THANKYOU, I WORKED IN L.A. IN 1963-64. I WAS A TOOOLMAKER FROM THE U.K. GREAT TIMES AND GREAT AMERICAN TOOLMAKERS.MANY THANKS

For those with an engineering background; it's an absolute joy to see these tools made with utmost precision. To me that's where the beauty lies as well as being above all else functional. I hope you can convince this fine gentleman to demonstrate his skill acquired over a lifetime. I am sure it'll be enlightening to all. Keep it up & well done. Kind regards.

Please try and get Steve to visit your shop and do an interview as he obviously is an exceptionally skilled machinist that has some stories an techniques to share.

The work reminds me of my father's. He was an instrument maker and the absolutely best machinist I've ever known, and I've known quite a few world-class fellows. My nephew has the things be made during his down time such as a boring head, sine bar, and the most unique vise I've ever seen. I still intend on making one for myself... one day. :) My dad was one of a handful of instrument makers who were specifically gathered to build the gyros for the Norden bombsites. I miss my dad.

Clueless here except to appreciate the passing on of exquisite tools created by one master and entrusted to another. Lovely connection story. This vid can become the providence history for these jewels.

Love seeing this sorta of stuff. I’m in my 30’s and I’m still amazed at some of the stuff old school toolmakers make.

Thanks for this great video. I am a Home Shop Machinist and tool collector. I've never worked professionally in the trade but I'm quite good at what I accomplish and am always learning something new from books, videos and personal relationships. I have 65 year old Clausing Lathe and mill that I've rebuilt after purchase at sales. I love making tools for my use or for someone else. I'm amazed at the work old timers have done and am always on the lookout for their tools that are for sale. My tool boxes have the names of many deceased machinists and tool makers. I'm proud to own them and use them to continue the life they were created for.

Thank you for sharing the history of the tool, and more importantly the history of the man who mad the tools. The latter is lost all too many times. - Annie

These are really neat! Very very few people appreciate the amount of time and thinking that went into making these.

Very cool! I have a friend who is a retired tool and die maker who is also a builder of hot rods, like myself. He often needs pieces welded or machined for his projects and I help him out and he gives me tools in return. He has given me a number of pieces that he made as an apprentice. I am quite honored that he has let me have these things. Thanks for sharing! All the best! Mike

That v-block blew me away! There was skilful thought into that design. A credit to Steve.

I have met a few guys like that and I treasure the time I've spent with them and to be able to own some of there work is priceless. Thank you for sharing Guy

Wow, just wow! Tom, you are honored to be the curator of those exceptional tools. I cannot think of anyone more suited to the task. They are in good hands...

I'm a retired Machinist, and its nice to see tooling made by other craftsmen.

i cant imagine the time,skill and dedication that it took to design and fabricate those beautiful fixtures. i'm sure steve was happy to find someone like yourself who appreciates works of toolmakers art. thanks for sharing.

Hi Tom. It's so cool to see the work of someone who thinks just a little differently. Thanks for showing us these tools. Thanks, John

That is ridiculously flawless work there. I have never seen personally built work holding tools like that. The guy could have made a serious business selling his stuff like that. Not only does it appear to be extremely well made but the stuff is extremely well thought out.

WOW! Those tools are just awesome! Glad to see a master machinist get them and hope to see them used in your future videos!

One of your most interesting videos to date, IMO, Tom! Just as an aside, I was just finishing my tool and die maker apprenticeship in 1974! Tree Top.

Dare I say that these tools show not only unique design, great precision work but "art" as well? Great find! As always, thank you for sharing! The tools have found a very good new home. My respects to Mr. Edwards.

watching this video takes me back to the late 70's when i was an apprentce and making Toolmakers clams, V blocks ans stirrups ,scribe tools and cold chisels all as test pieces thank you for bringing back the fond memories.....................................

Nice to hear that there are people and work by them where you talk about yourself as a "mere mortal", because that is exactly how i usually would refer about myself when talking about your work

I'm retired now and make musical instruments, no more steel for me. Wood smells great when being machined. I still have all my tool & Die Makers tools, some I made, a lot I purchased. The companies I worked for were not to keen on doing personal tools, or Government Jobs. However I did a lot of them in my life.

Tom, What a great tool acquisition you made from Steve Edwards. The precision machine work is stellar not many here in the world of tool makers could do this high level of work. The V Block is astounding and what a labor of love to make such an intricate device. Thanks for sharing. Best, Jeff

As you said at the begining, without the internet it would be impossible for a guy like me to learn or watch the miriads of great things toolmakers do, thanks for sharing, best wishes from Mexico

Hi Tom.The worst thing in life is we all have to part with are tools .I have two brothers and they would not know what one thing is that I own and after 40 years as a tradesman I have a ton of stuff . You are a lucky man to carry on his legacy for a few more years. I cant wait for you to put this stuff on your fresh surface plate and just see how good it is. I know you will respect what he gave you and he knows that, and that is why they are yours now. So Cool to see.

It's rare to meet the maker of hand made tools. Ya got lucky. I have an affinity for tools made by other machinists/toolmakers; they have a soul to them. Have a similar feeling towards brand name tools which have been used for decades, but cared for. Thanks for sharing your find & the story behind them. Old catalogs & books are great for getting ideas/inspiration for projects or modifications.

I made a few tooling trinkets as an apprentice many years ago, but nothing nearly as cool as this stuff. Brings back memories since I've been retired for 10 years. Very cool stuff!!!

I canot imagine kids leaving school these days and learning ANY of this.. I served my time tool making and never looked back.. nice vid fella..

Thanks so much for sharing. Not only do we get to see the craftsmanship, but it provides inspiration to the rest of us 'mortals' so the originals may live on in other pieces.

great stuff here! Relatively few can really appreciate that tool maker's skill and dedication. Your enthusiasm shows you are one of the few! Thanks.

Wow! This is my life story! Started Tool And Diemaker apprenticeship 1971, made the same things the same way, and years later got better and better! That would be an awesome episode Tom!!!! Was sorry to see you are not in the magazine anymore.

Some guy sold me a garage full of machinist tools because the previous owner died and the family left it all. I got a south bend lathe, hundreds of tooling pieces, a dozen indicators, a brand new Kurt vise still in the box, a dozen chucks, an electro player, etc.. i filled two trucks full for 1100.00!! I have no idea what some of it is.. I’m just getting started. I wish I had a friend like you to come over and explain what it all does. I found a receipt in a book with the name of a previous owner. Turns out he owned a machine shop for 40 years!

Nice Thx I also have some pocket size handbooks. That set covers steam, electricity,piping, machinery, ect They were printed in 1910. Amazing what they covered. :)

Thank you for sharing your visit and your 'find', and a huge thanks for the presentation of the few items of his craft. I'm sure you 'left behind' many, many more that would be nice to own and handle from time to time. You've prompted me to recall some great memories from a long time back (though I never made anything finer or much more elaborate than Steve's parallels!)

Very beautifully made. A lot of thought has gone into these wonderful tools. There is nothing like designing and making a special tool for a job, no matter how simple or complicated it might be. I love seeing this sort of thing.

Wow! Super workmanship! Nice useful features. 3-4-5 triangle on the sine v-block fixture is cool. (40 year toolmaker from Ontario Canada)

Tom,I had to smile when you were reading from the books,That basically the man at the top has to know the why and when.I Wish!.I knew only one man who could operate every machine in the shop,and trouble shoot it.And it was a big shop.The night shift superintendent.Nobody else was close to this mans knowledge.Great Vids As always Tom.Thanks for sharing.Regards, Don.

Amazing find. You don't see that kind of craftsmanship very often anymore. I would also love to see an interview with the maker.

Hey Tom, just wanted to say your videos have been a real learning experience for me. I have a bunch of my grandfather's machinist tools he made and some of them I knew what they were used for and others I scratch my head at. But watching some of your videos you've shown off some stuff that he also made and explained what they were. I litteraly had a moment with one of the items in this video where I was like "wait, I think grandpa had some of those" and I ran out to the garage and looked at what he had and low and behold they're the same thing (albeit simpler versions) so thank you for making these videos. I love learning about this stuff and gives me a greater appreciation for the things my grandfather did as a machinist now that I know what some of this stuff is.

I don't do metal work, but I now realise I need these tools ;) Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for them.

Loving the stuff you are making. All of them are incredible. Please keep making more items that are compatible with the accessories you have already made.

My father worked for a tool and die company in MO that closed down a good 20+ years ago. I was never interested in machining until he was sadly too sick to remember a good portion of his life. when he passed, I thought it was a shame to have a basement full of tools just sitting there rusting. The more I go through his old stuff, the more awsome things I find. Most of his job was tool fabrication via machining. It was fascinating just to see the different things he had come up with that I never would have thought of. Some of the things I still use in my daily life. My only regret is not being able to talk to him about half the things I found. For all the things I could see what they did, there is still a hand full that I'm figuring out what purpose this strange lump of metal served.

I’m close to your age Tom. When I was in school, we had shop class. They called it industrial arts. I was always confused as to why they called it that. After seeing Steve’s work, I finally understand.

Such fine work and truly amazingly thought through very well. On this level of Craftsmanship it tells me this true pro has many years of paying close attention to detail. Also it is noted that to complete these wonderful precision tools in this top notch way has been done by a very patient and disciplined tradesman. Owning such and sharing the work is a great honor and treasure. I believe this man cared about who would own them also and was very selective and had to go to a person who knew what they bought who would appreciate his work fully. You provide that honor for a job well done. Congrats to you Tom because he honored you.

I would love to see you interview him, anyone who can make tools like that is an artist. Thanks for sharing Tom.

I noticed that the three sided blocks have three nice inside radii that all meet to make a perfect inside corner. Beautiful!

Thanks for shopping Tom. Incredible craftsmanship!

......a rare treat to meet the maker when finding such tooling! Fantastic group of well designed, engineered, and well made tools.......really enjoyed seeing those and hearing the story.....wish there was more..............'74' Berkley........lol.....explains a bit hey Tom.

Until I was recently laid off I was a Tool & Die machinist and I've made my own tools over the years though I never had an apprenticeship. I recognize every detail in these tools and I especially like the double sine bar v block jig. Never saw pins inlaid like that- normally it's just a gage pin set into a v groove, and either bolted or brazed in place. That setup is really nice, because it allows for replacing the rollers easily. I especially liked his maker mark. I ran a ram EDM but I never got permission to make my own stamp electrode or use it for anything on my tooling 😔 I love these kinds of videos, gives me so many new tooling ideas and flourishes I want to add to my work.

As a Tool\Mold maker who is in his mid 30's what is so impressive about those self-made tools is the kind of machine they where probably made on. I'm guessing a lot of the mill work was done on a Bridgeport! That is not how things are done in very many shops now a days. In fact most guys that are 5 years younger than me don't have a clue of all that can be done on a Bridgeport style mill. The large two piece V-block is amazing,! Besides the skill it took to make that, the vision it took to design it shows he was a great tool maker that had made a wide variety of tools. That V-block is incredibly versatile! A guy would have to buy at least 4 different V-block to get all the options he built into that one setup. Without being able to talk to the man who designed it, it would have taken the new owner a long time to see all the capabilities he designed into it. I think the same of the sine fixture with the 2 V-blocks on it. You definitely got some extremely nice, one of a kind tools.

Would really like that Steve come by your shop and talk about machining then and now. Thanks for the video.

Awesome tools. Steve obviously had alot of pride for his work.

thanks for sharing,it always surprises me of man's ability to improvise and to improve,kids of today rely to much on somebody else's work,never knowing how something is made. nice work

Isn't it sad when a craftsman such as Steve finally finishes with his tools. And what tools! I don't believe that many have seen such quality, certainly not me. He would be a most interesting guest to your shop who most of us would love to see and hear. So do your best Tom! Finally, it struck me that whatever you paid for those items you got a bargain. Regards.

Wow those tools are amazing. It must have been great to meet Steve as well. You can tell from his early work that the desire to do top notch work was there.

WOW!!! What a score!!! Now those are some great tools. I will definitely have to use some of those unique ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Great stuff, Tom. Thanks for sharing and explaining. It's nice to see things like that going to a good home.

Tom, thanks for sharing that gentleman's phenominal work, some how in wanting a latge and a mill has led to me owning a taft peirce no.1. seeing your vids on tgus stuff is a phenominal inspiration, and like you said via the power of the internet we all can learn and teach each other together. its crazy to think, but the internet is tge kost powerful thing man has ever made, let alone the ability to have it in our pockets and accessible almost at all times. thanks again Tom.

Super tool score and an interesting story to boot! Those tools are in good hands. Thanks Tom.

Thank you for sharing this. I am jealous that you managed to meet the guy who made these. I have some tools made by a toolmaker but was never able to meet him as he was my Great Grandfather and he died in the early 1900's. He was a toolmaker who worked for the railway here in Queensland and he would make tools to do just one job he needed done. He marked his tools with a simple letter punch J. Cran which is my name too, I was told from as early as I can remember that all the tools marked with my name would one day be mine and after Dad and Mum passed that happened. I now have a number of strange tools in his old wooden toolbox. Again Thank you

Excellent workmanship! Getting the rolls on that sine/v-block on location accurately is quite a feat. I have used the Moore jig grinder and it will do it but it takes time. Very few places will allow you time to do it right but I was able to on holidays, working thru breaks or whenever you could sneak it in. Check it for squareness and accuracy with a 6" magnetic cyclinder square will sometimes drive you crazy but make you happy if you can get a tenth indicator to show no movement in those 6 inches! Never seen one made like it! Beautiful work and as you say "old school"..............! I have made 3 precision vises,several angle plates and v-blocks, sine plates, etc. I can sure appreciate the amount of time he spent making it! Almost too nice to use!

That's what you call functional art. Thanks for sharing.

Love to see the thought that went into those tools. As I was making mine I would ask the older toolmakers as to their ideas and would combine those and mine, trying to get the most out of my efforts. Especially liked the ground square block with sine rolls and the V-block attached-very nice. Also appreciate when he said they were within a .0001 as that is not very easy to achieve. Spent time on the Moore Jig grinder myself. Made cylinder squares with magnets to check squareness out to 6 inches. All old school now and not appreciated by the younger generation................... Retired but still love the trade and continue to do work as a hobby mostly, life goes on................

Very interesting! Especially cool that you got to meet the guy who created those beautiful tools.

Very cool, and a very talented individual. Thank you for sharing Tom.

That four inch tall two piece v block is really neat. You find some of the coolest tools.

That V-Block ..... WOW!!! The amount of hours that went into it....I now want one, of course not as big, yet, I'm haunted by the amount of time I will have in mine, a quarter of the size lol.... absolutely beautiful and the versatility of it matches the beauty of the craftsman's ship.

I am kicking myself, at a previous job, they were closing the plant so we had the opportunity to make some tools, I made a massive version of a Herman Schmidt grinding vise and gave it away years later because of the weight, it looked a good companion to your sine v block stand!

Its amazing the Skill, Talent and abilities (Brains Too) of some individuals, this is a prime example of it in this field of Mechanical Engineering Technology. . Just Beautiful. When you put together the V Block sections you can feel the precision just by watching it.

Outstanding pieces, what an inspiration to be better. Thanks for showing these. What a special mind to envision the means to build these. GV

Wow, Steve's work is really inspiring, thanks for a great video Tom.

Really nice tools. I could tell you were Uber excited. Steve spent a lot of time making all those tools. I would think that V-block would have taken several days to make just on its own.

G'day Tom, it's great that people like yourself use U tube to share information. I'll bet a lot of young people today would not even know what a tool maker does. These kind of videos could be good to get people interested in making things again and reviving manufacturing.We have lost a lot of manufacturing here in Australia as well. I used to work in a service department for a dental supply company and most of the repairs were hand pieces with either air turbines or electric motors in them. As you could imagine you need to be able to securely hold these things while undoing various screws at 90 degrees to the drive shafts. To do this we used a V block but no ordinary V block we had a 30 degree V block which was great because it held whatever was in it nice and low and would not topple over as easily as a 45 degree V block. I reckon there would be a good market for them even low precision versions as there as lots of tradespeople like air conditioning mechanics that have to do basic mechanical repairs on site.

That was really neat Tom. I sincerely hope that this Master craftsman Toolmaker, had the opportunity during his career to pass along his knowledge and work ethic, to a younger upcoming, future machinist/toolmaker. Looking forward to a surface plate, tool measurement video on Steve's incredible, personal work tools.

Thanks for the video Tom!!! Love seeing videos of tools made by people and not machines. I have to say I wish I lived closer to you so I could come by and soak up your years of knowledge. As a fellow book lover I would love it if you please do a video on what books you find of most value for reference and general shop knowledge.

I really enjoy myself when i look at your videos , please keep up with your good work .

Appreciate you taking the time to talk in millimetres

AWESOME!!!!!! Thanks for sharing! It would have been an interesting add to have info on how long each item took to build, that always interest me when you look at someone's craft and realize their time spent.

wow, just wow.., i'm speechless. get this man on the show one day!

Very cool tools. You always find the neatest things. Thanks for showing them to us.

Spectacular craftsmanship. I would love to see those tools in use. Wow!

Thanks for sharing these tools with us. I worked as a tool and die maker for over a decade and it's a sad state of affairs in the US that an extremely important trade for many industries has no real system for apprenticeships like in Europe. 10 years ago it was cheaper for the company that I worked for to have new dies made in Germany and shipped over than make them in the States because the shortage of tradesmen drives their wages up so high even for moderately skilled guys. I imagine it's only gotten worse. On the up side, if you can get your foot in the door it's one of the highest paying skilled trades out there once you know enough to work unsupervised. Requisites are an ability to visualize complex mechanical processes in your mind and an attention to detail. While math skills are needed, basic trigonometry is generally the most complicated math they need to deal with.

One of the neat things about our post digital culture is the way we've carried forward old vocabulary: Industrial Light and Magic (is it?) George Lucas's Hollywood movie shop; Digital Tool and Die was one of the early Boston AI software shops. Tools are culture! And this fine video is one sign of it. -dlj.

That was a great video Tom, Steve's tools were beautiful, that was a good suggestion of inviting him to your workshop and making a video together. The books were interesting artefacts, I've just discovered your videos, they're very entertaining and you're quite a cool character. I look forward to watching the rest of the videos. There are so manythey will keep me entertained for ages.

Fantastic, I'm sure we all watched with admiration, recognising the skill and dedication involved in these beautiful creations. Very nice video.

Steve, if your reading any of the comments, please do pay a visit, I'm quite confident that a lot of You Tuber's would love to listen to any and all that you might share. A big thank you to Tom for sharing & up loading this video.

You came across a treasure trove my friend. I'm new to this game, and am enjoying everything I've seen today.🍻

What caught my eye in the sine dresser was the slot between the anvil surfaces... Looks like you could fit a gage block stack between there and dress really weeny teeny angles - which would really make sense for a tool maker.

Nice vid Tom, slipping into your own element, it is always nice to meet a master in one's chosen field. Happy New Year.

Yep, I ran a Moore jig grinder for a major gun company machine shop for several years and it was deadly accurate, even without a dro.

Absolutely first class plus craftsmanship! Fools in high places have allowed that sort of mastery to fall through the cracks. :>(( Thanks for the show and tell, Tom. Happy holidays to all. Eli D.

Neat stuff Tom. Can't wait until you QC those bocks!

24:50 First mention of stellite I've heard since the 1980s when I was looking into knife making. If I would have gotten my hands on that stuff, I would still be working on the same blade today, lol.

that sine dresser is really impressive! great design and construction

Cool sine block: could ese that upside down if you had a need. Love the channel - I always learn something or get ideas.

Thanks for sharing. Love the pieces and especially the books. That quote inside the Modern Shop Practice book is gold. :)

It's all about the fine details. His work is inspiring.

Exceptional work on the snow plate / tool!

Great video. An unusual set of tools for sure. Thanks for sharing.