miraclechicken Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 My friends gave me this beautiful old tool chest. I love it! It needs some new felt as some of it got wet.They also gave me a basket of old tools. Lots of awesome stuff, nothing to show pics of just neat old stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wm. R. Robertson Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Very nice..... I can't tell from the picture what kind of wood it is? Theses were most commonly made in oak or walnut. Just in case folks don't know, this is Gerstner (style) machinist chest most likely from the first half of the 20 th century, I can't remember without looking it up which model number it is. The odd shaped center drawer is for a copy of the machinists handbook. Does your chest have a makers name on it? Anyway that is a very nice gift..... I like to keep mine original with the old felt, most replacement are just not quite the right color and I just like old stuff. Please do show a picture of what is in it....... Most of the time it is just bits and pieces but sometimes there are real treasures in these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apriliadan2000 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 That is a very nice gift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Hudson Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Nice chest. Do you have the front cover? I don't see one in the slot at the bottom. I rescued one many years ago. I used it for my drafting tools when I was designing saw mill equipment. Mine does not have the book drawer. The Machinery's Handbook is fairly large and takes up a lot of space in the chest. Below is my copy from 1978, twentieth edition. You can see how large it is. It has tons of information relating to machining. I would be lost with out mine. I also have the 1996, 25th edition but keep referring back to my first one. I'm sure Bill R has older copies. I would not do anything to the chest. Mine was in pieces so I had to put it together and had to wrap a new handle on top as the leather was completely gone down to the metal. It has been in use every since I got it in 1985. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclechicken Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Thanks for the info and feedback! I'd say it's oak.The front cover is missing. I found the keys in a drawer. It makes perfect sense that the center drawer is for a book because it is half the height inside. I'd like to keep it all original, I'm a stickler for that. But I may need a couple new pieces of felt, the top was disgusting and the bottom drawer was wet. There is some mold I'll have to get off he bottom. The old tools were in a basket, not in the chest. Some small drawers were full of screws and bolts, I found lots of drill bits, some 6" ones. And a couple taps and handle. There's some cool stuff in the basket, I'll post some interesting items. But mostly old hammers and screw drivers. With the sorry state of anything made today, (Chinese garbage that falls apart) I am so lucky to have old stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Hudson Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Your tool chest is taller than mine but the fronts are built the same. Below are three views of my front. The bottom of the front has a tongue on it, like shiplap, that fits in the groove in the bottom of the chest. The top of the front has two holes lined with metal tube. There should be two little spring loaded rods on the top front that will drop down when the lid is closed. With the front in place and the lid closed the drawers are prevented from falling out or anyone having access to the chest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 This is beautiful! I have a couple of old boxes that were my husband's Grandfather's. Nothing this fine, but interesting with several old planes and a brace and bit. The tools are very rusty - I am in South Louisiana with very high humidity. Any suggestions for restoring these, or at least removing the rust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wm. R. Robertson Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Mesouth , as to removing rust there a lot of variables.... FIRST, know what you have and it know it's value, this I can help with..... Just post a picture of the stuff..... I have been an active antique tool collector for nearly 40 years..... The reason is, should and this is very rare, you have something of a lot of value it should be cleaned by someone who knows what they are doing because if done wrong it's value can be greatly diminished...... BTW... The record price for an American hand plane is just over $ 100,000.SECOND, it depends on the kind of rust, in most cases I like to use single edge razor blades to scrape off the rust and then steel wool it. The electrolysis method often opens pits and can leave a strange color........ Wire brushing and sanding ruin any original finish and often round edges...... And the list goes on.Let's see what you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wm. R. Robertson Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Here is a front for sale on eBay...... Don't see that very often. I don't think it is tall enough but you should double check.http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLD-USED-MACHINIST-TOOLS-FRONT-COVER-FOR-GERSTNER-TOOL-CHEST-/351268900104?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51c9420d08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclechicken Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Yeah it's too short mine is 13". But thanks, it never occurred to me that I may be able to find one. I'll start by asking my friends if there may be a piece that was misplaced laying around there they might remember seeing when the basement flooded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Bill, You asked to see the old hand planes that I have. In an effort not to muddy this thread, I will try to post under a new topic. Martha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackofalltrades Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 There were numerous makers of machinists tool chests prior to 1950. One of the more popular chests that was less expensive than Gerstner was Union. Many of the less expensive chests had a thin covering of black leather over pine or fir with oak or ash drawers and leather handle. Often the leather gave out and they were "refinished". The wood in your chest doesn't look like oak ( I may not be correct?) so it may be one of the old chests that was originally leather covered. They tended to be smallish in size as the tools required in the trade back then were far fewer than in the 1950s60s. Look for the remnants of an oval label with two pin holes. I purchased a modern Gerstner back in the 1980s and it was a big disappointment and nothing like the finely crafted chests they made in the 1960s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonni.b Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 This is the toolbox I found on ebay a few years ago. I think I paid around $90, including shipping, and was happy to find it. The front cover is there, but stashed in the slot under the drawers. Why did these all have mirrors in the lid? Were the users all so vain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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