Frank Fusco
Member
- Messages
- 12,791
- Location
- Mountain Home, Arkansas
Dunno if this qualifies as a genuine antique. But, I do know it was made about 1946 or 1947. Know that because I helped make it. My father had a custom woodworking shop in Chicago. He taught me very little but I did help with some projects. At one time, he got a contract to make several thousand of these telephones. The wood part only. Crank phones were still in use in some locations into the 1950's. When done, he delivered to another company that installed the electric guts. My mother gave this one to my son and daughter-in-law but they didn't want it and gave it to me. I remember most of the manufacturing process except the box joint corners. I just don't remember him having a machine to do this. Individual items could have been done with a table saw or other tools but how he did thousands is a puzzlement to me. It is very heavy as the generator and other parts are still inside, a bear to hang alone. Some day it will either go to my daughter or back to my son. If it goes to him, I'm sure it will end up in a scrap heap or sold at garage sale. Sentiment is not a word he ever learned.