We take a look at some really interesting toolmaker made tools. Sine bars, Vee Blocks, Wee Blocks, Squareness comparator, Blocking blocks, parallels and more.
Please try and get Steve to visit your shop and do an interview as he obviously is an exceptionally skilled machinist that has some stories an techniques to share.
i cant imagine the time,skill and dedication that it took to design and fabricate those beautiful fixtures. i'm sure steve was happy to find someone like yourself who appreciates works of toolmakers art. thanks for sharing.
+larry sperling Hey Larry, We could have talked shop for hours. As it was I was there over two hours. He was supposed to go shopping but I totally sidetracked him. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Nice to hear that there are people and work by them where you talk about yourself as a "mere mortal", because that is exactly how i usually would refer about myself when talking about your work
Dare I say that these tools show not only unique design, great precision work but "art" as well? Great find! As always, thank you for sharing! The tools have found a very good new home. My respects to Mr. Edwards.
clonetrooperx39 I make my own tooling all the time. The hours I spend making pieces that aren't half as nice as these examples..... I fully appreciate the time and effort it takes to create.
clonetrooperx39 I make my own tooling all the time. The hours I spend making pieces that aren't half as nice as these examples..... I fully appreciate the time and effort it takes to create.
Hey Tom, just wanted to say your videos have been a real learning experience for me. I have a bunch of my grandfather's machinist tools he made and some of them I knew what they were used for and others I scratch my head at. But watching some of your videos you've shown off some stuff that he also made and explained what they were. I litteraly had a moment with one of the items in this video where I was like "wait, I think grandpa had some of those" and I ran out to the garage and looked at what he had and low and behold they're the same thing (albeit simpler versions) so thank you for making these videos. I love learning about this stuff and gives me a greater appreciation for the things my grandfather did as a machinist now that I know what some of this stuff is.
Tom,I had to smile when you were reading from the books,That basically the man at the top has to know the why and when.I Wish!.I knew only one man who could operate every machine in the shop,and trouble shoot it.And it was a big shop.The night shift superintendent.Nobody else was close to this mans knowledge.Great Vids As always Tom.Thanks for sharing.Regards, Don.
Thank you for sharing your visit and your 'find', and a huge thanks for the presentation of the few items of his craft. I'm sure you 'left behind' many, many more that would be nice to own and handle from time to time. You've prompted me to recall some great memories from a long time back (though I never made anything finer or much more elaborate than Steve's parallels!)
Very beautifully made. A lot of thought has gone into these wonderful tools. There is nothing like designing and making a special tool for a job, no matter how simple or complicated it might be. I love seeing this sort of thing.
That V-Block ..... WOW!!! The amount of hours that went into it....I now want one, of course not as big, yet, I'm haunted by the amount of time I will have in mine, a quarter of the size lol.... absolutely beautiful and the versatility of it matches the beauty of the craftsman's ship.
thanks for sharing,it always surprises me of man's ability to improvise and to improve,kids of today rely to much on somebody else's work,never knowing how something is made. nice work
AWESOME!!!!!! Thanks for sharing! It would have been an interesting add to have info on how long each item took to build, that always interest me when you look at someone's craft and realize their time spent.
+outsidescrewball Yeah, that would be great to know, and if you get a chance to talk to Tom, could you try to find out what material was used as well? Thanks Chuck...and please have a nice mellow finish to 2015, and I wish you and your family a Happy New Year...Aloha
+outsidescrewball Hey Chuck, Hoping to get Steve out for a shop visit and on camera interview. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
+Knolltop Farms Hey Chuck, I think there is a variety of materials he used in these tools. Some is carburized lower carbon steels and there is some 8620 and some tool steels. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
One of the neat things about our post digital culture is the way we've carried forward old vocabulary: Industrial Light and Magic (is it?) George Lucas's Hollywood movie shop; Digital Tool and Die was one of the early Boston AI software shops. Tools are culture! And this fine video is one sign of it. -dlj.
Excellent workmanship! Getting the rolls on that sine/v-block on location accurately is quite a feat. I have used the Moore jig grinder and it will do it but it takes time. Very few places will allow you time to do it right but I was able to on holidays, working thru breaks or whenever you could sneak it in. Check it for squareness and accuracy with a 6" magnetic cyclinder square will sometimes drive you crazy but make you happy if you can get a tenth indicator to show no movement in those 6 inches! Never seen one made like it! Beautiful work and as you say "old school"..............! I have made 3 precision vises,several angle plates and v-blocks, sine plates, etc. I can sure appreciate the amount of time he spent making it! Almost too nice to use!
What caught my eye in the sine dresser was the slot between the anvil surfaces... Looks like you could fit a gage block stack between there and dress really weeny teeny angles - which would really make sense for a tool maker.
Thanks for the video Tom!!! Love seeing videos of tools made by people and not machines. I have to say I wish I lived closer to you so I could come by and soak up your years of knowledge. As a fellow book lover I would love it if you please do a video on what books you find of most value for reference and general shop knowledge.
The work reminds me of my father's. He was an instrument maker and the absolutely best machinist I've ever known, and I've known quite a few world-class fellows. My nephew has the things be made during his down time such as a boring head, sine bar, and the most unique vise I've ever seen. I still intend on making one for myself... one day. :) My dad was one of a handful of instrument makers who were specifically gathered to build the gyros for the Norden bombsites. I miss my dad.
Hi Andrew, I would love to see some pictures of your dads work. Most of the wartime work on the Norden was highly classified. Where did he work out of? Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
oxtoolco Good question. Must have been in Manhattan or Brookln or Queens, I assume, though they lived in the Bronx during the war... I think. I wasn't born until '58, so this was all way before me. My much older sister ('43) would have known, but alas she succumberd to cancer in '09, so all that history is now lost to me. He later worked for Martin Maxon on Long Island. I think they'd been in Queens, probably out in College Point - several defense plants were there with a few remaining into the 80s. My nephew has all of pop's work. I will see if he can shoot a few photos. He did very beautiful work.
+Andrew Vida I think we all would be interested in some of those pictures. Especially the vise. I'm always looking for new Ideas on making tools and learning from the masters. You should at least get pictures of your dad's work for history's sake.
Andrew Vida -Andrew, I want to encourage you to share your memories and photos with the folks like me, who appreciate the craftsmanship and hard work people like your father performed. And I also miss my dad. Great men, from the Greatest Generation.
Thank you for sharing the history of the tool, and more importantly the history of the man who mad the tools. The latter is lost all too many times. - Annie
+SuperYtviewer Hi Annie, The personal connection is really nice to have. I have several tools that I can really feel the presence of the person who made them. Its comforting knowing they are watching. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
I'm retired now and make musical instruments, no more steel for me. Wood smells great when being machined. I still have all my tool & Die Makers tools, some I made, a lot I purchased. The companies I worked for were not to keen on doing personal tools, or Government Jobs. However I did a lot of them in my life.
I just hope he had an asking price so you didn't have to make an offer and risk either crushing him or getting one of those tools thrown at you. If there is an asking price it is so much less awkward! Very nice and interesting pieces. Having watched The Tool and Die Guy's series on surface grinders I can just start to appreciate what might have gone into these things. Prior to that I had no idea what they were used for or who Herman Schmidt was. I hope you show some cylindrical grinding work as I have never seen one of those tools in operation either. For so many of us this is our only exposure.
It looks as if you got yourself a really great Christmas present. I know you will take care of them and use them as well. it would be a shame just to have those special pieces sit around. I agree with the other gentlemen on having Steve come by for an interview.
24:50 First mention of stellite I've heard since the 1980s when I was looking into knife making. If I would have gotten my hands on that stuff, I would still be working on the same blade today, lol.
Hi Tom and happy new-year to you and yours, wishing you only the best in 2016! And Steve, what can I say! The skills of a toolmaker never goes unnoticed however the time-passes. and to you skilled-Steve happy new years to you and yours! only the best fishing in this new year! ~M~
I did alot of jig grinding and cnc jig grinding in a temp controlled room at keytronics and its hard to explain it to people believe me. The way he did the pins he did the diameter of course the bolted the pins in--then he set it on the pins and ground the top then removed the pins and dusted off the bottom as opposed to cautiously coming up and jig grinding them exactly however he may have done that.. I was not there but its highly likely he did what i was saying.. Also on your surface plate you should consider drilling a couple of holes and cbore them and attach at least one 3/4 cold rolled rod and make some kind of indicator holder based on 3/4--just like he did with the small rod. However whats nice is that you also take a block with big radius knife edge like you showed and simply slide it on the block. I did a video of mine but its a clumsy rambling video but it does explain it and shows me squaring something up.
Nice review. V block and little wee block explanation quite useful. It would add to the video if you could give the grade of metal used, and a little more info on the polishing techniques Steve used. Some of the later pieces look quite shiny and bright, and some of the earlier pieces look a bit darker, and almost like scale or different heat treatment. Of martensite vs austenitic? Hard to be sure just visually. Well done, and I didn't notice uhms and ahs until I read the mini flames below. Brings to mind the old saying: Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Hi Joseph, According to Steve these items are all as they were off the grinder. I actually asked him if he lapped any on paper or polished them and he said no. According to Steve the materials are carburized 1020 and some tool steels that he could not remember. I think the darkness you noted was some minor tarnish from handling or lack of handling. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
For those with an engineering background; it's an absolute joy to see these tools made with utmost precision. To me that's where the beauty lies as well as being above all else functional. I hope you can convince this fine gentleman to demonstrate his skill acquired over a lifetime. I am sure it'll be enlightening to all. Keep it up & well done. Kind regards.
Some guy sold me a garage full of machinist tools because the previous owner died and the family left it all. I got a south bend lathe, hundreds of tooling pieces, a dozen indicators, a brand new Kurt vise still in the box, a dozen chucks, an electro player, etc.. i filled two trucks full for 1100.00!! I have no idea what some of it is.. I’m just getting started. I wish I had a friend like you to come over and explain what it all does. I found a receipt in a book with the name of a previous owner. Turns out he owned a machine shop for 40 years!
Tom, What a great tool acquisition you made from Steve Edwards. The precision machine work is stellar not many here in the world of tool makers could do this high level of work. The V Block is astounding and what a labor of love to make such an intricate device. Thanks for sharing. Best, Jeff
Oh my lord.4 years late . recently subscribed . When its hot or your under stress i tend to get sweaty hands and 3 days later the tools have rusty finger marks. .Ox ... is there any protective finish on those tools they look like they are made of polished stainless. Regards Don. PS how do they look NOW ??
Clueless here except to appreciate the passing on of exquisite tools created by one master and entrusted to another. Lovely connection story. This vid can become the providence history for these jewels.
(about 19:25) Maybe he just drilled and reamed the three holes and then removed the outer half of the material, that's why it looks like half holes. I would have done it like that at least.
Nice Thx I also have some pocket size handbooks. That set covers steam, electricity,piping, machinery, ect They were printed in 1910. Amazing what they covered. :)
My father worked for a tool and die company in MO that closed down a good 20+ years ago. I was never interested in machining until he was sadly too sick to remember a good portion of his life. when he passed, I thought it was a shame to have a basement full of tools just sitting there rusting. The more I go through his old stuff, the more awsome things I find. Most of his job was tool fabrication via machining. It was fascinating just to see the different things he had come up with that I never would have thought of. Some of the things I still use in my daily life. My only regret is not being able to talk to him about half the things I found. For all the things I could see what they did, there is still a hand full that I'm figuring out what purpose this strange lump of metal served.
if your up to constructive criticism. watch how often you say "ok". i had dungeon tell me on my videos i said "um" to much and they were correct so i try to not day um so much or edit it out. Great video very impressive tool maker. I'll stay tuned and watch some more of your videos
Absolutely first class plus craftsmanship! Fools in high places have allowed that sort of mastery to fall through the cracks. :>(( Thanks for the show and tell, Tom. Happy holidays to all. Eli D.
Thanks for sharing these tools with us. I worked as a tool and die maker for over a decade and it's a sad state of affairs in the US that an extremely important trade for many industries has no real system for apprenticeships like in Europe. 10 years ago it was cheaper for the company that I worked for to have new dies made in Germany and shipped over than make them in the States because the shortage of tradesmen drives their wages up so high even for moderately skilled guys. I imagine it's only gotten worse. On the up side, if you can get your foot in the door it's one of the highest paying skilled trades out there once you know enough to work unsupervised. Requisites are an ability to visualize complex mechanical processes in your mind and an attention to detail. While math skills are needed, basic trigonometry is generally the most complicated math they need to deal with.
......a rare treat to meet the maker when finding such tooling! Fantastic group of well designed, engineered, and well made tools.......really enjoyed seeing those and hearing the story.....wish there was more..............'74' Berkley........lol.....explains a bit hey Tom.
That is ridiculously flawless work there. I have never seen personally built work holding tools like that. The guy could have made a serious business selling his stuff like that. Not only does it appear to be extremely well made but the stuff is extremely well thought out.
Really nice tools. I could tell you were Uber excited. Steve spent a lot of time making all those tools. I would think that V-block would have taken several days to make just on its own.
sweet tools Tom! Craftsmanship and creativity are beginning to be lost in the toolmakers trade now a days. Now most buy all the tools they need from the "finest" Chinese suppliers. I myself like to keep it old skool and make my own stuff. Besides isn't making cool stuff the whole reason we get up every morning? Cheers and happy new year! -Eddie
That was really neat Tom. I sincerely hope that this Master craftsman Toolmaker, had the opportunity during his career to pass along his knowledge and work ethic, to a younger upcoming, future machinist/toolmaker. Looking forward to a surface plate, tool measurement video on Steve's incredible, personal work tools.
Hopefully you look at new comments on old post because I have a question. If not, maybe a fellow viewer may be able to answer it for me. Are the items like that large V-block made from a single piece of stock, or is it made up of two or more pieces welded together? I was also curious if the sine frame that held the two sliding V-blocks was a cast piece made specifically for that particular tool?
As you said at the begining, without the internet it would be impossible for a guy like me to learn or watch the miriads of great things toolmakers do, thanks for sharing, best wishes from Mexico
Hey ox, I'm looking to make one of try the sine dresser and the sine v block fixture, can you post OA dimensions? I'm gonna research making it as a weldment as opposed to a hunk of steel. The dimensions look to be kinda like .75x12.0x6.0, the top looks like it's 1.5" thick. if you world, PM me, I'd like more info in general.
Wow! This is my life story! Started Tool And Diemaker apprenticeship 1971, made the same things the same way, and years later got better and better! That would be an awesome episode Tom!!!! Was sorry to see you are not in the magazine anymore.
+Stephen Hodge Hi Stephen, Let see some of your treasure. Hopefully you still have it tucked away in that Gerstener of yours. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
That International Textbook looks like it say in was made in Scranton, PA. Thats an area I go through often, it has a lot of history. I just looked it up, they were published by Thomas J. Foster out of Scranton. Thats awesome! I live 9 miles from the old Bethlehem Steel facility too. Its cool what they did with the place; there's a casino and theater and a music venue. I saw the "Behind The Myths" show there, a while ago. Nice tools by the way. If you ever want to, you know, cleanup around your place, I'd gladly help you out hahahaha!
10,000 likes for sure. There's hundreds if not way more than a thousand hrs of design, machining, heat treating, and grinding that's gone into that tooling. And I'm more than envious. Even more envious tho that you got to meet the man who built all that. I very much hope he'll agree to show up for one of your videos. And I know just enough about a Moore jig grinder to know anyone who ran one steady knew exactly what they were doing. My best guess is your builder was far above the usual tool maker. And I'd be real interested if any deviation from dead true can be measured with the usual 10ths indicators, mikes, etc. Nothings ever perfect as we all know, but I'll bet what you have now is very very close. There's also some very innovative thinking and design that's gone into all that tooling. And anything as accurate as I suspect all that is and bought from someone such as Taft-Perice or other top manufacturers if it was even available would be mind bendingly expen$ive.
nice to things like this again versus the newest masd produced..there is also a five volume set. rutland carried "ingenious devices for shops and inventors...has quite a bit also check old polular mechanix from late 1930...50s...war effort produced alot of mother of invention
I wonder that he didn't patent his desIgns. Could a 3D copier duplicate these? They belong in the Smithsonian one day. Yeah! USA-made ingenuity at it's finest in the history of the machinist genre. Girls like shiny things,lol.
You have some nice stuff there, but I find it interesting as I am a fully qualified tool and die maker, and I spent the first 2 years of my apprenticeship making parallels, v block, small vice, sine bar etc etc. I was lucky enough to work for a company that was able to afford such a good training. The difference here, we all made set (tried and tested) pieces that we would then go on to use on the shop floor. Another slight difference...all the stuff I made started out as a milling or shaping exercise that allowed the steel to stress relieve as after the excise was done we left it to rust and weather before moving on to the next exercise. Happy times in fact, I learnt an immense amount making this stuff unlike other companies that put people on a capstan lathe from day 1 and allowed them to call themselves engineers.
You spent about 3.5 minutes talking about your visit to the guy who made these tools. you mentioned that you got them wet carrying them out to your car. You show the tools several times but never in actual use. I ended up skipping through this over long boring video in the hope that I would learn something of practical use but I might as well have just seen these tools in a shop window for all the information and explanation you have given. Please, when making so called instructional videos, stick to the point. Who cares about how well you got on with your new found buddy or that you got wet walking to your car? I have unsubscribed because I tend to fall asleep as you drone on and on about irrelevant stuff. I don't wish to be so negative but my 79 year old neighbour is more interesting to talk to even though she knows nothing about engineering.
I have met a few guys like that and I treasure the time I've spent with them and to be able to own some of there work is priceless. Thank you for sharing Guy
I am kicking myself, at a previous job, they were closing the plant so we had the opportunity to make some tools, I made a massive version of a Herman Schmidt grinding vise and gave it away years later because of the weight, it looked a good companion to your sine v block stand!
"granite stones for lapping guage blocks"----what a load of bollocks -----sure is one way to alter the dimensions----hope he wasn't referrring to slip guages----it might just be a terminology issue
I believe the spring sheet hinge in his squareness comparator is a better design than the one putting it on the edge. Even the height deviation in the hinge side is much smaller because of the cosine law. The deviation is still proportional to the hinge "flexible length" (length between two rigid constrains) I think the "flexible length" are smaller in his design comparing to screws on the edge.
Steve seems to have god like skills to make these things ... and started from '74 , i had made few jigs for my self but nothing at this level ,and at 20 years later, i been thinking that teachers asking to much just look at these things and they made before i even born
Great things with a lot of talent shown and enjoyed see it. But when are you going back to the Wilton baby bullet project I am dying here to see to you finish it.
Hi Tom can you do a tapered rod on a lathe that has only a feed that can run in both forwards and backwards as I have been trying by hand but its a really long and hair pulling job.
THANKYOU, I WORKED IN L.A. IN 1963-64. I WAS A TOOOLMAKER FROM THE U.K. GREAT TIMES AND GREAT AMERICAN TOOLMAKERS.MANY THANKS
Please try and get Steve to visit your shop and do an interview as he obviously is an exceptionally skilled machinist that has some stories an techniques to share.
+semidemiurge. I second that request, it would be a great show.
+semidemiurge That would be an awesome interview. Tom could ask him about this apprenticeship and how he got the ideas for these unique tools.
+semidemiurge Hi Miurge,
Keep your fingers crossed. I'm hoping to get Steve out for a shop visit. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
@@oxtoolco Trick him, and tell him it's a fish fry.
i cant imagine the time,skill and dedication that it took to design and fabricate those beautiful fixtures. i'm sure steve was happy to find someone like yourself who appreciates works of toolmakers art. thanks for sharing.
+larry sperling Hey Larry,
We could have talked shop for hours. As it was I was there over two hours. He was supposed to go shopping but I totally sidetracked him. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Nice to hear that there are people and work by them where you talk about yourself as a "mere mortal", because that is exactly how i usually would refer about myself when talking about your work
Dare I say that these tools show not only unique design, great precision work but "art" as well? Great find! As always, thank you for sharing! The tools have found a very good new home. My respects to Mr. Edwards.
These are really neat! Very very few people appreciate the amount of time and thinking that went into making these.
+clonetrooperx39 I do. ;-)
clonetrooperx39 I make my own tooling all the time. The hours I spend making pieces that aren't half as nice as these examples.....
I fully appreciate the time and effort it takes to create.
clonetrooperx39 I make my own tooling all the time. The hours I spend making pieces that aren't half as nice as these examples.....
I fully appreciate the time and effort it takes to create.
clonetrooperx39 hygiene
Hey Tom, just wanted to say your videos have been a real learning experience for me. I have a bunch of my grandfather's machinist tools he made and some of them I knew what they were used for and others I scratch my head at. But watching some of your videos you've shown off some stuff that he also made and explained what they were. I litteraly had a moment with one of the items in this video where I was like "wait, I think grandpa had some of those" and I ran out to the garage and looked at what he had and low and behold they're the same thing (albeit simpler versions) so thank you for making these videos. I love learning about this stuff and gives me a greater appreciation for the things my grandfather did as a machinist now that I know what some of this stuff is.
Tom,I had to smile when you were reading from the books,That basically the man at the top has to know the why and when.I Wish!.I knew only one man who could operate every machine in the shop,and trouble shoot it.And it was a big shop.The night shift superintendent.Nobody else was close to this mans knowledge.Great Vids As always Tom.Thanks for sharing.Regards, Don.
Hey Don,
Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Thank you for sharing your visit and your 'find', and a huge thanks for the presentation of the few items of his craft. I'm sure you 'left behind' many, many more that would be nice to own and handle from time to time. You've prompted me to recall some great memories from a long time back (though I never made anything finer or much more elaborate than Steve's parallels!)
Very beautifully made. A lot of thought has gone into these wonderful tools. There is nothing like designing and making a special tool for a job, no matter how simple or complicated it might be. I love seeing this sort of thing.
Would really like that Steve come by your shop and talk about machining then and now. Thanks for the video.
That V-Block ..... WOW!!! The amount of hours that went into it....I now want one, of course not as big, yet, I'm haunted by the amount of time I will have in mine, a quarter of the size lol.... absolutely beautiful and the versatility of it matches the beauty of the craftsman's ship.
Appreciate you taking the time to talk in millimetres
Very interesting! Especially cool that you got to meet the guy who created those beautiful tools.
thanks for sharing,it always surprises me of man's ability to improvise and to improve,kids of today rely to much on somebody else's work,never knowing how something is made. nice work
wow, just wow.., i'm speechless. get this man on the show one day!
AWESOME!!!!!! Thanks for sharing! It would have been an interesting add to have info on how long each item took to build, that always interest me when you look at someone's craft and realize their time spent.
+outsidescrewball Yeah, that would be great to know, and if you get a chance to talk to Tom, could you try to find out what material was used as well? Thanks Chuck...and please have a nice mellow finish to 2015, and I wish you and your family a Happy New Year...Aloha
+outsidescrewball Hey Chuck,
Hoping to get Steve out for a shop visit and on camera interview. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
+Knolltop Farms Hey Chuck,
I think there is a variety of materials he used in these tools. Some is carburized lower carbon steels and there is some 8620 and some tool steels. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
One of the neat things about our post digital culture is the way we've carried forward old vocabulary: Industrial Light and Magic (is it?) George Lucas's Hollywood movie shop; Digital Tool and Die was one of the early Boston AI software shops.
Tools are culture! And this fine video is one sign of it.
-dlj.
Hi David,
Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Excellent workmanship! Getting the rolls on that sine/v-block on location accurately is quite a feat. I have used the Moore jig grinder and it will do it but it takes time. Very few places will allow you time to do it right but I was able to on holidays, working thru breaks or whenever you could sneak it in. Check it for squareness and accuracy with a 6" magnetic cyclinder square will sometimes drive you crazy but make you happy if you can get a tenth indicator to show no movement in those 6 inches! Never seen one made like it! Beautiful work and as you say "old school"..............! I have made 3 precision vises,several angle plates and v-blocks, sine plates, etc. I can sure appreciate the amount of time he spent making it! Almost too nice to use!
What caught my eye in the sine dresser was the slot between the anvil surfaces... Looks like you could fit a gage block stack between there and dress really weeny teeny angles - which would really make sense for a tool maker.
+mikey_d Hi Mikey,
I have not measured that step yet but it sure looks like that was the intent there. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Thanks for the video Tom!!! Love seeing videos of tools made by people and not machines. I have to say I wish I lived closer to you so I could come by and soak up your years of knowledge. As a fellow book lover I would love it if you please do a video on what books you find of most value for reference and general shop knowledge.
Very cool, and a very talented individual. Thank you for sharing Tom.
The work reminds me of my father's. He was an instrument maker and the absolutely best machinist I've ever known, and I've known quite a few world-class fellows. My nephew has the things be made during his down time such as a boring head, sine bar, and the most unique vise I've ever seen. I still intend on making one for myself... one day. :)
My dad was one of a handful of instrument makers who were specifically gathered to build the gyros for the Norden bombsites.
I miss my dad.
Hi Andrew,
I would love to see some pictures of your dads work. Most of the wartime work on the Norden was highly classified. Where did he work out of? Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
oxtoolco Good question. Must have been in Manhattan or Brookln or Queens, I assume, though they lived in the Bronx during the war... I think. I wasn't born until '58, so this was all way before me. My much older sister ('43) would have known, but alas she succumberd to cancer in '09, so all that history is now lost to me.
He later worked for Martin Maxon on Long Island. I think they'd been in Queens, probably out in College Point - several defense plants were there with a few remaining into the 80s.
My nephew has all of pop's work. I will see if he can shoot a few photos. He did very beautiful work.
+Andrew Vida I think we all would be interested in some of those pictures. Especially the vise. I'm always looking for new Ideas on making tools and learning from the masters. You should at least get pictures of your dad's work for history's sake.
Andrew Vida -Andrew, I want to encourage you to share your memories and photos with the folks like me, who appreciate the craftsmanship and hard work people like your father performed. And I also miss my dad. Great men, from the Greatest Generation.
Hi Andrew,
Cherish the thing he has left behind. This is our connection to the past. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Congratulations !!! Best Regards From Brazil !!!
Thank you for sharing the history of the tool, and more importantly the history of the man who mad the tools. The latter is lost all too many times. - Annie
+SuperYtviewer Hi Annie,
The personal connection is really nice to have. I have several tools that I can really feel the presence of the person who made them. Its comforting knowing they are watching. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
For those of us uninitiated in the art of using tools like this. Maybe a quickie demo of how the tool is used.
Hi Real,
Stay tuned. We have something like that in the works. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
I'm retired now and make musical instruments, no more steel for me. Wood smells great when being machined. I still have all my tool & Die Makers tools, some I made, a lot I purchased. The companies I worked for were not to keen on doing personal tools, or Government Jobs. However I did a lot of them in my life.
Awesome tool buy thanks for sharing the History and Craftsmanship.
I just hope he had an asking price so you didn't have to make an offer and risk either crushing him or getting one of those tools thrown at you. If there is an asking price it is so much less awkward! Very nice and interesting pieces. Having watched The Tool and Die Guy's series on surface grinders I can just start to appreciate what might have gone into these things. Prior to that I had no idea what they were used for or who Herman Schmidt was. I hope you show some cylindrical grinding work as I have never seen one of those tools in operation either. For so many of us this is our only exposure.
It looks as if you got yourself a really great Christmas present. I know you will take care of them and use them as well. it would be a shame just to have those special pieces sit around. I agree with the other gentlemen on having Steve come by for an interview.
Very impressive tools, I got to say I am a bit jealous though.
Hi Mystery,
These folks are lurking in every city in every state. Get out there and meet some of these fine folks. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Outstanding work. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome, thanks for sharing. Love your tools collection.
24:50 First mention of stellite I've heard since the 1980s when I was looking into knife making. If I would have gotten my hands on that stuff, I would still be working on the same blade today, lol.
Toolmakers are a different species
How easy is it to make the race car lightening hole press to make those footrests with the holes with pressed indents?
Hi Tom and happy new-year to you and yours, wishing you only the best in 2016! And Steve, what can I say! The skills of a toolmaker never goes unnoticed however the time-passes. and to you skilled-Steve happy new years to you and yours! only the best fishing in this new year! ~M~
WOW! Those tools are just awesome! Glad to see a master machinist get them and hope to see them used in your future videos!
I did alot of jig grinding and cnc jig grinding in a temp controlled room at keytronics and its hard to explain it to people believe me. The way he did the pins he did the diameter of course the bolted the pins in--then he set it on the pins and ground the top then removed the pins and dusted off the bottom as opposed to cautiously coming up and jig grinding them exactly however he may have done that.. I was not there but its highly likely he did what i was saying.. Also on your surface plate you should consider drilling a couple of holes and cbore them and attach at least one 3/4 cold rolled rod and make some kind of indicator holder based on 3/4--just like he did with the small rod. However whats nice is that you also take a block with big radius knife edge like you showed and simply slide it on the block. I did a video of mine but its a clumsy rambling video but it does explain it and shows me squaring something up.
Nice review. V block and little wee block explanation quite useful. It would add to the video if you could give the grade of metal used, and a little more info on the polishing techniques Steve used. Some of the later pieces look quite shiny and bright, and some of the earlier pieces look a bit darker, and almost like scale or different heat treatment. Of martensite vs austenitic? Hard to be sure just visually. Well done, and I didn't notice uhms and ahs until I read the mini flames below. Brings to mind the old saying: Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Hi Joseph,
According to Steve these items are all as they were off the grinder. I actually asked him if he lapped any on paper or polished them and he said no. According to Steve the materials are carburized 1020 and some tool steels that he could not remember. I think the darkness you noted was some minor tarnish from handling or lack of handling. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
how to segregation I should
HOW TO SERVICE
A NE
W
For those with an engineering background; it's an absolute joy to see these tools made with utmost precision. To me that's where the beauty lies as well as being above all else functional. I hope you can convince this fine gentleman to demonstrate his skill acquired over a lifetime. I am sure it'll be enlightening to all. Keep it up & well done. Kind regards.
That v-block blew me away! There was skilful thought into that design. A credit to Steve.
Some guy sold me a garage full of machinist tools because the previous owner died and the family left it all. I got a south bend lathe, hundreds of tooling pieces, a dozen indicators, a brand new Kurt vise still in the box, a dozen chucks, an electro player, etc.. i filled two trucks full for 1100.00!! I have no idea what some of it is.. I’m just getting started. I wish I had a friend like you to come over and explain what it all does. I found a receipt in a book with the name of a previous owner. Turns out he owned a machine shop for 40 years!
Love seeing this sorta of stuff. I’m in my 30’s and I’m still amazed at some of the stuff old school toolmakers make.
Tom,
What a great tool acquisition you made from Steve Edwards.
The precision machine work is stellar not many here in the world of tool makers could do this high level of work.
The V Block is astounding and what a labor of love to make such an intricate device.
Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Jeff
This stuff is fantastic even though I haven't a clue what any of it does
Oh my lord.4 years late . recently subscribed . When its hot or your under stress i tend to get sweaty hands and 3 days later the tools have rusty finger marks. .Ox ... is there any protective finish on those tools they look like they are made of polished stainless. Regards Don. PS how do they look NOW ??
Clueless here except to appreciate the passing on of exquisite tools created by one master and entrusted to another. Lovely connection story. This vid can become the providence history for these jewels.
Great video. An unusual set of tools for sure. Thanks for sharing.
(about 19:25) Maybe he just drilled and reamed the three holes and then removed the outer half of the material, that's why it looks like half holes. I would have done it like that at least.
Nice Thx I also have some pocket size handbooks. That set covers steam, electricity,piping, machinery, ect They were printed in 1910. Amazing what they covered. :)
One of your most interesting videos to date, IMO, Tom! Just as an aside, I was just finishing my tool and die maker apprenticeship in 1974! Tree Top.
Thanks for making the correction at 10:44. Height vs. "Heighth".
Art in metal.
wow, thanks for sharing those.
My father worked for a tool and die company in MO that closed down a good 20+ years ago. I was never interested in machining until he was sadly too sick to remember a good portion of his life. when he passed, I thought it was a shame to have a basement full of tools just sitting there rusting. The more I go through his old stuff, the more awsome things I find. Most of his job was tool fabrication via machining. It was fascinating just to see the different things he had come up with that I never would have thought of. Some of the things I still use in my daily life. My only regret is not being able to talk to him about half the things I found. For all the things I could see what they did, there is still a hand full that I'm figuring out what purpose this strange lump of metal served.
if your up to constructive criticism. watch how often you say "ok". i had dungeon tell me on my videos i said "um" to much and they were correct so i try to not day um so much or edit it out.
Great video very impressive tool maker.
I'll stay tuned and watch some more of your videos
Absolutely first class plus craftsmanship! Fools in high places have allowed that sort of mastery to fall through the cracks. :>((
Thanks for the show and tell, Tom.
Happy holidays to all.
Eli D.
That's what you call functional art. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing these tools with us. I worked as a tool and die maker for over a decade and it's a sad state of affairs in the US that an extremely important trade for many industries has no real system for apprenticeships like in Europe. 10 years ago it was cheaper for the company that I worked for to have new dies made in Germany and shipped over than make them in the States because the shortage of tradesmen drives their wages up so high even for moderately skilled guys. I imagine it's only gotten worse.
On the up side, if you can get your foot in the door it's one of the highest paying skilled trades out there once you know enough to work unsupervised. Requisites are an ability to visualize complex mechanical processes in your mind and an attention to detail. While math skills are needed, basic trigonometry is generally the most complicated math they need to deal with.
......a rare treat to meet the maker when finding such tooling! Fantastic group of well designed, engineered, and well made tools.......really enjoyed seeing those and hearing the story.....wish there was more..............'74' Berkley........lol.....explains a bit hey Tom.
Correct me if I am wrong, MT&S is now MSC.
That is ridiculously flawless work there. I have never seen personally built work holding tools like that. The guy could have made a serious business selling his stuff like that. Not only does it appear to be extremely well made but the stuff is extremely well thought out.
Really nice tools. I could tell you were Uber excited. Steve spent a lot of time making all those tools. I would think that V-block would have taken several days to make just on its own.
Very cool tools. You always find the neatest things. Thanks for showing them to us.
sweet tools Tom! Craftsmanship and creativity are beginning to be lost in the toolmakers trade now a days. Now most buy all the tools they need from the "finest" Chinese suppliers. I myself like to keep it old skool and make my own stuff. Besides isn't making cool stuff the whole reason we get up every morning? Cheers and happy new year!
-Eddie
The V block is cool. Not really that impressive to me though . Probably will never use it. Precision is the most important thing with tooling
(I am thinking to myself.)
People will never make a fly.
WOW, Maximum cool.....! Thanks very much Tom...
Alina indicators were made by Compac back when they were still an independent company in Geneva, Switzerland.
That was really neat Tom. I sincerely hope that this Master craftsman Toolmaker, had the opportunity during his career to pass along his knowledge and work ethic, to a younger upcoming, future machinist/toolmaker. Looking forward to a surface plate, tool measurement video on Steve's incredible, personal work tools.
+Rain Coast Well hopefully we can get Steve on camera and save a little of his experience on You Tube. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Hopefully you look at new comments on old post because I have a question. If not, maybe a fellow viewer may be able to answer it for me. Are the items like that large V-block made from a single piece of stock, or is it made up of two or more pieces welded together? I was also curious if the sine frame that held the two sliding V-blocks was a cast piece made specifically for that particular tool?
Nice !
As you said at the begining, without the internet it would be impossible for a guy like me to learn or watch the miriads of great things toolmakers do, thanks for sharing, best wishes from Mexico
+Carlos Avila Hi Carlos,
I meet all kinds of really neat people on the internet. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
the things you can do when you've got the keys to the edm shop
Hey ox, I'm looking to make one of try the sine dresser and the sine v block fixture, can you post OA dimensions? I'm gonna research making it as a weldment as opposed to a hunk of steel. The dimensions look to be kinda like .75x12.0x6.0, the top looks like it's 1.5" thick.
if you world, PM me, I'd like more info in general.
Wow! This is my life story! Started Tool And Diemaker apprenticeship 1971, made the same things the same way, and years later got better and better! That would be an awesome episode Tom!!!! Was sorry to see you are not in the magazine anymore.
+Stephen Hodge Hi Stephen,
Let see some of your treasure. Hopefully you still have it tucked away in that Gerstener of yours. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
That International Textbook looks like it say in was made in Scranton, PA. Thats an area I go through often, it has a lot of history.
I just looked it up, they were published by Thomas J. Foster out of Scranton. Thats awesome!
I live 9 miles from the old Bethlehem Steel facility too. Its cool what they did with the place; there's a casino and theater and a music venue. I saw the "Behind The Myths" show there, a while ago.
Nice tools by the way. If you ever want to, you know, cleanup around your place, I'd gladly help you out hahahaha!
10,000 likes for sure. There's hundreds if not way more than a thousand hrs of design, machining, heat treating, and grinding that's gone into that tooling. And I'm more than envious. Even more envious tho that you got to meet the man who built all that. I very much hope he'll agree to show up for one of your videos. And I know just enough about a Moore jig grinder to know anyone who ran one steady knew exactly what they were doing. My best guess is your builder was far above the usual tool maker. And I'd be real interested if any deviation from dead true can be measured with the usual 10ths indicators, mikes, etc. Nothings ever perfect as we all know, but I'll bet what you have now is very very close. There's also some very innovative thinking and design that's gone into all that tooling. And anything as accurate as I suspect all that is and bought from someone such as Taft-Perice or other top manufacturers if it was even available would be mind bendingly expen$ive.
great stuff here! Relatively few can really appreciate that tool maker's skill and dedication. Your enthusiasm shows you are one of the few! Thanks.
tom how much would it cost me to get you to print that v block for me??? cost is not a problem...I have pay pal
nice to things like this again versus the newest masd produced..there is also a five volume set. rutland carried "ingenious devices for shops and inventors...has quite a bit also check old polular mechanix from late 1930...50s...war effort produced alot of mother of invention
I wonder that he didn't patent his desIgns. Could a 3D copier duplicate these? They belong in the Smithsonian one day. Yeah! USA-made ingenuity at it's finest in the history of the machinist genre. Girls like shiny things,lol.
You have some nice stuff there, but I find it interesting as I am a fully qualified tool and die maker, and I spent the first 2 years of my apprenticeship making parallels, v block, small vice, sine bar etc etc. I was lucky enough to work for a company that was able to afford such a good training.
The difference here, we all made set (tried and tested) pieces that we would then go on to use on the shop floor.
Another slight difference...all the stuff I made started out as a milling or shaping exercise that allowed the steel to stress relieve as after the excise was done we left it to rust and weather before moving on to the next exercise.
Happy times in fact, I learnt an immense amount making this stuff unlike other companies that put people on a capstan lathe from day 1 and allowed them to call themselves engineers.
You spent about 3.5 minutes talking about your visit to the guy who made these tools. you mentioned that you got them wet carrying them out to your car. You show the tools several times but never in actual use. I ended up skipping through this over long boring video in the hope that I would learn something of practical use but I might as well have just seen these tools in a shop window for all the information and explanation you have given. Please, when making so called instructional videos, stick to the point. Who cares about how well you got on with your new found buddy or that you got wet walking to your car? I have unsubscribed because I tend to fall asleep as you drone on and on about irrelevant stuff. I don't wish to be so negative but my 79 year old neighbour is more interesting to talk to even though she knows nothing about engineering.
I have met a few guys like that and I treasure the time I've spent with them and to be able to own some of there work is priceless. Thank you for sharing Guy
I am kicking myself, at a previous job, they were closing the plant so we had the opportunity to make some tools, I made a massive version of a Herman Schmidt grinding vise and gave it away years later because of the weight, it looked a good companion to your sine v block stand!
"granite stones for lapping guage blocks"----what a load of bollocks -----sure is one way to alter the dimensions----hope he wasn't referrring to slip guages----it might just be a terminology issue
I believe the spring sheet hinge in his squareness comparator is a better design than the one putting it on the edge. Even the height deviation in the hinge side is much smaller because of the cosine law. The deviation is still proportional to the hinge "flexible length" (length between two rigid constrains) I think the "flexible length" are smaller in his design comparing to screws on the edge.
Steve seems to have god like skills to make these things ... and started from '74 , i had made few jigs for my self but nothing at this level ,and at 20 years later, i been thinking that teachers asking to much just look at these things and they made before i even born
That guy might have wire -edm'd that V- block. Especially with the no wiggle fit. He did edm his logo......
Great stuff, Tom. Thanks for sharing and explaining. It's nice to see
things like that going to a good home.
First time here. Looks great and interesting , Look forward to see the new and old videos. Have a great week
Hi Jan,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Cheers,
Tom
I wonder if a tap burner would work for marking tools like that?
Great things with a lot of talent shown and enjoyed see it. But when are you going back to the Wilton baby bullet project I am dying here to see to you finish it.
I really enjoy myself when i look at your videos , please keep up with your good work .
+Harald Pettesen Hi Herald,
Thanks for the nice comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Sounds as if he had a Government job in high tech there in the bay. Metric numbers matching sizes. I had a family friend there.
Hi Tom can you do a tapered rod on a lathe that has only a feed that can run in both forwards and backwards as I have been trying by hand but its a really long and hair pulling job.
I know this is an old post. But I need a Tool and Die maker in Georgia for our plastic molding plant. Anyone know anyone?
Cool sine block: could ese that upside down if you had a need. Love the channel - I always learn something or get ideas.