OldTools Archive
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275552 | Kirk Eppler | 2022‑05‑09 | Kennedy Tool Boxes |
All I've been working on a reference for the different features on a vintage Kennedy tool box, and the one I recently found gave me an excuse to test it out. You can download a copy of the KennedyFeatures pdf at the link below. https://app.box.com/s/j7mg2nsg2wd5lvbc526i8ghcms345kos If anyone has some good Kennedy literature or provenance that can help close gaps, I'd love to hear it. Anyway, here is a vintage Kennedy box I grabbed from a hoarder's estate sale. This one dates to pre 1947 (see below), but by my calculations based on catalog features, it is post 1934, when the oval handles disappeared, and post 1941, when the seal brown finish was first mentioned, and the first appearance of the 516 Model (16" wide). I need to dig into the 1942 extension slide stop patent to see if that is applicable (and how to remove the drawers?). This has the metal looking rectangular pulls, lid stay, and horizontal ribs on the lid, case mounted lock and latches. ( And the U shaped handle, not shown) https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-hsmSpdX I have not cleaned it up enough to see the key number https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-Mhqxrvt Per Erik's obvious request that I obliviously missed originally, here are the drawer slide differences between my old one, and a newer 528 with the clips. https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-8bchT9X https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-Xr8Cfnh But here is where it gets fun. As the drawers are a bear to remove, (anyone know how?) I pulled the drawers full forward, and slowly tipped the box face down. Then looked under the drawers with a flashlight. Lots of paper jammed behind them, so with a long pair of needlenose and a screwdriver, I managed to drag the paper out. There is still a lot of crud under there that I will try to remove once I figure out how to pull the drawers. The best part of the paper work is a pay stub for Charles A Mittelman, from 2-14-1947, from The Globe Cloak & Suit Co, 942 Market Street, SF. This tied in nicely with the requisite metal name tag found in almost every tool box that lived a shop life. In 1959, Mittelman founded a sewing machine shop, and it lasted 39 years, at one point employing 9 people. Looked like he was active in certain millinery trade groups https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-PbNjn6p -- Kirk Eppler, running down stairs between meetings to keep the brain active -- Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA |
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275578 | Kirk Eppler | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
On Mon, May 9, 2022 at 3:36 PM Kirk Eppler via groups.io |
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275580 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
Kirk, Since there is no way that you are the only one with the problem of removing this variety of Kennedy toolbox drawers, there must be a published solution. Have you tried calling Kennedy? Try the various machinist's bulletin boards, such as Practical Machinist. The solution has probably already been invented. You just have to find it! John Ruth |
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275581 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
Kirk, As an addendum to my previous post, and again at the risk of stating something obvious to you... There are three parts to an old-style Kennedy drawer slide: the rails that are integral to the drawer, the extensible slide, and the rails that are integral to the cabinet. You can see that the slide is not coming out of the rails integral to the cabinet. That's why it is peened over. ( I would have used the word "crimped" ) So, rather than trying to free the slide from the cabinet rails, instead seek to free the slide from the rails on the drawer. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the drawer comes off of the slide, rather than the slide come off the cabinet. The little round hole in the front end of the slide may be important. If it did not serve a purpose, it wouldn't be there. Shine a light into the gap behind a fully extended drawer. Any hints hiding in there? Shine a light lengthwise down the slide. Can you see the catch? Can you feel anything under the felt on the sides of the drawer? John Ruth, Hoping his hasn't written nonsense. |
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275582 | Bill Ghio | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
> On May 9, 2022, at 6:35 PM, Kirk Eppler via groups.io |
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275583 | Mike Rock <mikerock@m...> | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
I have my dad's Dzus wrench, it says Vultee on it. Cool! > My dad was a machinist working for Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft up till 1943 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_Aircraft ). After his slog thru France and Germany in 1944-45 he found other employment. Circa 1975 he gave me a Kennedy tool box and a few machinist tools. I The Dzus fastener, also known as a turnlock fastener or quick-action panel fastener, is a type of proprietary quarter-turn spiral cam lock fastener often used to secure skin panels on aircraft and other high-performance vehicles. It is named after its inventor William Dzus. |
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275585 | Kirk Eppler | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
So, John pestered me with his "been invented", so I pulled up the patent https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/34/09/1c/afab0772e145e1/US1984345.pd f page 5 lines ~70 to page 6 lines 15 seem to talk about it, and Figs 8 & 9 seem to show it. With the peen on the cabinet, I am guessing there is a peen on the far end of the drawer as well. (Turns out I am correct) To get these out, you must remove the drawer slide from the cabinet first, then pull the slide off the drawer by coming in from the back of the drawer. Looking harder into this, I was able to get it out by fiddling with my shim tool. I think that the latch spring is stiffer, and sticks out closer to the rail than on the Snap-on boxes. I added a second bend, and tapered the contact end of the shim tool, to allow it to sneak in through the gap a bit easier. Using the hanger from a pendaflex file folder to make this. https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-9bh3cKR https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-hnLc5DK https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Kennedy-Tool-Chests/i-Qx5hcr2 You can see that the latch is about 4" in from the front, and is only in the center of the H rail Hope this explains it, with the pix. Thanks John for the push to go back to the patent. On Mon, May 16, 2022 at 12:31 PM John Ruth |
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275590 | Kirk Eppler | 2022‑05‑16 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
Bill I may have the brother box to yours. In the first pic, you can see there is a plastic clear plate on top. When posted for sale on CL, there was a name there. The seller removed the name, but left the plastic. I didn't think to grab it to research his name, service record, etc. The label under the lid says it is part of the Bighorn Series. The brown one I started with is a 516, the green is a different style, and does not have the half width drawers on top. Like the 620 pictured here, listed as dark green color, not pine green. https://archive.org/details/KennedyMfgCoNov1945/page/n1/mode/1up https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Woodworking-Tools/i-LRsJckM Mine also has two round knobs on each drawer. I wonder if that was a downgrade for military users from the rectangular pulls, or just the line feature. Mine seem like stamped tin or aluminum https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Woodworking-Tools/i-Hn56HG7 I will add a pic of the label and other features, and put it in my Kennedy folder. I should have clarified that I was only looking at the 5 series boxes in my features study. Will update for the next revision. Thanks for the time points, I will notate more as I go forward. And those Dzus tools were also called Snoopy tools (as others have told me) Kirk in Half Moon Bay, Ca, still hazy, but no longer as damp. On Mon, May 16, 2022 at 1:35 PM Bill Ghio |
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275594 | Erik Levin | 2022‑05‑17 | Re: Kennedy Tool Boxes |
Thanks for the information so far. Kirk wrote: >When posted for sale on CL, there was a name there. The seller removed the name, but >left the plastic. I didn't think to grab it to research his name, service record, etc. This breaks my heart (ok, not quite, but is sad to me). With two exceptions, I have a full history on nearly every chest I own, and part of the fun has been tracking down the details. The exceptions are the garbage picked Snap-on chest (I'd LOVE to know the history on this, due to the damage and prior repairs....) and one of my for-parts Kennedy 26" 11 drawer units, that eventually got repaired to service (courtesy of an even more for-parts 20" that eventually went to a friend's kid in serviceable trim due to another parts unit). The rest? die maker from American Can, Toolmaker from Trenton (several employers. A Ford guy, based on the customization), and so on. A lovely chest, and I am sure it will be given the respect it deserves. Thanks for sharing *** This message was sent from a convenience email service, and the reply address(es) may not match the originating address |
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