Tools you would buy if you lived in England

[Dan Barr]

All,

I am wanting to know what types of tools you guys would buy if you lived in England.

I currently live in England and am collecting various old hand tools and other things as i find them.

Mostly, I'm seraching for chisels, planes, braces, bits, saws, shaves, moulding planes, mortice guages, etc. etc.

I've lucked up a few times already and found a few things i never thought i'd see.

I'm heading to a tool auction tomorrow as well. I would like to get a few of the Norris, Spiers, or Mathieson infil planes as well, but those are a lower priority for me. one of each chisel is one of my main goals at the moment.

followed by moulding planes, hollows and rounds, etc.

Thanks,

dan

[Pat Keefe]

Get "Ward" chisels as the factory was bombed in WWII and never resumed production. Good quality steel, edge's hold up well to Australian hardwoods. Bevel edge, Mortice and firmer styles.

[Brian Kent]

Shoulder plane. But then again that is the next plane I want so the whole world looks like a potential shoulder plane to me.:rolleyes:

[Jim Nardi]

Given it's the land of plenty buy perfect tools. I would search out Speirs planes.

[Wilbur Pan]

I'd look for Record planes, especially those that didn't have an equivalent Stanley version.

Also, hollows and rounds. Sets seem to come along fairly often over there.

[Jeff Willard]

Paramo vise.

[george wilson]

When I was in England I saw that everything cost so much more than here in the USA. A$40.00 Leatherman tool,the first model that didn't lock,was about $100.00. I didn't buy any tools.

We went shopping on Portobello street in London,the famous flea market. Every old tool there was way over what I've paid for the same tools here. I saw some interesting things,but made no buys.

[Teresa Jones]

If you are ever in Salisbury, check out these folks.

http://www.pennyfarthingtools.co.uk/

[Paul Davis]

Well, the tool that is in England right now that I most covet is a moving fillister from Phil Edwards. It's offered on his website for 195 pounds. At least once a week I click on that page and then the "convert to US$" button at the lower left. The present answer is $311.55. If it were 195 US$ I would buy it now. (I'm leaving out the unknown shipping and customs charges.)

So, if I were in England right now with US$ in my pocket and the exchange rate went to 1=1, I would merrily seek out Phil in his shop, shake his hand, and buy one.

If I lived there, which is rather what you asked, I don't know how I'd feel about spending 195 pounds on that plane. I know that when I was in London last year and the exchange was 1 pound=$2, the price of everything I bought seemed about right if it had been in US$. That is, it felt like everything was exactly twice as expensive as it should have been. My hotel room was $200 a night, and the size of a large postage stamp. Meals were $50. Etc. I just can't stop valuing stuff in my native currency, and right now $311 feels a little high. So I keep looking and hoping the exchange rate will swing in my favor. A few years ago it actually was close to 1=1, but then the US export business was in a bad way, so there's no free lunch.

No help here, just a heap o' ramble.
Paul

[george wilson]

Yes,we feel like the poor relatives when we visit overseas. Back in the 80's,an American harpsichord maker living in Switzerland visited my shop, and told me that ditch diggers there made $50.00 an hour!! I haven't visited there yet!! Also,he related some incredibly high price for an 8" dia. pizza and a pony bottle of beer.

[Sam Takeuchi]

I lived in Switzerland until a few years ago. Minimum monthly income over there differ depending on canton, but it's about 3200 fr (about $2700 to 3000 back then) +/- a couple hundred. For something like intern or trainee, it was about 2000 fr +/- a couple hundred. But then, everything is very expensive over there. Cheapest pizza is about 18 fr., that's like what? 12 bucks back then. But no, people are quite well off...even though I made trainee salary during my internship (I did several between academic terms), I was saving about 1000 fr. a month. I'm from Japan, you see and I think Switzerland is 3 times more expensive. The only other place I've been that seemed more expensive was Norway so far. It costs money just to breathe in Norway...

[Jamie Cowan]

Marples chisels and gouges. Any and all I could get my hands on.