Tool Photos by Sean Gallagher

August 9, 2019 12:01 PM

Sean Gallagher: Photographing generations of my family's tools and telling their stories. (IG link)

"I've always loved this crate hammer"
Small drawer of compasses and random plotting tools.
"This one rocked me back on my heels"
"This is from a small cabinet my grandfather built"

posted by bondcliff (14 comments total)

I love pictures of tools but especially drawers of tool boxes. Seeing and puzzling over what users group together is so much fun. Like why the glass cutter in amongst the "Small drawer of compasses and random plotting tools".
posted by Mitheral at 12:25 PM on August 9, 2019

I love pictures of tools but especially drawers
that;s one of the reasons i like /r/toolporn so much

posted by Dr. Twist at 12:33 PM on August 9, 2019 [2 favorites]

Use incognito by the way to skip IG paywall thingy.

Also, I'm jealous of a lot of this but the slick (for removing bark usually) makes me drool. Those hand vices are nice too, I wonder why so many.... And that folding drawknife.... nice cache.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:13 PM on August 9, 2019

Is this the guy who used to co-host the Tool Talk podcast? That was such a good show!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:25 PM on August 9, 2019

Hey folks! It definitely took me a second to realize that yes, I was seeing myself on the front page. I've had to take a bit of a step back after losing my father a few months ago, and now that I'm kind of back at it (haltingly, I still have bad days) it's way more emotional than it was before.

If anyone has any questions I'll be happy to answer! And no, I don't host any podcasts, but if you do hit me up!

And thanks to bondcliff for the post, i don't think he knew I was a member here.
posted by nevercalm at 1:34 PM on August 9, 2019 [29 favorites]

Reminds me of my brother-in-laws Pneumatic Power series. He prints these photos at super large scale (6 or 7 feet wide).
posted by howa2396 at 1:56 PM on August 9, 2019 [2 favorites]

Always wondered what the curvy box wrench was for but nice photo but little description.
posted by sammyo at 2:17 PM on August 9, 2019

I thought this would include some artsy shots of Maynard, Danny and Adam...
posted by Chuffy at 2:54 PM on August 9, 2019 [2 favorites]

This is awesome! Being a photographer and woodworking teacher (I've even done a similar project in grad school), I love this!
posted by blaneyphoto at 2:55 PM on August 9, 2019

Old tools are great. I have this really old tack hammer that I got from my father in-law. It’s so simple and elegant and nicely balanced, with a gorgeous patina from years of use. It’s a piece of art as much as anything.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:58 PM on August 9, 2019

Curved wrenches are for getting around obstacles when a straight wrench wouldn't fit. They still make and sell them.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:51 PM on August 9, 2019

They used to be pretty common as they were used to adjust some distributors.
posted by Mitheral at 6:10 PM on August 9, 2019

I love this one and the way you can see that the edges have been worn down and curved over time. Just gorgeous.
posted by Cuke at 8:42 PM on August 9, 2019

Holy cow, howa2396, those are gorgeous.

And the others nailed the curved box wrenches, just for stuff you can't quite reach with a straight wrench. I also find them sometimes more comfortable to use.
posted by nevercalm at 7:51 AM on August 10, 2019