Comments on: Where to Buy Vintage Tools

By: G Wilson

G Wilson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:23:36 +0000

I was just asked if I wanted about three large workshops full of tools, most of them are hammers, wrenches and saws and some woodworking stuff, but there are tons of them. The owner said he just does not want the hassle of going through all the stuff and is selling me the lot cheap.

I know nothing about old tools, but these seem nice and are in good condition.

The wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers are all heavy and I would guess mostly from the late 40s or so, a few earlier, through maybe late 60s. The place is packed with tools, most look dark and oiled, I didn’t see any rust.

The big stuff, maybe two dozen two-man saws, for example, I have no clue how to get rid of at all.

I have been given a week to clear the stuff out before they sell the property.

It is isolated property with no one living in the old house so I am very reluctant to get an appraiser out there, just to be on the safe side.

Any half way decent way to figure out what this stuff is worth? I will keep as much as I can, but have no place for a lot of this stuff. I am still going through this stuff, and need some guidance.

Is there a site with wrenches, hammers, etc from this era I could look at to get a ballpark figure? I have some pictures.

Do some of the thrift shops, say Hospice or Habitat accept donations like this, was thinking of giving a fair amount of the stuff to a charity.

thanks,

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:10:18 +0000

Chris,
I read your Handplanes book cover to cover. I’ve looked at ebay and some of these other sites that you mention above to get a sense of which vintage handplanes are out there, and what the relative costs are. My question is, do you recommend one type of Stanley (Type 11, bedrock, sweetheart, etc.) over another? I guess I’m wondering if you’ve had better luck avoiding lemons (and bananas) over the years by sticking with one group or another.

Basically, I’m a beginner who’s trying to buy a few planes and start trying them out, while hoping to avoid too much metal(re)working. Thanks for your help.

Anthony

PS, Yes, I really did read it cover to cover. I resisted the urge to skip forward or past the parts I had read elsewhere, and just went straight through. Thanks for putting together a great book.

By: Bill T.

Bill T. — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:32:42 +0000

Well cool! Glad to see Sandy and Tony getting props from Da Schwarz.

I’ve known Tony for years now and actually stopped by his little storefront in Nesquehoning, PA. He’s apparently attempting to test the floor load capacity of the place – I keep expecting to hear that his shop fell into the basement. It’s the old "10 pounds of [stuff] in a 5 pound bag."

And many moons ago, I was at Crane’s auction in New Hampshire and Sandy Moss made some great cherry ice cream in an old hand-cranked ice cream churn, while we all sat around the camp fire, drinking beer, eating smoked meat and swapping tool-buying tales.

You’d have to try pretty hard to go wrong dealing with either one.

By: Garage sales

Garage sales — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:31:32 +0000

Buying a tool at a garage sale is often a toss up because there are no batterieis or plugs outside to test but you could always bring your own batteries if your that anal, but the way I see it is your getting an amazing deal already so take the tossup to save 60-95% thanks to a flea market or yard sale.

By: Mitchell

Mitchell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:39:45 +0000

I spend half my life looking for old tools on the web. I spend the other half looking for a life, but that is a confession for another blog.

While every avid collector has their preferences, the one thing that should be noted about site recommendations is that they are based on the individuals’ collection focus. While one site may be a gold mine for one collector, it could be a huge waste of time for another. It all boils down to what the individual is interested in finding.

After a couple of years searching the web for vintage tools, I have been able to catalogue almost all of the sites out there and have organized them all under four different bookmarks headed; Daily, Weekly, Monthly and When Bored. The number of listings under each grows in that same order, I might add, but again, they are also based on the type of tools I am looking for.

In truth, there is only one site under the "Daily" category, and that is Jim Bode Tools, at jimbodetools.com. If there is a site out there with a better selection, operated by a more knowledgeable and honest individual, I haven’t seen it.

Peace,

Mitchell

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:50:34 +0000

Chris,

I’m sure you’re ready for a lot of, "You should also try…" from people in other regions. Well, you should also try Lynn Dowd, in the Dallas area. He’s a great guy, woodworker, seller, and source of knowledge, who braves the spider-filled shacks of Texas for remarkable finds. His site: http://www.dowdstools.com/

Sean