FRIDAY BITS & PIECES

[dimwittedmoose51]

My wife went out early in the day now that school is out for the summer up here and found a decent craftsman 3 drawer metal tool box for $4 and after I got home from work, we cruised a few other spots and came up with this old Model 825 Skil Saw that runs like a scalded dog(8 1/4" blade if that helps anyone judge the age of this beast).  Appears to be its original metal box too, albeit pretty rusty.  The long craftsman tool box was a buck(and empty) and it's going to need a lot of work.
Never seen a Challenger 18" pipe wrench, so I had to have that, then an HM 438 lug wrench(?), a generic HM 17/19mm DOE, a 10" Ridgid Pipe Wrench, a Herbrand "MultiHex  DOE, Wood handled Pexto screwdriver, A cheapo 1/4" drive spinner that looks a little like a Klein, but isn't.  The only reason I spent a dime on it was that most of these are only 5-6" long and this might be twice that.  The punch is a flat sided "Original Enderes", FWIW. 

The mystery grab of the day was this white-ish shop vise made by the Vost Mfg. Co.  Meadville PA.  Any one ever heard of this company, as Google is coming up dry.

It's getting pretty bad when you're so lazy that you don't even take the tools out of the car before you photograph them.

DM&FS

[amertrac]

nice saw . you guys seem to have all the hot spots . I went to my first yard sale in two years  tuesday and with my luck they had no tools. I have trouble standing still and when I am looking it hurts. but I am going to try again when I see a flat smooth drivway   bob w.

[Branson]

There's an 825 on ebay right now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Skilsaw-Model-825-Circular-Saw-Antique-1940s-Era-/260975259337?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc3566ec9

The seller dates it to the '40s, and that's where I would put it, too.  It looks a lot more like the B&D speed saw I got last summer than the early '50s skil worm drive a friend inherited from his grandfather.  The box looks like mine as well -- big and heavily built (like the saw itself!). 

[Branson]

Oops.   There are two 825s on ebay.  This one is in better condition, and has good, clear pictures of the box. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage1940s-Skil-Saw-Model-825-Circular-Saw-with-Original-Steel-Carry-Case-/120922833149?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c279000fd

The box is virtually identical to the box for my B&D -- even the reinforcements for the latches.  Now the plate on this one has a black background while the background on yours is blue.  This has to show a date change in manufacturing, so you ought to get closer than "somewhere" in the '40s.  I feel like the blue background is earlier.

This has got to be one hellova saw.  Great find.

[Branson]

Nope.  The black background is earlier.  Serial number 759xxx  versus your  767xxx.  But that will help zero in on the date.

[Lewill2]

Try YOST MFG you will come up with stuff then.

http://dayid.org/mediawiki/index.php/Yost_Vise

[Dakota Woodworker]

That saw should be a good one, For years Skill was the leader in these framing saws.

[scottg]

Yost is a highly respected old name in vises. 
This one  has to be really early in their history.

It's not a tiny vise yet it has an uncovered screw. Plus a long beam. All incorporated in the same vise.
Yup, its got to be early.
  yours Scott

[dimwittedmoose51]

Was Yost ever in Meadville PA?   They seem to be in MIchigan now, so I blew that lead off.Google sent me to Yost as well, but I swear that's a V and not a Y.   I may contact the Meadville historical society and see what they have on the company.  The guy I bought it from got it from his grandad and this ol' boy is 81.  Originally came from the western part of Iowa.  I can do more photos of the vise from different angles later tonight or tomorrow.

BTW, the saw ROCKS!!  It's heavier than my later generation SKilsaw for sure.....

DM&FS.

[Papa Tango]

Very nice score.  I'm liking the saw and vise.

[rusty]

Was Yost ever in Meadville PA?

The G.M. Yost Mfg co was in meadville pa (at least as far back as 1909)
(They also absorbed the Williamson Vise company)

Edit: 1907-8, datamp shows a nice Yost patternmakers vise patented 1908...
Yost (Gilmore) seems to have had indirect relationship with Emmert, and later with Columbian....

A small tidbit of history: http://www.mprime.com/Emmert/yost.htm

[john k]

Good going!   I have never seen a vise at a yard sale that weighed more than 14ounces.   That saw with the big motor looks like a newer contractors model, just in looks, yours probably has more power. 

[dimwittedmoose51]

John: Yeah, the  saw is a 14 amp motor. 

OK, these acient ey6esa got out the magnifyign glass, andyes, the V realy is a Y, so I'm blaming it all on the white paint.  Who paints their vise white, anyway???  Any thoughtsa as to wehther I should leave it white or strip it??

Thaks for all the info BTWw

DM&FS

[rusty]

None of the Yost vises I saw while I was poking around were white, tho, admittidly, that was not all that many. But I suspect that white was not an original color. (Who paints a workshop tool white so it can get dirty in 20 seconds?)

From a practical point of view, the only way to look for cracks or small flaws from abuse is to take the paint off .....

There is a prettily painted up one on the vise thread on GJ
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62716

[dimwittedmoose51]

John k:  I've seen maybe a dozen or two this season so far(mid April).  Bought maybe 6 or so.  A guy had a dull turquoise-colored mega vise for sale a couple weeks ago that was tempting.  It spun 360 in both planes and had some weird pipe clamp on the bottom of it.  We both scoured it for mention of a brand name, but I wasn't going to spend $40 on a vise I couldn't be sure it wasn't made in China.  It looked too old to be MIC, but The price was too high and I'll be he still has it. 

I collect the small vises if the price is right, and have a brand new Vacu-Vise still in its original box.

DM&FS