Before There Was Calculators.

I was taught to use a slide rule, trig tables and log tables in high school. Scientific calculators were just becoming affordable when I started college in 1974. I think the day I got my first scientific calculator rates among the happiest days of my life, along with the birth of my children, etc. I have never looked back with nostalgia at slide rules or tables. I have not used them since 1974 and I have no desire to ever again :D
 
You guys got me thinkin' (dangerous) about the distant past when slide rules ruled. I went digging around in my calculator drawer and found
a circular slide rule (from high school) my dad's very old wooden slide rule, three 6" mini slide rules??, my trusty log log decitrig that was a requirement to have hanging on your belt if you were a dedicted engineering student, and somewhere i have a cilendrical slide rule that if "unrolled"
woul be like 5 foot long (for greater accurcy). Then came my piece de resistance, my Curta mechanical hand cranked calculator which was a dream to use when I was on surveying crews. Then of course came the HP electronic hand held wonder that I have 4 different models of. jeese! Totally rediculous, except for the fact that I looked up Curta calculators online and the dang things are going for between 1000 to 2000 bucks! Thanks for making me dig into the collection!

one last thing I have to mention that I learned in high school:
As the animals left the ark, Noah told them to go forth and multiply. After some while, Noah happened upon two snakes sunning themselves. "Why aren't you multiplying?" Noah asked. The snakes replied, "We can't, we're adders."
So Noah and his sons went into the nearby forest and felled some trees. They made a platform of logs onto which they placed the snakes. You see, even adders can multiply on a log table.

Sorry
 
ch2co said:
You guys got me thinkin' (dangerous) about the distant past when slide rules ruled. I went digging around in my calculator drawer and found
a circular slide rule (from high school) my dad's very old wooden slide rule, three 6" mini slide rules??, my trusty log log decitrig that was a requirement to have hanging on your belt if you were a dedicted engineering student, and somewhere i have a cilendrical slide rule that if "unrolled"
woul be like 5 foot long (for greater accurcy). Then came my piece de resistance, my Curta mechanical hand cranked calculator which was a dream to use when I was on surveying crews. Then of course came the HP electronic hand held wonder that I have 4 different models of. jeese! Totally rediculous, except for the fact that I looked up Curta calculators online and the dang things are going for between 1000 to 2000 bucks! Thanks for making me dig into the collection!

one last thing I have to mention that I learned in high school:
As the animals left the ark, Noah told them to go forth and multiply. After some while, Noah happened upon two snakes sunning themselves. "Why aren't you multiplying?" Noah asked. The snakes replied, "We can't, we're adders."
So Noah and his sons went into the nearby forest and felled some trees. They made a platform of logs onto which they placed the snakes. You see, even adders can multiply on a log table.

Sorry
Click to expand...
Yes I also have a few old slide rules including a circular trigonometry special, and a Sun Hemmi, a very nice engineering model from around 1970.

That story about the ark is very funny, do you mind if I copy and share it with some friends here in downunderland.
 
Well I stole it from somebody so steal away! It’s too good not to share.
 
I still have my slide rule, it's great for very quick, fairly accurate figures.
 
silly! A Kennedy Box is a box you keep Kennedys in.

Kennedy is a brand of tool boxes. Typically painted brown with many drawers to keep (and loose) tools in.
Considered as a must have by many.
 
ch2co said:
silly! A Kennedy Box is a box you keep Kennedys in.

Kennedy is a brand of tool boxes. Typically painted brown with many drawers to keep (and loose) tools in.
Considered as a must have by many.
Click to expand...

As in used politicians.

I get it It's just a brand name fro a generic draw type tool box. We have similar here but different brand names usually named after the big box hardware, and auto parts stores that sell them. And if you've got more money than brains, you can get them with names like Snap on.

In my day we made ours out of scrap timber, still got mine was made in 1961 while first year apprentice.
 
Yeah Kennedy’s have almost a cult following. They go WAY BACK in time. I have two of them. They are primarily used for bench top small tools. They also make a lot of other style general tool boxes I’ve got several. One for plumbing, one for electrical, one for general carpentry etc. 3 of these are red and two are brown., but when I think of Kennedy cases I usually think if the bench top units.

5C548262-D397-466D-8AAF-9C1F150AF857.jpeg
 
I get it. As I said mine is similar style but made out of wood, i'll get a photo of up here sometime. Some guys who were good at sheet metal work made their own in that style, Nowadays they just buy them fro the big box store.
 
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