Restoring old hand me down tools

Alex Moffitt wrote:Hello,

Nearly all your gear will come up brand new,
You just need to sharpen and hone in the teeth,

Some may have some imperfections, and your chisels apear to have had the first angle removed so now they have a angle of the blade that is very steep and uses a lot of steel to sharpen.

Your tools are worth a fair bit! They are so beautiful, Mate I wish I had them, except for the Japanese saws, I just find Japanese saws weird, and I find them to flexible.

But yours are fantastic, and all the tools look like all the parts come apart easily,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3cdT9GZcVg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btB03IMXDdY

L. Johnson wrote:

Alex Moffitt wrote:Hello,

Nearly all your gear will come up brand new,
You just need to sharpen and hone in the teeth,

Some may have some imperfections, and your chisels apear to have had the first angle removed so now they have a angle of the blade that is very steep and uses a lot of steel to sharpen.

Your tools are worth a fair bit! They are so beautiful, Mate I wish I had them, except for the Japanese saws, I just find Japanese saws weird, and I find them to flexible.

But yours are fantastic, and all the tools look like all the parts come apart easily,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3cdT9GZcVg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btB03IMXDdY

Aye, that was my first time ever sharpening chisels 5 years ago. I think I actually accidentally rounded the bevel that time!!! The second time I sharpened them took forever to get the proper angles back. I've learned a bit since then.

As for the other tools I haven't gotten to yet, we'll see how they look after some work! Thanks for the encouragement.

I've never sharpened a saw before, so by the time I finish sharpening all of these, I might be decent at it.

Alex Moffitt wrote:Hello,

Have you considered, making a wire pin the the centre of the handle, or use handle improvements, such as sanding shaping, use of overstrike guards. and Grip coverings.

randal cranor wrote:Howdy,

The rope wrap that you see below the ball-peen head of Alexs' photo, looks like the same type used on White Water rafting oars. I have used this on other types of "handles" that have cracks, or I am trying to make a hand grip type of thing.

Thomas Dean wrote:I'm always finding old tools around the farm, no real idea how to make new handles, and replacement handles at the farm store cost as much as a new tool... and I have to install them!  So... I've been lazy.  I do have an old scoop shovel head that I mounted on the handle of a sledge hammer (I broke the sledge hammer head off when I missed the wedge one too many times).  It works great to clean the chicken coop!  Short, sturdy handle.  I've also cut the broke ends off broom and rake handles and re-attached them (shorter, but still functional)
However, I don't know how to begin making a new handle for, say, a shovel or axe.
I assume hard wood?  I live in a forest of ash (all of it dead/dying), poplar, and "soft" maples with a few oaks (but not many) as well as a few wild apple (not cutting those down - good for foraging from) and a small stand of softwood (various species planted around 30 years ago - spruces, pines, cedars - planted as deer cover, windbreak, and to fill an un-farmable location.  Anything worth using on that list?  I also don't have any fancy tools.

Thomas Dean wrote:...and a small stand of softwood (various species planted around 30 years ago - spruces, pines, cedars - planted as deer cover, windbreak, and to fill an un-farmable location.  Anything worth using on that list?  I also don't have any fancy tools.

Thomas Dean wrote:I have cherry trees as well.

Do you work with "green" wood or age wood?

Kelly Craig wrote:For those tools that have a lot of life left, but the handle is splitting, or if you just want to protect the wood handle from taking hits when you forget you know how to chop wood, look into these handy tools. They'll make saving all that baling wire, over the years, worthwhile.  

I made my own, which I copied from one I bought. I believe they are a must have tool in the emergency tool toolkit.

denise ra wrote:You have quite a few tools that look like what I would call a whacker. I put an arrow on the ones I would like to know what they're called and what they're for please.

Alex Moffitt wrote:

Thomas Dean wrote:
Now some woods produce very fine bits of dust this can destroy your lungs for years after one event. Particlarly cedar.
I would research it

I would like to know if the fine dust mentioned applies to chain sawing thru cedar logs to make firewood or kindling.  Is that bad for the lungs?  
Is there a way to avoid damaging the lungs - would you say by wearing a mask?


You may want to also think about over strike protection on sledge hammers, I have been through over 30 in my work.
full metal handles bend,
fibre glass still break and they vibrate more on to your hands.
wood is great but you need to protect it and look after it.

Denise Cares wrote:

Alex Moffitt wrote:

Thomas Dean wrote:
[Y]ou may want to also think about over strike protection on sledge hammers, I have been through over 30 in my work.
full metal handles bend,
fibre glass still break and they vibrate more on to your hands.
wood is great but you need to protect it and look after it.

L. Johnson wrote:I think I cleaned, sharpened, and oiled these back in 2017, they were not buried under hordes of other things, so I found them relatively early.

The pruners still need some attention. Hey, that's a BB!