Thread: Sher Mastermatic Electric Drill

Lois

Welcome to the forum. Yes, you are in the right place and among friendly souls (although most have a rather twisted sense of humour which takes some getting used to).

I don't know the name of the drill attachments you mention but I think I have an idea what you are referring to. I recall my father-in-law having something along these lines (dating from the 50's). The attachments included a sander and a circular saw. The saw is a really DANGEROUS item. I would not attempt to use it. It does not make sense to do so (unless you have a suicidal bent) since manufacturers such as GMC and others now sell reasonable woodworking equipment at incredibly low prices. You can buy a safe, dedicated circular saw for under $50.

Where about in Perth are you? I'm in Rossmoyne. There are others on the forum from Perth as well. Just yell out if you want any help sorting out what tools are what.

Regards

Derek

Thanks Derek.

I thought I'd be the only one awake at this time)
Disappointed to read it's dangerous. I was quite taken by it, as you can also groove and rebate and cut on an angle. It doesn't look as if dad ever did use it though. I'd say it was mid 60's as it has £ and $ price on the instructions.

I have got a much larger circular saw, but it's very heavy and thought it would be too big for me to handle. I was always taught to respect anything electrical, barbed wire and sharp things)

I want to cut the bottom off a jarrah door and put on a storm proof seal and find it hard going with a hand saw. I haven't had trouble with hand saws before, but maybe they are blunt. I read somewhere that it was easier to use a finer toothed saw to cut with. Is this correct? I'll have to find the tool and files to sharpen a suitable saw. I remember watching dad do that when I was a child. I've found the instructions for that in a book.

Yes, I will need help identifying the tools. They are mostly lovely old hand tools and planes etc, but I've come across some I haven't any idea what they are.

Thanks

Gooday Lois and welcome to the board.

Why not post pics up on board?

You would get a response from more people and probably make some teary eyed as they say " Oh yeah I had one of those"

Just a thought.

I hope this attachment works. The quality didn't look too good though.

Lois

Yes, I'm afraid that is the circular saw attachment I thought it would be. My late FIL had one made by Black & Decker.

These were designed in an era when dedicated tools were unavailable (at a reasonable price) for the handiman, and this was one of the solutions. DON'T use it. Not only will it be hard to control (your large circular saw would be easier!), but I doubt very much that the blade would be capable of producing a decent chip-free cut, even if you did find a way to use it.

Ideally you need a 7 1/4" circular saw. However, you can use your "large" one (9 1/2" ?) by clamping a straight edge to the bottom of the door and using this as a fence to guide the saw. Make sure the door is secure in the horizontal and nothing can move.

Regards

Derek

Thanks very much Derek.

I'll take your advice and won't use it.

Lois

Hi Lois.

From another WA resident, but down south in Albany.

I had one of those, an earlier model, back in the late 50s or very early 60s, when I lived in SA. I bought it to use in the building of a 20' Flying 15 sailing boat. If yours has decimal currency symbols as well as imperial then it probably dates to 1966. Sing along now all you old people ------ "On the 14th of February 1966....."

It made a terrible cut, and scary to use, and I resorted to hand saws. I had the advantage that my Dad was a woodworker, a pattern maker, and had some good, sharp saws.

The one task it did that would otherwise have been a real chore using hand tools was cut dados. Mine had wobble washers as part of the kit.

I loaned it to a friend and it was never returned. That bloke probably saved me a finger or two.

I agree. Don't use it. Having to support the drill while using the saw leaves you very vulnerable if anything goes wrong, and things do go wrong.

As to your handsaws, get them sharpened by a sharpening service, it is cheap, and try to arrange to watch the process as a learning exercise. If you are going to do it yourself you will need the tools for the job.

Derek, can you give Lois the name of a good service in Perth???

Robert and Lois

I would skip the handsaw attempt completely. Don't waste your time (Lois, this is coming from a hand tool fanatic!). Since the objective is to cut the bottom of a door, the cut must be perfectly straight or it will look terrible. A circular saw (not even a guided jig saw) is the tool of choice.

Just by the way, the costs of resharpening a handsaw run to $20 on average. In the past I have given them to a local tool shop, who send them on to their sharpener.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Hi Robert

I've got the tools (somewhere) to sharpen saws. I've even got a wooden stand that holds the saw. I presume dad made that. Not sure of what sort of file to use though, but I've got lots of them. Anyway, I'll try and find a professional until I'm sure of what I'm doing. Yes, it would be good if I could actually watch the process. I actually live NE of Perth.

Cut out the 'old' bit...I remember 1966 very clearly. LOL

Thanks for your comments, appreciated.

Hi Derek

I had thought of a jigsaw, but I bought one and haven't used it yet, so I'll skip that option as well.

I've already put storm proof seals on two doors and cut them with a hand saw and they worked OK. Mind you, if it was a bit off line you can't see, because the seal covers it) I did measure and draw a guide line though.

This door seems a lot harder to cut for some reason.

Glad you're into hand tools, you'll be a wealth of information.

I was doing a clean out of my garage and threw away one of those a couple of weeks ago. It was brand new, never used and in it's original box. It broke my heart to get rid of it only because it may be a collectors item in a few years. I should have put mine away for my daughter to find when she has to clear my stuff out. It may be worth something in a few years. After all, look what's happened to most of that art decco stuff. I'm a bit of a bowerbird as most DIYers are but I told myself before I started the cleanout that I was determined to be ruthless. Maybe I wasn't ruthless enough because I still kept a few pairs of my daughters ski outfits and boots from age 4 - 16 plus a pair of ice skates. All of which should come in handy here in Port Macquarie.
Saws such as the one you mention were the forerunners of the modern DIY tools and were more of a gimmick than practical. Most DIYers my age (51) and older have to move something similar out of the way when rummaging through the toolbox when looking for something.

Lois, belatedly, welcome to the forum. Any old hand tools you have are probably very good quality and well worth preserving and using.

Derek is right about cutting off the bottom of a door with a handsaw. To make a cut of that length and keep it straight and square requires some practice and, from someone who knows, not everyone developes that skill.

There are plenty of cheap power saws in the marketplace right now. There seems to be a new brandname on show every week.

GMC products received a lot of criticism when they 1st hit the shelves (they replaced Ryobi in that regard) but, lately, have been getting some good press. The company offers a 2 year warranty and, so I am told, honours it. I have a GMC cordless drill, all $37 worth, that I bought to cover me while the chuck of my Bosch was being replaced. It works as well as I can expect from a drill at that price and is a useful 2nd drill to avoid constantly changing bits.

The problem with boxed items is that the one you see on the shelves is not the one you buy. Insist on opening the box, make sure everything is there, check it out well, check the sole for flatness, check the scales for accuracy and check that there is no play in the shaft and bearings that carry the blade. The blade may not be high quality so consider the probability that you will be buying a replacement in the near future.

Adrian

I'm also a bowerbird, as was my dad. It will go back in the shed, but maybe I'll put a note in it saying don't use! Let someone else have the joy of finding it later)

Anything mum didn't know what to do with in the house, was sent down to the shed.

Robert

I also bought a cordless drill when the Sher was getting fixed. I have even used dad's old hand drill that he gave me over 20 years ago. I think he paid 2/6 for it.

Yes I think some of the stuff will be good quality, I just need to identify what they are for and how to clean them etc. Some have rust on, but some are in very good condition.

I'll remember your tips when buying anything in future.