Cool chest I picked up

[glennbad]

I found this tool chest the other day at an antique store. It's not in the prettiest shape, but I think it is cool.

Does this thing on the top have any function that someone could guess?

Those postcards are cool.






There's a bunch of cool wrenches and files in there. I also found this:



Does anyone know what it's for, or recognize the maker mark?


The chest does need a little work to bring it back together, but I've never owned anything like it.

Thoughts?

Glenn

[jerryd6818]

Well the mark is United Shoe Machinery Corporation. The tool has been shown on AAPK before and I don't think anyone ever came up with it's purpose.

You can read some of their history here: http://www.cummings.com/history.html

Here's their logo on the back of a crawler.

That's a cool chest. The board on top may be just for decoration. What do you think the meat cleaver is doing in it?

[glennbad]

Well the mark is United Shoe Machinery Corporation. The tool has been shown on AAPK before and I don't think anyone ever came up with it's purpose.

You can read some of their history here: http://www.cummings.com/history.html

Here's their logo on the back of a crawler.

usm_cat.jpg

That's a cool chest. The board on top may be just for decoration. What do you think the meat cleaver is doing in it?

Thanks for that info. I know I had seen that somewhere before.

There was all manner of stuff in the chest. I'll lay it out and take some pics soon.

Glenn

[treefarmer]

glennbad, That is a cool chest! I even see an old meat cleaver in there among all the goodies. Do you suppose that top could be used similar to a miter box, or a least for marking 45 degree angles?

Jerry, I surprised at you! USMC, United Shoe Machinery Corporation? That's almost sacrilege! Treefarmer

[jerryd6818]

Jerry, I surprised at you! USMC, United Shoe Machinery Corporation? That's almost sacrilege! Treefarmer

I hear ya Phil but true is true.

[philco]

The last open drawer photo shows several wall ties. They are the coregated looking metal strips with a couple of small holes in them. They are used to connect a brick veneer wall to the frame structure. You nail one end of the metal strip to a stud then bend it so that half of the strip is laying in the bed joint (horizontal mortar joint) of the brick. After that the mortar is spread and another course of brick is layed on top of the strip.

That may be a clue that the previous owner of the box did some building construction work.

I suspect (but do not know) that the serrated blade tool in question may have been used to cut drywall or perhaps cellotex boards.

Glenn that's a cool box for sure. Are you planning to give it the spa treatment ?

[TripleF]

That is cool......TOO cool!

[glennbad]

The last open drawer photo shows several wall ties. They are the coregated looking metal strips with a couple of small holes in them. They are used to connect a brick veneer wall to the frame structure. You nail one end of the metal strip to a stud then bend it so that half of the strip is laying in the bed joint (horizontal mortar joint) of the brick. After that the mortar is spread and another course of brick is layed on top of the strip.

That may be a clue that the previous owner of the box did some building construction work.

I suspect (but do not know) that the serrated blade tool in question may have been used to cut drywall or perhaps cellotex boards.

Glenn that's a cool box for sure. Are you planning to give it the spa treatment ?

I definitely want to spiffy it up some. I don't think I will be hurting the value. I would like to get some of the paint splatters off, and fix some of the wood issues. Any suggestions what I could use on the paint?

Glenn

[knife7knut]

I suspect (but do not know) that the serrated blade tool in question may have been used to cut drywall or perhaps cellotex boards.

Glenn that's a cool box for sure. Are you planning to give it the spa treatment ?

I definitely want to spiffy it up some. I don't think I will be hurting the value. I would like to get some of the paint splatters off, and fix some of the wood issues. Any suggestions what I could use on the paint?

Glenn

Phil:I have a couple of those USMC knives and I believe the end was used for removing nails in shoe soles and the serrated part of the blade used to spread glue on the soles before attaching them to the shoe itself.The grooves in the glue help it to adhere better.

Glenn:I would do nothing to the box except give it a good cleaning with some Murphy's Oil Soap and do whatever repairs are needed.The paint can sometimes be removed by CAREFULLY scraping with a single edged razor blade;being careful not to cut into the wood.After scraping'treat the bare wood with some furniture oil.If you need to stain it.try rubbing some old coffee grounds on the bare areas and leaving them for a bit before removing.Makes a nice wood stain for touch up work.

I just picked up a nearly 100 year old mechanic's tool box that I am in the process of cleaning up.Will post some pics when it is finished.

[chetr1200c]

i like the mitre suggestion for the top design. but my first impression is that it might be the mating disign for a stackable twin box.

[glennbad]

i like the mitre suggestion for the top design. but my first impression is that it might be the mating disign for a stackable twin box.

That's an interesting theory. You might be on to something there.

I was thinking abou the Murphy's oil soap as well. I'm going to do as little to it as needed.

Glenn

[coffeecup]

Citri-strip, an orange-oil based paint remover, is highly spoken of in the tool collecting fraternity for the removal of paint spatter, etc.

The design of the top looks to me like one of the many attempts to make a faux raised-panel top. Instead of doing an actual raised panel, folks would make the top of one board (or multiple boards) and "apply" a piece to sort of look like a fielded or raised panel in a frame.

[jerryd6818]

The design of the top looks to me like one of the many attempts to make a faux raised-panel top. Instead of doing an actual raised panel, folks would make the top of one board (or multiple boards) and "apply" a piece to sort of look like a fielded or raised panel in a frame.

Jim, that's what I said earlier. It looks like it's for decoration. You would have to put a gauge on it to make sure but I don't think the angles are right for a mitre gauge. Besides if it were for that it would have been used and if it had been used there would be saw marks on the top. No one is careful enough to avoid that.

Reminds me of the diamond shaped mirror inside the top of a Gerstner tool box. A little stretched out but close enough for government work.

[coffeecup]

Jerry, I was too tired last night to finish up my thoughts and kind of left that comment hanging, didn't I? I tend to forget that most folks are more interested in how something looks and how it functions, while I'm off in lala-land trying to figure out how and when and where something was made, and why it was made that way. (And I wonder about weird stuff, like how to access the wells on either side of the drawer, or if the maker even intended that space to be used?)

Looking over my notes, the only panels I've seen like that seemed to have been acquired at the Brimfield flea market, suggesting an east coast, or even MA origin. Construction details suggest it was made by a carpenter, or an amateur, probably in the first third of the twentieth century.

[glennbad]

Jerry, I was too tired last night to finish up my thoughts and kind of left that comment hanging, didn't I? I tend to forget that most folks are more interested in how something looks and how it functions, while I'm off in lala-land trying to figure out how and when and where something was made, and why it was made that way. (And I wonder about weird stuff, like how to access the wells on either side of the drawer, or if the maker even intended that space to be used?)

Looking over my notes, the only panels I've seen like that seemed to have been acquired at the Brimfield flea market, suggesting an east coast, or even MA origin. Construction details suggest it was made by a carpenter, or an amateur, probably in the first third of the twentieth century.

I would agree that it looks home-made or carpenter made. It has some nice features, but not too flashy, and weighs a ton. I don't think it was designed to be moved alot. There appears to just be dead space on either side of the drawer.

Also, do you think there was originally only one removable compartment in the chest, or do you think the whole inside would have been covered with a second insert?

Thanks,
Glenn

[jerryd6818]

Still and all, a very nice box.

[coffeecup]

Like Jerry wrote, it is a very nice box. Someone probably made and used it as a bench-top box, but whoever made it, it looks to have received a fair amount of use over the years. The half-mortise chest lock was replaced with a hasp (someone probably lost the key, or the chest was sold without a key), and from the wear it saw some use with a padlock holding it closed.

Traditionally on larger boxes there would be one or two trays, leaving enough room to slide them to one side or the other to allow access to the contents without removing the trays. My guess would be that this one probably only had one tray as another would block access to the stuff underneath. Removing the tray risks spills, which are a real pain. Then again, there could have been a wide tray that was intended to be removed--look on the side of the current till for any signs of wear that don't match the inside sides of the chest.

[chetr1200c]

the toolboxes that i made when i first started in the carpentry business were first assembled as a 12/14 inch deep wooden box, made of plywood, totally closed up and nailed, glued on all six sides. then sanded and all the corners and edges smoothed. they look kinda wierd at first if you didn't know what was happening next. just a wooden sealed rectangle box. then i put it on the table saw cutting 2 inches all around one side, either top or bottom, didn't matter at that point, therefore making a matching woodgrain when closed after the hinges and hasp were attached. then i would make a shelf slide 3 inches down for one tray with smaller compartments built into it and as wide as the box minus some room on the sides for a retainer chain when opened. one full tray is better than a half tray for more storage. can't forget the heavy duty handles on the sides.
i made a couple of these in different sizes for me and coworkers. i still have two. haven't looked in them in some time now. they just got to be too clunky for me to carry around, now i just use empty and cleaned spackling pails with those neat liners designed for all sorts of tool sizes. the poor boxes are just sitting in my barn under a bunch of other stuff. heck they probably are still filled with old tools and bits just like that one you got. lots of stories of jobs long ago forgotten.

[glennbad]

This site has one of those USMC tools listed. They call it a "leather working tool"

http://www.roseantiquetools.com/store/page135.html

[glennbad]

And this one also...

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/four-vi ... Co/7952330

[glennbad]

Okay, not to beat this to death, but apparently, you can still buy these tools:



http://www.unitedglobalsupply.com/shoem ... tools.html

Listed as shoemaking tools...

Glenn

[glennbad]

I saw this chest on ebay. It has similarities, such as the handles.

[orvet]

Cool box Glenn.

I have one somewhere that belonged to my Great Uncle.
I will have to dig it out & get some pics.

[gringo]

that "meat cleaver" is a wire stripper used by ma bell an company for years.

for removing insulation from cable.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 42&t=31506

[jerryd6818]