They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore

I love old tools. As a matter of fact, the older they are, the more they draw my interest. What I don't like it old wall hangers. These old tools, in my opinion, were made to be used. Usually, if I wind up with an old tool that cannot be made usable again, I can find someone who wants it. In order for me to keep it though, I have to be able to restore it to a usable condition.

So this is the state of disrepair of my latest find. This is an old Craftsman saw that, as far as I can find at this time through my limited research skills, was made maybe as far back as the forties. I do know that, based on the styling, it was one that was made for Craftsman by Walker Turner. It was a very interesting find for me and it seemed to be in a condition that could very well be made to run again.

One of the things I love about tools from this era is the fact that they're completely rebuildable. I was able to tear the saw all the way down to the bare frame. I cleaned it up and sprayed a fresh coat of paint on it.

The most interesting part of this particular saw to me was the gear box. The side cover leaked. So when I removed it, I found out it still had the, probably original, leather gasket on it. The inside of the gearbox, which I found almost impossible to get good photos of with my camera, works almost like a miniature cam shaft, with offset lobes that push the drive shaft up and down. On the side of the vertical shaft is a little cup that acts as an oil slinger. Each time it dips down into the fifty weight oil, it brings up a little bit of it and slings it all over everything, keeping things lubricated and running smoothly.
I tore the dust boot on top while trying to clean it and had to sew up a new one. The original was made out of some very thick denim. I didn't have anything that thick, but an old pair of jeans loaned some similar material to get it back on track again.

The only major part that was missing when I got the saw was a motor. I used the smallest motor I had around, which was a Craftsman half horse motor.

I painted the raised letters on the side white, just to make them stand out more. This saw has a twenty four inch throat. It will use blades from five to seven inches by adjusting the plunger assembly in the head unit. While playing around with it, I found it easily cuts wood three inches thick, something no modern scroll saw even claims to do. I think I'll be putting this old iron into service doing a lot of work. So far, it seems to be a real pleasure to use.