Old Hand Tools- Where to look to find them.

[Tommy Emmons]

Where do you folks go to look for old hand tools? Do you go to antique shops, garage sales, flea markets, ebay, or other? I would like to have an idea of where to look while I am trying to while away the time while my wife is shopping. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[george wilson]

I used to go to the big flea markets in Pennsylvania.Adamstown,Kutztown. Lots of flea markets and antique stores all over the place. You could get nice carving tools for $2.00 each in the early 70's. I bought many of them. Later on,they were wanting $40.00 for gouges. I gradually collected all the sizes of letter and number stamps with serifs from 1/32" to 1/2". Those are still a bargain,especially since they aren't made anymore.

My favorite set is 1/4",but must be really early for several reasons: the stamps were left as chisel cut off on the end you hammer,the stamps are made of crudely rolled square stock-flat on opposing sides,and bulged on the other 2.Lastly,the letters are true Roman letters with,for example,the letters have 1 thick leg,and 1 thin leg,like proper printing type. I've never seen any others like it. Many real old tools were left for the owners to "finish up",like in having no handles on the chisels,saws only pre sharpened. The ends of the stamps I have had to be ground square to use. I think they are very early 19th.C.,possibly late 18th.C..

Those flea markets are still there,and you still can find good stuff.

[Tom Adger]

I have put on a few miles walking around our local flea market, and found a few(very few) good things. My best luck has been ebay. Their search engine is very good, but be specific. I have bought hand planes, up to a Ridgid jointer, and have yet to be disappointed. I use esnipe to set my maximum bid, then go about my business. They place my bid, up to my max, 4 seconds before the auction time ends. All automatic. Very cheap to use their service. If interested, google "esnipe", and get set up for the next time you want to bid on something.

[Carl Maeda-San Diego]

My best deals have been at estate sales. I got most of my hand planes at one estate sale since they had them for $5 each. My wife loves the antiques so every once in a while, I'll go with her.
I did try garage sales and got a few things from there but people at garage sales tend to ask for a lot more.
I also got a few hand tools on ebay too. I did pay the most here and I had pretty good experiences.

When you buy stuff always ask any questions you have. Check stuff out, handle it if you can. Look for stuff like welds on hand planes

[Sam Takeuchi]

eBay is good if you are careful and thorough. Read description carefully (even some silly term of sales if they have it) and ask for more info if there is anything that doesn't seem clear. Ask for more pictures if there is any part of the tool that's not covered. I had a dealing with a seller who was trying to sell a Stanley #7 with busted frog (type 11, top part of frog was either broken or ground off, so the top part of the frog looked square rather than round, and missing lateral adjustment lever because it was attached to the missing or broken part), claiming it a "nice user", "no chip or crack on knob and tote", "solid body with no crack or repair", blah blah. From one of the pictures he put up, I could kind of see that problem, but asking seller was no use. Asked for pictures and he sent pictures of frog with lever cap and blade on, taken from the top (can't see the problem, can I?). After I didn't get a good response, I ignored that item. It's been nearly a month and he still hasn't received a feedback on that item (I keep checking on it to see if unsuspecting buyer would leave a negative feedback).

On the internet front, there are few reputable sellers who have eyes for sound tools. Sandy (http://www.sydnassloot.com/tools.htm) is one, and also Patrick Leach (http://www.supertool.com/oldtools.htm) sends monthly list of tools for sale. And then there is Brass City Records & Tools (http://www.brasscityrecords.com/toolworks/new%20tools.html) to name a few. There are more, of course. They might seem slightly more expensive than getting a deal on eBay, but they don't sell you junk.

Can't say much about flea market and garage sale since that doesn't happen much here in Japan, even if it does, it's rare to find tools and I'm not into Japanese tools.

Disclaimer: I have no relationship with above mentioned tool dealers aside from receiving and viewing their tool lists, occasionally purchasing their ware.

[Jim Koepke]

A lot of good advice so far.

Instead of echoing the above, I will attempt to add new and different information.

One of the best things you can do is educate yourself about tools so you know what you are looking at and its value. It is also good to be able to present a "poker face." If someone wants $10 for something and your eyes turn to saucers and you just about rip your pants off getting to your wallet, they will likely not then respond to an offer of, "will you take $5."

Check your local news papers. Many local papers will list yard and garage sales in the classifieds. If yours do not, call them and tell them they are missing a money making opportunity. Also, many areas have free classified papers. I have seen "want to buy" ads in these along with tools for sale ads. Often, the tools for sale are a dead end, but you have to keep looking to find the good stuff. Put a want to buy wood working tools ad in one of these. You will likely have a lot of dogs calling, but you may get one lucky big hit.

I got a great deal on a lathe and some tools by putting a "Wanted to Buy" card on the local grocery store's "Bulletin Board." Many stores or laundromats have these simple communications systems and they work. They often get edited on a regular basis, so you may have to replace the card.

When in antique shops, always ask and talk to the people there. They may not have any tools, but many of the dealers in an area know each other and know who has what.

Look for the people who do estate sales. Some of the more organized promoters like to have people they can call when they have specialty items.

Check to see if there are any auction houses in your area. Check with the self storage businesses in your area. Often when rent is not payed on a unit for a period of time, there is an auction of the contents.

You may want to print up a few cards on your computer and leave them at the local Good Will store and other second hand shops. Always check these places if you can, their stock is always changing. Get to know the folks working there and maybe they will start "working" for you.

jim

[Bob Strawn]

Country feed and hardware stores. Sometimes they have purchased nice tools that have never sold. On occasion you can get a tool with a 1970 price tag that is still in the package. Old files are common, just be sure they did not rattle together. Shaves, and froes are a bit less common, but worth looking for.

Bob

[David Keller NC]

Tommy - Considering where you're located, your best bet is probably to attend an MWTCA event (Mid West Tool Collector's Association). There are chapters throughout the country. Not only are the folks there more knowlegeable about specific antique tools, you can generally buy from them at prices that are considerably cheaper than e-bay, at least for certain types of tools. And you'll find more to buy at one of these meets - antique tools are all over the place in the East, but tend to thin out as one goes West. That makes sense, as there's 250 years or more of tool-using history in the East, and less than 150 years in the West, unless you count Native American's tools.

The difficulty with e-bay is that you can't pick up and look at a tool you want to buy and use, the pictures are often poor or in some cases deliberately obscure a problem, and e-bay has a worldwide audience, so it's very unlikely that something will "slip through the cracks".

[George Clark]

Tommy,

Lots of good advice. I would love to attend some of the flee markets in the east but I live in southwest Missouri and while there lots of antique shops in my area I have found few old tools and what there were, were too well used and over priced. Ebay has become my primary source for most old tools although I have had satisfactory dealings with the dealers listed in earlier posts. If you look at cost alone (price + shipping) there are few if any "good deals" on Ebay. Any auction you win, you have just paid more than any other person in the entire western world was willing to pay for that item.:mad: I don't think I have ever purchased a tool on Ebay that could not have been found cheaper at a Pennsylvania flee market. However, when I factor in my location and the time and expense for me to attend some of those big eastern flee markets it becomes easier for me to justify the cost purchasing old tools on Ebay.:D Others have given very good advice on using Ebay and Ebay's recent changes in feedback rules has done a lot to encourage truthful descriptions in the listings.

Happy hunting!

George

[David Keller NC]

"Any auction you win, you have just paid more than any other person in the entire western world was willing to pay for that item.:mad:"

Yeah, but that's a good thing. It discourages cheapness.