Thread: My 1930's Farm Shop

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Restoring Granddads old forge kind of side tracked me from the Dodge for the last couple of months but every once in a while I need a break from the project cars.

I think I did a pretty fair representation of what was in the 1930s farm shop
on the family farm (and I like not having a tin roof and dirt floor). I still have to use the area for storage of some things like oil, carbs, small parts, books until I get my new shop built, but for the most part I’m pretty much satisfied with it.




Besides the forge and post drill I already posted about, I have Granddads/Dads anvil, and found and restored an era correct post vice and belt driven grinder. The grinder is old enough that it can be set up to run off either a flat belt from a line shaft or a V Belt and electric motor (as it’s currently set up for). I was lucky enough to find dated ads for most of the tools which helps date them and provides a bit of information to go along with them.








The more I did the more out of place the scruffy, white, 40 year old refrigerator looked but I didn’t have any other place for. I thought for a while about using wood veneer and making it look like a cabinet of some kind, but couldn’t find any veneers that I felt would look right.

While having a couple of barley pops one evening it came to me that when granddad he returned from WWI he had spent a few years as a rail road guard before he returned to the farm. As far as I know (but can’t confirm) Granddad worked for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Rail Road and Galesburg was his home station. Anyway a few cans of paint, some masking tape and a couple pieces of hardware and it didn’t look like a refrigerator anymore. Admittedly a safe wouldn’t have been found in an old farm shop, but it does tie into the family history.





My 8 year old Grandson has been a big motivator in this and has helped with the restoration on a lot of the tools. Yeah, when I walk into the shop now I get a big smile on my face and even sometimes almost feel Dad and Granddad there.

Mike that really looks good! You never know who is looking over your shoulder!

man that looks great. I love the refrigerator.

Great Job Mike – I especially like the drill press. Your father and his father would be proud but even more important is the fact that you’re touching the life of an eight year old boy who thinks that his grandfather is the neatest guy on earth. I sometimes think if I’d known how very special grand kids were I may have skipped the kids! They certainly are God’s blessing for enduring their parents as teenagers..

What a marvelous room – hope you have a couple chairs and maybe an old coffee pot out there as it’s the kind of place where it will be great to sit and visit. I see you’ve already started stocking the “safe” with some cool beverages to enjoy on those warm Arizona afternoons – I may just have to come join ya some afternoon!

Regards,
Glenn

Thats pretty cool. Love the drill press too. I have some old tools I have acquired. Found alot of stuff in the scrap pile. Hopefully one day I will do somthing similar. I still remember my grandad's single car, dirt floor garage. From the stories I heard when I was a kid, I can almost see my dad tinkering on his whizzer or one of his cars. Again really cool.

Super Job Mike!!!! The new old shop looks great and the fridge is a work of art!!! Way kewl, something for you and your grandson to do together and preserving a bit of family history at the same time!!!

Thanks for the comments guys there are a lot of craftsmen here and your comments mean a lot.

Glen you are welcome here any time, although I'd probably bore you to death with old stories. Yes there are a couple of chairs in there (one I'll probably reupholster and the other waiting sand blasting and painted when the humidity goes back down). There is also an old metal coffe pot that sits on the wood stove (converted to burn waste oil) in the winter time.

that is one awesome shop

Reminds me of the shop at the farm where I grew up, wasn't supposed to go in there at all.!!!

All it is missing is a Sears & Roebuck catalog and a Carling Black Label poster!

Great shop for telling young kids old stories!!!

While I was back in Il last week I collected up my dad’s and granddads hand tools that date from the 1900’s thru about the 30’s.

Dad had 2 brothers and during the 30’s Granddad supervised all of them building individual wooden tool chests to store their tools in. Only one of the chests survived being stored in the old dirt floored machine shed. That one belonged my uncle who died in his teens. It has a little mice damage but overall is in really nice shape for being 80+ years old.



By the time I dug out all the old tools it was filled to the top with a variety of wrenches, tire irons, valve lappers, grease guns, auto oilers and grease cups. There was also a brass Model T tire pump and some horns.









I’ve started the derusting process on part of the tools, it will definitely keep me and the grandson busy for a while.

I also found this on the shelf and although I didn’t have a clue about what it was, it was just too cool not to bring back. I researched it yesterday and found out it’s called an Auto-Sparker. It’s a small dynamo that is friction driven off the flywheel of an engine (think the old hit and miss engines). It is basically a battery eliminator for low tension ignition systems. The governor weights on the end will cause friction wheel to pull away flywheel so the dynamo doesn’t over speed. I’m really looking forward to getting around to restoring this.

Really neat stuff Mike, should really be a great addition the the collection and a great opportunity for your grandson to appreciate the past!!!!

Great job on the tools and the setup, the drill, the railroad lantern in the back by the fridge, The fridge is absolutely awesome!!! great job using the noggin on that bringing some history to cover up the modern!

Mike,,absolutely awesome...Words fail me,,cos what you have done,and saved,are things that a lot of people seem to miss out on..You have done a real neat job on the shop,,perfect.. love the fridge too,,,real kool..

Very cool stuff. I have a good sized post drill I picked up years ago. Came with no motor and it is mounted on a heavy oak board. I need to get that thing up and running. Yours looks very nice. Mine seems to be about twice that size.
Mark

Thanks guys, I'll get some updated pictures up when I get a bit of the new tools cleaned up and displayed. I brought home more tools than I have wall space for but the old wood tool chest will be a nice and appropriate place to store the excess.

"....I have a good sized post drill I picked up years ago....... Mine seems to be about twice that size......"

I'd belive it Mark, I came across some real monsters when I was hunting for mine. I ended up with this one because it was the exact modle we had on the farm when I was growing up.