Most of the guns I use regularly were made before I was born does that count?

 
I found this Craftsman rev counter in my Grandfather's basement workshop after he passed. I have had a few occasions to use it. Still in the original box.
 

All my anvils & swage block certainly are.
Most of my blacksmithing tools are and many of my hand tools as well.

Alot of my woodworking hand tools are much older than me. I used to be into traditional woodworking, and I'd go around to flea markets & buy up old planes, chisels, etc. Back then they were just old tools that guys wanted to get rid of. Now they're called antiques so the prices on even unusable old tools are outrageous.

I got most of my dad’s tools when he died. Lots were bought during my lifetime but one I think predates me. The hammer he used to provide for our family is on the wall of my shop and gets used frequently. The handle is worn smooth and it shows the years of use. It’s a priceless heirloom IMO.

All the time.

A pre-WWII tap from my great grandfather's machinist chest got me out of a jam recently fixing something from the 1950's for which finding a tap on the shelf anywhere in an odd thread size was not going to happen.

My grandfather was tool fanatic. He acquired all sorts of tools, both working or broken, from auctions or discount houses. He enjoyed basic repair and renewal of the tools and machines as much using them. A just in case kind of guy who hung onto everything workshoppy.
Many of the power tools are all very dated and worn but I have a few choice items like a lathe, two drill presses, welder, press and grinders that are put to regular use at 70-100 years old.

 
I was an apprentice and journeyman in a custom millwork shop in Rockville MD. We primarily used machines, but some of those were quite old.
 
The machine that bored slat holes for louvered doors and slat blinds was 19th century, with babbitted bearings that required constant oiling while in use. It bored stiles in pairs, ratcheting them along to each position . The same machine appeared on an episode of This Old House when they visited an old mill powered by a stream and paddle wheel.
 
Our 14ft lathe came from a shop that ran off a single shop-wide belt in the ceiling. It was mounted in our shop with the motor up in the ceiling, to make use of the original drive belt.
 
Our 6" x 12" moulder was built in the early 20th century, driven by an array of flat belts. It had cutter heads on all 4 sides, and we ground our own cutter profiles. At one point, we had it rebuilt by the same company (in York PA) that was the original manufacturer (rebuild cost was $10k). It used an immense 3 phase motor (I want to say 25 or 30 HP) that vibrated the whole concrete slab when it started up.
 
When the Metro came to town, we won most of the job of fabricating their bench "slats" (4 per bench), which were 3" x 6" white oak with nothing more than S4S and all edges rounded over. Most shops bid them by using a planer, jointer, and a router (or shaper) to round the edges. With our moulder, it was a single setup to take rough from the drying mill white oak and run it through the moulder, a finished product coming out the other end. There was not much 3" white oak to be found on the East Coast by the time Metro was completed.

A lot of my tools are older than I am. I was a young man when my father passed away and I’m an only son so I have all of his tools. My maternal grandfather was a machinist at the Chicago post office and I have quite a few of his tools now as well.

I have some old tools, some were my Dad's tools, and some I accumulated over the years.

My favorite is a pair of very old Brace & Bit drilling tools. They are probably close to 100 years old.

I like using them occasionally because they will do things I can't do otherwise. With these I can drill a deeper hole or through a thicker piece of wood, as well as drill a wider diameter hole than I have the capacity to do in my modern drill press and bit sizes.

Plus, there is just a great feeling of satisfaction using a purely mechanical device and seeing it throw out the hole shavings as it works.

About 3 or 4 years ago I met an older gentleman who was liquidating his tool collection. He spent something like 60 years collecting what he called "the tools that built American from the onset". These tools were from the 1600's to early late 19th century, and most of them were functional works of art. It was incredible seeing his building jammed full of vintage tools, and he loved to talk about what was there, when and where it was from, what it did and how, etc.

It was sad to see him liquidating his collection, he told me he and his wife were both in their late 70's of age and if he died first, she'd have no idea how and what to do with it. I tried to talk him into starting a Tool Museum of the tools that built America, but he just shook his head.
.

My FIL gave me all of his Dad's tools from the farm. I use them sparingly as they are pretty tired...

I have some of my great grandfather's tools. Unfortunately, when he died in Florida his workshop in Michigan was ransacked and his serious stuff stolen.

My every day pair of pliers were his, probably from the 1920's. A couple of adjustable wrenches of the same vintage get some use.

I have a couple of flashdrivers that my dad manufactured in the early 1950's. A friend had patented having a small flashlight built into a screwdriver. They had a business making them but didn't profit. We had a bunch when I was a kid as our regular use tools. I have one new in the box still.

Got a few Snap-on tools from the '20s & '30s. They have date codes on most of them.

5/8" and 5/16" drive ratchets are hard to come by. I have a 1/2" drive handle that has the part no 1.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
I’ve got a putty knife that was my grandfather’s. I remember that my dad had it when I was a kid and the handle was broken. He had it taped with real old-style electrical tape, black cloth, sticky on both sides. A few years ago I put a set of nice wood scales for it. It’s a real sentimental favorite now. I suppose it could be at or near 100 years old.

Somehow, your story makes me feel good.

I have my grandfather's hammer that built his house.

Not quite a tool, but up until about ten years ago, I used a clock radio that my mother used to own as a teenager.

My hands are older than I am...

I don't think it's older than me, but I have a tool that is 50-ish years old, a Lisle battery terminal puller similar to this.


(Stock photo, and is also for pulling wiper arms.)

I have used it for more than just battery terminals. It has pulled more than one trigger wheel off a distributor (not seen on engines for ~30 years), and a number of wiper arms, actually working better than a couple of specialized wiper arm pullers that I have. To keep the screw from walking off and marring the threads, I leave the nut partway on.