same goes for UPS and Fedex.
Ebay's shipping as any seller there knows is discounted to the seller(comparable to Pirateship rates) but the buyer is charged full boat which I suspect is inflated on top. You may opt to charge buyers only the actual billed amount but since E-bay takes a piece of shipping too that becomes a losing proposition. Third option is to do the math and make partial refunds which confuses some buyers. I'll make partial refunds to my buyers when the amount E-bay gouges is significant.
Sorry for the windy post but I see lots of discussion about shipping rates. Options exist, some require more effort but enable a deal when shipping was previously a deal breaker.
For example, this is for a 6oz. parcel (in a 4 x 6 padded bag)to 98419, Tacoma, WA.;

Quick Rate Quote​

View attachment 2427114
Envelope, Padded Envelope, Poly Bag, Soft Pack, or Box in a Bag
Measure & use the Length and Width of the Envelope before putting anything in it

Package Dimensions (Inches)
Length

×
Width


Package Weight
Pounds

+
Ounces


Rates may vary based on actual shipping address

Ground Advantage​

CheapestZone 7, BELOW Commercial Pricing
Estimated delivery Monday 11/3 by 6:00 PM if shipped today
Free Tracking • $100 carrier liability
Save 40%$8.80 retail
$5.24
Learn more & view rates

 

[alinc100]

As far as shipping goes ,everyone who ships should get a PirateShip account. It is free ,but by entering the data it will find the best rate for shipping. yes you need a tape measure, yes you need a scale, yes a printer is very handy too.
To the OP post up a pic of the sockets you have, list the sizes you need. Pretty sure several us could meet the need. As you have learned there are a ton of nuances year to year.

 

[d42jeep]

PayPal also offers a discount shipping service which is the one that I use. Here are some complete sets for the OP to take a look at.
Heritage sets.
Some spare sockets.
-Don

 

[LanceMc]

PayPal also offers a discount shipping service which is the one that I use. Here are some complete sets for the OP to take a look at.
Heritage sets.
Some spare sockets.
-Don

Thank you for the pictures, Don. If that 6 point 1/4" is a 'spare" socket, would you part with it? That's the one I need to complete this set (minus the "Tommy bar")

 

[d42jeep]

Sure. PM me your address.
-Don

 

[LanceMc]

Sure. PM me your address.
-Don

Thanks so, so, much!
PM sent

 

[LanceMc]

Thank you @d42jeep !
This is probably the best forum I’ve ever participated in!

 

[tym]

I have a version of this with the "butterfly" =V= ratchet set in a metal case with (fragile) red plastic insert, just like what's pictured on the left side of the catalog page above. My dad has had the exact same set since forever.

Anyway, I had the ratchet apart for cleaning and noticed it has a chipped tooth. I searched the fora but am having trouble nailing down the part number for the ratchet (possibly 4317) and a compatible repair kit. Can anyone help? Thanks!

 

[four.cycle]

yes, 4317 was the catalog part number, but older Craftsman tools did not have part numbers stamped on them.
You would probably have greater success by simply purchasing a replacement ratchet and cannibalizing the internals from it. (Assuming that your "chipped tooth" is on the gear, and not on the ratchet body.
I don't have any of those ratchets separately any more... I think I may have one in a set. Not sure.

 

[tym]

You would probably have greater success by simply purchasing a replacement ratchet and cannibalizing the internals from it.

Yes, based on eBay prices, a parts ratchet seems the cheaper option by far...crazy when the repair kit costs more than what it's repairing!

(Assuming that your "chipped tooth" is on the gear, and not on the ratchet body.

Yes, the body of this pear-head ratchet is smooth, and the pawl is not too badly worn. It is two adjacent teeth on the gear that are chipped, clearly from too much torque applied sometime in the past.

I imagine the gear interchanged with several 1/4" drive ratchets and not only those with the "butterfly" selector.