The shop that could have been

[Wes Billups]

I was just getting some files organized on my computer and ran across these pictures and thought I'd show them and give a background.

In late 2008 I was looking for a used 3hp shaper and thought I'd check Craigslist in some of the surrounding cities. It just so happened a Delta had been listed on the Pittsburgh site a week earlier. The issue was it wasn't just a shaper, it was an entire shop. I had a few communications with the seller and believe the listing was legitimate. After trading emails and phone calls I decided it was just too much stuff so I thanked the seller for his time in sending these pictures and wished him luck. He stated he had somebody stopping by the next day to take a look at everything and I can only assume he sold it as the listing was removed the next day.

Please keep in mind these pictures only represent the big items. The hand held tools equated to many thousands worth as well as peripheral items. He had more than $3000 worth of shaper cutters.

The seller was asking $8000 for the whole lot. I still wish I'd jumped on this and not drug my feet. My plan was to keep many of these items and sell my smaller equivalents.

Post if you've had similar stories.

[Wes Billups]

More pics of the tools included.

[Wes Billups]

This is the last of the big items. I never got pics of the little items just a list.

[Van Huskey]

That CL haul made SOMEBODY very happy! I was thinking why can't that ever pop up on my local CL then I remembered that if it did it would be the time I didn't have the cash and would make me feel worse than just not seeing it at all.

[Karl Card]

those pics get to me more than a perv looking at playboy...lol hope i didnt offend anyone by that...

I was in an interview for a job yesterday and one of the questions was where do you want to be in 5yrs, 10 years etc... well at the 15 yr level i blurted out "somewhere near a master wood worker" the interviewer just kinda looked shocked... I told her you just dont understand the love for wood and wood built items. It falls deeper than a passion. lol..

[Greg Wittler]

those pics get to me more than a perv looking at playboy...lol hope i didnt offend anyone by that...

Hey, I resemble that remark.

Man what A gloat that would have been!

[Rod Sheridan]

Hey, I resemble that remark.

Man what A gloat that would have been!


"Tool Porn"..................:D

[Joe Shinall]

"Tool Porn"..................:D

That is totally what my wife says when her friends ask about the tons of magazines I have around the house!

[Tony Shea]

Wow. I don't think I would have even hesitated on that one. You could get away with selling a few items there that you didn't need, like the third table saw, and make out pretty well. Maybe even ahead of the game. I just couldn't pass that one up. That jointer and mortiser would look real nice down in the shop. Oh and the Jet TS with router table would look bad either. Nothing like have two cabinet style 3hp TS side by side. There goes changing blades.

[Wes Billups]

I've seriously considered deleting these from my computer as everytime I run across them I think what could have been. If I remember right there were 48 of just 31" K-body clamps. I added up the list he sent me and came to over $35,000 for new prices. It didn't include any of the handheld power tools as he had over 10 routers, numerous sanders, and saws.

It's been over a year and I'm still kicking myself.

Wes

[Wes Billups]

Wow. I don't think I would have even hesitated on that one. You could get away with selling a few items there that you didn't need, like the third table saw, and make out pretty well. Maybe even ahead of the game. I just couldn't pass that one up. That jointer and mortiser would look real nice down in the shop. Oh and the Jet TS with router table would look bad either. Nothing like have two cabinet style 3hp TS side by side. There goes changing blades.

Tony, I thought the very same thing. I could have sold half of the bigger items and owned the rest for free. It's hard to see in the pictures but there is a custom cast iron router table bolted in between the two tablesaws.

If the timing had been one week different I would have jumped all over it. My wife and I were negotiating on an acreage that week as well. The acreage fell through so I lost out on both.

I did find a good deal on a shaper a month later but it still doesn't ease the pain.

Wes

[Chris Rosenberger]

Wes,
I remember you telling me about missing out on those tools when I picked up the Unisaw.
There was a lot more to that deal than you told me. Some times it is better not to be reminded about things like that.

[Larry Fox]

Wes, don't kick yourself too hard over it. Sucks to miss out on what you, with the benefit of hindsight, perceive as a great deal but there tends to be a lot more behind these things than meets the eye. At $35,000 new I would say a good rule of thumb for gear that is well used like some of that stuff would be 35% - 50% of new or $12,250 - $17,500. You will have $8,000 into it so that leaves your spread as $4,250 - $9,500. A tidy sum for sure but you also need to consider the cost in time and aggrivation of;

- Getting it all out of it's current situ
- Cleaning it up
- Posting the pieces individually on CL and dealing with all the haggling, no-shows etc.
- Warehousing it while you move it.

This is all before factoring in the pieces that you wanted to keep. In reality, I think your spread was a lot thinner that it would need to be to make it the home run that it would initially appear to be.

You also have the opportunity cost of taking a shot at the acerage. You missed the deal but at least you had a shot at it. Had you pulled the trigger on this (it sounds like) you would not have even been able to take the shot and that would have likely made you and your wife pretty sad.

[mark kosse]

When I first looked at the post I saw only the pics there and I thought 8000.00, thats no deal. Then I saw the rest. A nice deal.