For the photo sherrifs BD

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On the occasion of Mr Baers 63rd birthday I hope you will join me in unboxing my Grandfathers toolbox.
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But first a little history. My grandpa was born Frank Victor Bronson Sept.14 1890 in Glen Arbor MI. In 1891 his mother died. My great grandfather Victor Bronson left him with the Skellett family, went off to work as a sailor on the great lakes and was never heard from again. Gramps was adopted at age 18 and took the Skellett name. Grandpa died in 1983 at the ripe old age of 93. My father gave me his toolbox last year and I am recreating the unboxing for your viewing pleasure. On with the show.
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At the bottom of this picture we have a well worn D-8. Above that with the broken handle is another Disston with a noticeably thicker blade but no etch is visible. Any ideas? Above that is my Dads old Craftsman and a keyhole saw with a bent blade.
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Next up is a close up of the D-8s handle with gramps initials carved in.
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Now the removable tray.
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And its contents.
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Lets see what's in the bottom.
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Here we have a brace and some bits in a homemade tool roll.
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An old nail box(?) holding a collection of chisels.
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Couple more pictures in the next post.
 
Now you really know how to get our attention Victor!

That's not only a nice box of tools, but the story makes it all the more heartwarming. I love hearing about tools being passed down from gen to gen... :thumb: :thumb:
 
How could we find tools like this boring:). Thanks for sharing this with us Victor. Very interesting i see a number of tools in that toolbox which i also got handed down.

The one thing i got as well instead of the actual box, was a set of draws. I refurbished them and cleaned them up after my father had used them.

Not sure if you ever thought of it, but that wood is very very old if you work out its age. Says something about the properties of wood dont it.:thumb:

We expect the steel tools to survive but the wood.....thats fascinating.
 
great story and pictures.. you can see from the contents that he done it all from modern counters to mortise and tenons by hand:) and had just necessities not alot of these are pretty tools they were all users
 
Thanks for looking everybody. When I was born my grandfather was 68. He had 8 sons of which my father was second youngest, 2 daughters and 6 step-children. The tools I have shown you were by no means all that he had or used. These were just the ones he gave my dad. I remember his shop (a converted chicken coop I believe) was very cluttered with benches and old tools (vague recollection). Gramps was something else. We climbed Sleeping Bear dunes and in his 80s he beat us all to the top (and by no small margin). We got our station wagon stuck in deep snow one winter while checking out the new "man-made lake". Gramps and my older brother hiked the couple three miles back to the farm and brought the tractor to pull us out. He was a small (everybody seems so to me) wiry tough old bird with a very big heart. I am very much a family man, which is why I choose to post here, and wanted to share with you the roots of my knuckle-dragging nature. I imagine grandpa looking down from heaven saying "Stop being so sentimental boy, get out in the shop and build something!" And so I will.
 
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