Anniversaries

Since Sally and I recently observed our anniversary, I thought it might be fun to celebrate some shop anniversaries, too.

So, what’s been around my shop as long as we have? Well, it’d have to be something pretty old, since we got married back in the ’70s. But after looking around a bit I did come up with a few things that I not only had when we were married, but the tools themselves probably have their own anniversaries that are even older.

I had all of the tools pictured above when we got married. Clockwise from left…

• There’s an old icepick I adapted for shop use. This was new when I got it to use for ice and it once had a full handle – all red – but when I appropriated it for my shop I sanded the handle down so it could fit a rack.

• Some Millers Falls nail sets, numbers 802, 803 and 804. These were already old when I got them so no idea what their real anniversary is.

• Calipers. Like the nail sets, these are oldies but goodies, although I have no idea where or how I acquired them.

• Hammer. This belonged to my father-in-law, who gifted it to me right when Sally and I got married. It’s been a real workhorse for decades.

• My mom bought me this Stanley level, new, sometime in the early ’70s. Another reliable tool that still sees constant use.

I know I have a few other tools from back then – a couple screwdrivers tucked away somewhere, a pair of pipe clamps, etc. – but I’m not sure where they are at the moment. Sally and I have stood the test of time for more than four decades. It’s nice to know that I can say the same thing about some of my tools.