Weekend finds
Today I picked up these tools from an older gentleman named Peter who used to be a wine barrel maker in his younger years. Now in his mid 80s, he is retired and his body isn’t able to grip the tools in his collection anymore. So he’s selling them off slowly. In this visit with Peter, I purchased these this a lot of tools. The last time I visited Peter, he mentioned “When I pass my kids will sell off my tools about for about a buck a piece”.
I usually go to sales for tools because of the great deals I can find, however I’m OK paying a bit more than I’m used to paying because in addition to the tools I get great conversation and knowledge from Peter. For this lot I paid $150. This included 3 hammers each for $10 two vintage Plumb hammers and a Vaughan 10oz, 5 wooden handle screwdriver including a Stanley hurwood stubby hex chuck from the early 1900s! There is also a $20 SH Stanley block plane, $40 greenLee 8 inch draw knife, 1/2 mortise chisel and 1/4 inch gouge each $10, a horse hair shop bush for $10 and maybe my favorite find of the day a jar of 1 inch brass screws.
I can tell the money helps Peter out so I have never haggled with his prices. I never look anything up. I pick out tools I like, Peter tells me the price and usually tells me a bit about the tool and his history with that tool. Then I agree to purchase it or pass. There are still a few tools I want including a 4 1/4 hand plane from Australia and a adze for wood carving but that will have to wait till next time.