antique telephone

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.

That's a great piece to have. I wouldn't think the box joints wouldn't take that long once you have your tablesaw setup and your boxjoint jig setup correctly. My father-in-law worked for SBC so he's got a bunch of old phone equipment that he's collected over the years. My kids were just amazed to see a phone that had a cord on it.

I'd hope that would stay in the family Frank.

My wife has the old rotary phone that was the first phone her folks had in their home. It was the last phone disconnected when they became too old to continue maintaining the home 55 years later and sold the home. It is displayed on small table in our livingroom.

Frank, when I was growing up we had one that looked like that but didn't have the little desk on it. one long and two short rings was what we answered to. That brings back some memories. Thanks.
Bob

Frank, it looks like a museum piece. My aunt & uncle had one very similar to it hanging on the wall when I was a little kid.

maybe your son will change and if nothen have it setup to go to your daughter frank tradition has definatly taken a back seta up here as well/// and bruce your new avatar looks like your grayin beatifully

Frank

You taken me back few years.

Was about 8 when we had the same phone you are showing.

We were on 8 party line, what a mess.
Our ring was 3 rings, and you could tell when someone was listening in. "GET OFF THE PHONE"

Tnx for the memories

Hey Frank, that's pretty cool. Despite my age you bring me memories too. Growing up here in Thorndike, Maine, family is pretty close at hand. In fact we still live pretty well grouped up on "Johnson hill".

Well growing up my grandparents had one of these phones, my dad had one and even my uncle had one. We used to call my Grandparents up and talk to them when we were kids. I guess what is so funny about this was this was right up to the mid-eighties. We had other phones, but still it was pretty neat to talk to your grandparents on "the old phone."

I think finding the old 6 volt dry cell batteries ended up killing the phone system. They were getting hard to find when ours finally died killing the "Johnson Family Telephone Company".