I am always amazed at what this county use to make and do.
we have lost so much it just hard to believe how GOOD we once had it. and everything time I hear some blowhard in DC saying we can fight and win like we did back in WW2 makes me want to puke.
there is no way in hell, that we could even come close to what this county did back then. we no longer have the skilled workforce for one. let alone a semi skilled one as most kids today are walking morons with cell phones !
we no longer have the factories to do anything near that today.
we don’t even have the sheer will to do it anymore.
if we started today, it would take years to get “the people” skilled enough to even train the semi skilled workers to do the work.
and we don’t even make tools here anymore. most come from China today. they kept their money and goods cheap to drive other places to close their factories. and it worked too. why buy a American or European made machine tool when you can get two Chinese ones for the same price ?
I know a lot of guys buy Horror fright tools because they cheap and will sort of work, but you also killed off your own factories by doing so. last summer I did some woodwork for my neighbor. ripping some stock down. NOW, he wants my old as hell Craftsman’s table saw when I can no longer use it. yup. bought it used in 1971 from a old lady who old man had it . funny thing is she wouldn’t sell it to me without my Dad being there. he told her that he would watch over me when I did use it.
dad gave me shit going to get it, but he shut up after he saw it.
we used it to redo the kitchen over. I made the cabinets myself.
they still in my Mom’s old house. white oak and yellow pine
they still look good. after all, cabinets are nothing more than a box with a lid really. the saw still works great today.
it was made in 1952-3. cast iron table and base. 1 HP. motor.
rips 2 inch white oak like nothing special all day long.
I had to replace the bearing back in the late 1990’s and have a spare set on hand just in case. like zero runout on the blade.
what is the oldest tool you have that still works ?
after using old tools that where made here, you don’t really want
to use anything from China. just saying.
Preach it, brother. Planned obsolescence. Few things give me more satisfaction than rehabbing some old simple, heavy, cast iron piece of kit that was intended to be maintained and used for a lifetime, and putting it back into service. I suppose that’s another reason I have a soft spot of guns like the M1 Garand and the ’98 Mauser. I still pull our bathroom ceiling vent fans once a year, clean them, and oil the bushings/bearings.
still have some of my GRANDfathers’ tools. And they stay sharp. And I don’t abuse them.
I have a *decent* portable Craftsman table saw, direct drive. Tape measures, squares, panes, some drill bits, an tools – use once and sell at Gar(b)age sales.old A.C. drill motor that seen bettah daze…
I try to buy Horror Freight only when necessary, haven’t been impressed with their “quality”. Great for throwaway.
r/panes/planes
You know who doesn’t need shop classes? Apartment dwellers in a disposable society. If you own nothing, you don’t have to fix anything.
I will say that YouTube is a good resource. It’s fun watching my son tackle repair projects around his house with confidence. Shop class would have been a great start.
Feature not a bug
I took wood shop in the eighth grade, drafting in the 9th.
When AutoCAD came along I taught it to others once I learned it. Kept up with it for about 10 years but really didn’t need it for anything,
Nowadays I program my CNC router (small one) for wood/plastic/metal projects.
Sure am glad I have my automotive tools, electrical and electronic tools, and bricklaying and wallboard finishing tools. I need a bigger toolshed.
Indeed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBfFpcdyd5Q
I am always amazed at what this county use to make and do.
we have lost so much it just hard to believe how GOOD we once had it. and everything time I hear some blowhard in DC saying we can fight and win like we did back in WW2 makes me want to puke.
there is no way in hell, that we could even come close to what this county did back then. we no longer have the skilled workforce for one. let alone a semi skilled one as most kids today are walking morons with cell phones !
we no longer have the factories to do anything near that today.
we don’t even have the sheer will to do it anymore.
if we started today, it would take years to get “the people” skilled enough to even train the semi skilled workers to do the work.
and we don’t even make tools here anymore. most come from China today. they kept their money and goods cheap to drive other places to close their factories. and it worked too. why buy a American or European made machine tool when you can get two Chinese ones for the same price ?
I know a lot of guys buy Horror fright tools because they cheap and will sort of work, but you also killed off your own factories by doing so. last summer I did some woodwork for my neighbor. ripping some stock down. NOW, he wants my old as hell Craftsman’s table saw when I can no longer use it. yup. bought it used in 1971 from a old lady who old man had it . funny thing is she wouldn’t sell it to me without my Dad being there. he told her that he would watch over me when I did use it.
dad gave me shit going to get it, but he shut up after he saw it.
we used it to redo the kitchen over. I made the cabinets myself.
they still in my Mom’s old house. white oak and yellow pine
they still look good. after all, cabinets are nothing more than a box with a lid really. the saw still works great today.
it was made in 1952-3. cast iron table and base. 1 HP. motor.
rips 2 inch white oak like nothing special all day long.
I had to replace the bearing back in the late 1990’s and have a spare set on hand just in case. like zero runout on the blade.
what is the oldest tool you have that still works ?
after using old tools that where made here, you don’t really want
to use anything from China. just saying.
Preach it, brother. Planned obsolescence. Few things give me more satisfaction than rehabbing some old simple, heavy, cast iron piece of kit that was intended to be maintained and used for a lifetime, and putting it back into service. I suppose that’s another reason I have a soft spot of guns like the M1 Garand and the ’98 Mauser. I still pull our bathroom ceiling vent fans once a year, clean them, and oil the bushings/bearings.
still have some of my GRANDfathers’ tools. And they stay sharp. And I don’t abuse them.
I have a *decent* portable Craftsman table saw, direct drive. Tape measures, squares, panes, some drill bits, an tools – use once and sell at Gar(b)age sales.old A.C. drill motor that seen bettah daze…
I try to buy Horror Freight only when necessary, haven’t been impressed with their “quality”. Great for throwaway.
r/panes/planes
You know who doesn’t need shop classes? Apartment dwellers in a disposable society. If you own nothing, you don’t have to fix anything.
I will say that YouTube is a good resource. It’s fun watching my son tackle repair projects around his house with confidence. Shop class would have been a great start.
Feature not a bug
I took wood shop in the eighth grade, drafting in the 9th.
When AutoCAD came along I taught it to others once I learned it. Kept up with it for about 10 years but really didn’t need it for anything,
Nowadays I program my CNC router (small one) for wood/plastic/metal projects.
Sure am glad I have my automotive tools, electrical and electronic tools, and bricklaying and wallboard finishing tools. I need a bigger toolshed.