I thought I'd share this story and pics with you galoots.
I've had this blade set for over 20 years. Back in the 1970s I made friends
with a fella named Roy Berman who owned a small woodworking shop and
chandlery in Chicago. He was a WWll vet. We got to be such good friends
that, eventually, he gave me a key to his shop so I could use it whenever I
wished. He was one of two men of that era who had a great influence on me.
Much of what I know about woodworking and life I learned from them. The
shop was old with line shafts and leather belts running most of the
machinery. It had an 80 foot spar lathe and multiple other lathes and
machine / woodworking tools as well. The business was started by his
grandfather before the turn of the last century. They began by making
ship's wheels for ships on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. They did
very well during the two world wars with government contracts for various
nautical items for the navy.
When I met Roy it was a one man shop with just enough work to stay in
business. I spent a lot of time drinking Roy's coffee and listening to his
stories. It was an education to be sure.
He showed me how to use a number of the tools including the blade set. I'm
not absolutely positive it was made by Ryerson but they had a lot of
Ryerson tooling and I vaguely recall he told me it was manufactured by
them. It's been a lot of years...
After Roy passed in the mid 90's, the family auctioned off the shop
fixtures and sold the property. That's when I bought the blade set. I might
add, the family gave me a number of items in part for all the help I gave
them in sorting out the shop and getting it ready for auction and as
mementos of my friendship with Roy.
The shop had a big 36" band saw and this tool was used for setting the
teeth on the blades. When that saw was set up properly it HUMMED, believe
me. This set still works, when you turn the handle it goes clickity clack
and the arms move across the top of the blade holder. One latches onto a
tooth and pushes the blade forward. On alternating sides a pin pushes first
on one tooth and then the next, forming the set. It's all adjustable. I do
miss old Roy as I had many a good hour with him in that old dusty shop.
I recently dug it out of the basement 'cause SWMBO wants me to clean out
the store room. Don't know what I'll do with it...
John
https://picasaweb.google.com/107179674355712779541/BandsawBladeSet?auth
user=0&feat=directlink">https://picasaweb.google.com/107179674355712779541/Bands
awBladeSet?authuser=0&feat=directlink
|