# Number Please



## its_virgil

If you are old enough to have had a telephone operator ask you that question (Number Please?) or if you watch "The Andy Griffin Show" (Barney is hilarious) then you will recognize this. I bought my wife a real one for her birthday and noticed that all of the parts are round. 
Do a good turn daily!
Don


----------



## ericw95

Beautiful.  I know a former operator that use to say it.  Does my mother count?

Is it for sale Don?  I know a phone collector that may be interested.


----------



## Tubby

Very nice phone Don.  I bet SWMBO was impressed []

Ed Jordan
Wichita Falls, TX


----------



## low_48

That's really nice Don. We were on a party line on the farm until 1967. Our ring was a long and two shorts. Our number, 30R52. When the connection wasn't that good we had to ask the neighbors to please hang up so we could hear better. No joke. My uncle would call from Chicago and tell the operator that was the number. He would always get the same reply, "Sir, that is not a phone number."


----------



## its_virgil

Sure, I would sell it or make another with some better quality wood. And, the handset is hanging in the cradle on the wrong side. It should be on the left. I goofed on the drill press. Show it to him and we can work out a deal if he wants one.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by ericw95_
> <br />Beautiful.  I know a former operator that use to say it.  Does my mother count?
> 
> Is it for sale Don?  I know a phone collector that may be interested.


----------



## PenWorks

Hey Virgil, lookin good [] I remeber Lilly Tomlin as the operator on Laugh IN [] [] I was waiting for the mouthpeice to come off and out comes a PEN, kinda like the famed Gavel pen [] I bet you can't demo this phone in less than an hour []


----------



## its_virgil

Now you've given me anohter idea. This phone probably took 5 hours with all of the measuring. The cradle for the ear piece took as long as the rest of the piece. There are several failures on my shop floor.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by PenWorks_
> <br />Hey Virgil, lookin good [] I remeber Lilly Tomlin as the operator on Laugh IN [] [] I was waiting for the mouthpeice to come off and out comes a PEN, kinda like the famed Gavel pen [] I bet you can't demo this phone in less than an hour []


----------



## Jim15

That is really nice.


----------



## badwin

Don
That is some great turnings. Nice imagination.   I bet you could sell some of those to people who collect communications memorabilia.
Brian


----------



## Darley

very nice Don, but can't hear you[], reminder me of the British comedy ' Hallo- Hallo ' look great, is that you new mesquite crop?


----------



## Ozzy

That is a great looking phone, Don. I remember party lines and the Andy Griffith Show; Barney was (and is, I still watch it from time to time) funny.[]


----------



## pete00

> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br />If you are old enough to have had a telephone operator ask you that question (Number Please?)



good news and bad news
good news i like it, cool idea
bad news i remember .[]


----------



## its_virgil

Thanks to all who commented. It was a fun project and I'm sure I'll be making more of these and use some wood without the cracks. I just grabbed some mesquite pieces I had and started turning. 

Serge,
The moicrophone on top of the candlestick phone and the hand piece hanging in the craddle are from some pieces I had from the bowl blank cut offs I just cut. I made 40 more bowl blanks this week. They are going to start hauling off the pushed up trees as soon as the trucks can get to it. 

Do a good turn daily!
Don



> _Originally posted by Darley_
> <br />very nice Don, but can't hear you[], reminder me of the British comedy ' Hallo- Hallo ' look great, is that you new mesquite crop?


----------



## Dario

Very nice Don.  I agree that there possibly is a market for some of these.


----------



## beathard

Your showing a little age with this one! []  Nice work.  How is the sound? and How many people are on your party line?


----------



## Hiram33

a very nice job and a nice piece for an office


----------



## wudnhed

Way cool, Don!


----------



## ericw95

Hey Don - I showed this to my co-worker and although he was not interested in purchasing he was impressed with your eye for detail.  He did tell me that you actually made the limited edition phone that was made especially for lefties.


----------



## its_virgil

So, I guess the price can be raised and I should stop telling that I drilled on the wrong side by mistake. [] Thanks Eric.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by ericw95_
> <br />Hey Don - I showed this to my co-worker and although he was not interested in purchasing he was impressed with your eye for detail.  He did tell me that you actually made the limited edition phone that was made especially for lefties.


----------



## johncrane

very nice work Don!also you could ad a cable to it l reckon your onto somethink here Don.[]


----------



## pendemonium

That's awesome.


----------



## bradh

> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br /> This phone probably took 5 hours with all of the measuring. The cradle for the ear piece took as long as the rest of the piece. There are several failures on my shop floor.


Don,
  When I looked at it, the cradle looked to be the only non-turning, how did you end up making that part?
  Looks fantastic, I might have to try my hand at one of these. These phones were gone before my time, but I have always loved the look of these old phones.


----------



## its_virgil

Thanks Brad. The cradle was the most difficult part. Several tries but I finally did it. I used a bandsaw to saw out the basic shape, but when I tried to saw the arms they kept breaking. I finally used some drum sanders in a Jacob's chuck on the lathe and sanded the cradle to its final size. That seemed to work very well. The HF item # is 42006 but it is not on the online catalogue. I could post a piture with measurements if there is any interest.

Do a good turn daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by bradh_
> <br />
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br /> This phone probably took 5 hours with all of the measuring. The cradle for the ear piece took as long as the rest of the piece. There are several failures on my shop floor.
> 
> 
> 
> Don,
> When I looked at it, the cradle looked to be the only non-turning, how did you end up making that part?
> Looks fantastic, I might have to try my hand at one of these. These phones were gone before my time, but I have always loved the look of these old phones.
Click to expand...


----------



## Mudder

Don,

You are aware that we live in the 21st century and they have those thingy's that don't have wires anymore?

Very nice work. I'm impressed.


----------



## ed4copies

Mudder,

Don's has no wires either.  Just can't make "long-distance" calls (over 25 feet!)


----------



## its_virgil

Ed and Scott: I just haven't found the right "chord" material for the wire. The phone won't remain "wireless" forever. thanks for looking.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


----------



## ed4copies

Don,
My recollection is that they used a simple two wires in one sheathing, similar to an outdoor extension cord (16 ga type).  I know it was before the time of the "curly" hand-set wires.

Shouldn't be hard to make something convincing.  About 4 feet long IIRC.

Yes, I am old enough to remember them and my mother had one in the house for eons - didn't work, just kept it on her desk.


----------



## bob393

Very Cool


----------



## Texas Taco

> _Originally posted by its_virgil_
> <br />If you are old enough to have had a telephone operator ask you that question (Number Please?) or ......



That's how they did it before the push buttons?  Wow learn something new everyday!  [}]


Ok I do remember that and Barney.  The only phone like it that I used had the cradle on the right side as the one you built.  

I like it Don.


----------

