Non-Buyer's Remorse

[George Sanders]

I went to yet another auction Sunday. There was a lot of junk and some good stuff. Now I occasionally suffer from buyer's remorse but this is the first time I want to kick myself for NOT buying something. It was a Stanley #45 in the box with the fence, 18 cutters and 2 sets of stops. I quit bidding at $95 and it sold at that price. It was also very rusty. Probably had a nickel's worth of plating left. I can't get the one that got away out of my mind; or am I simply out of my mind? Don't answer that!
Anyway I did manage to get some good finds. Like a Yankee 30a screwdriver with 2 bits. Stover saw vise, Van Camp saw set, Peck Stowe and Wilcox 8" drawknife, Shapliegh Diamond Edge 6 tpi saw, 3 Stanley 720 chisels (1/4"), a Stanley 750 (1"), Union Hardware Samson chisel (1') and a pair of really different c clamps. The clamps are cast: "Grand Dual Grip" and "Quickcet" (their spelling, not mine) on the other side. I also got a nice English screwdriver that someone corkscrewed, a small German screwdriver and a detail scraper. But no Stanley #45.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Pretty cool haul. Those clamps are delightfully overcomplicated. I've got a saw that has a similar handle configuration, and I'm wondering whether it's a Simonds or a Richardson-manufactured saw? Probably the latter? I wouldn't fret about the #45. If it sold for that much, at least it's probably going to somebody who has a use for it and will probably spend the time to clean and use it. I don't mind somebody getting a tool I missed--what I don't like is seeing nice saws in garbage cans or planes being tossed into a pickup so they can soak in the rain.

[David Weaver]

No worries, most of the irons that come with them aren't good for anything, anyway. A 45 makes a good cheap plow plane. I'd buy the cheapest body you can find with the long rods, a good fence and a depth stop (should be about $30, may have to find it at the FTJ sale to get it for that, but...).

The rest of the stuff, as pat leach accurately says, is stuff that you'll need to have when you want to sell the thing if you want to get your money back out of it.

(that's a really nice drawknife if it's not rusted on the other side - i think you did fine without getting the 45).

[Mark Stutz]

Don't sweat the #45...it wasn't worth that much. Complete, in the box, 95% nickel were going for around $110 to $140 at LFOD a coupl;e of weeks ago. Certainly down from their peak a few years ago.

Mark

[Mark Wyatt]

My guess is that the #45 was probably not complete. They rarely are and it is often difficult to know what is missing. They have such a large collection of small parts and unique screws that it is difficult to inspect them in a short time without some form of check list.

I was at the LFOD auction two weeks ago and spent considerable time the day before inspecting the #45 planes for sale. Of the many planes offered at the sale (10+), I didn't inspect one which was truly "complete." I found missing parts on each of them. Missing irons, missing screws, and missing stops being common. Very few planes have the original box, manual, and screwdriver if you consider those parts.

Here is a link to pictures of one of the better planes from that auction. I bought it.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/album.php?albumid=429

It is missing two screws, a brass rod for the cam (Jim Koepke wrote a great post pointing to these very parts as the most often missing from the $45), manual, and original box. Fortunately, replacements for the working parts can be found.

When fine dealers like Bob Kaune have a #45 for sale "complete," where you can trust the description, they often list for $500-$600 (like the one he has listed now).

[James Taglienti]

George- Don't feel bad. I was at the same auction and I quit at $75 :D

You forgot to mention it had the bullnose attachment with short rods on it, and the cutter for the same!

By the way those clamps were really cool, I wish I had bid on them but I was watching that rusty army helmet go up to $1900!

[Roy Griggs]

Mark,
Thanks for the link to your #45 pictures....

I picked up a small English turnscrew and a small Stanley screwdriver at the flea a few months ago from a box of junk....Looks like I now have the proper screwdriver for my #45. Without your picture they could have spent years apart, while only seperated by a couple feet! Guess I need to carry around a picture of all the parts and pieces I need for my tools.

By the way, to add a little content, I originally paid $70 for my #45 about four years ago. Since then, I have spent almost half that much again, acquiring missing parts. Just saying....maybe the more you get, first time around...

I've used mine (#45) exactly twice, and truth be told, my wooden "equivilent?" planes work sooo much easier and much quicker! And yet I will continue to look for missing pieces. Pieces such as rods, cams, depth stops are really not that difficult to find.....the screws, nuts, bolts, and knurled knobs; those are harder. Originals anyway...

[Jim Koepke]

The most I have paid for a Stanley 45 was $225. This was actually for a Stanley and a Wards, two planes. The only reason I paid that much is it came with all the blades including the special cutters. That is 46 different blades, not counting some duplicates. I don't think you can find all the special cutters for less than that.

If you need an instruction sheet for the #45, try here:

http://www.tooltrip.com/tooltrip9/stanley/comb-planes/45man.pdf

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Wouldn't worry the #45. At the FTJ/Brown tool sale last week, there were plenty of #45s, with a few a bit cheaper than that (but with a few minor issues such as rust or pieces missing) to much, much higher. Good users seemed to be in the $120 range +/-.

Thing with regrets, the further you get from the purchase, the better the tool was, until it finally reaches pristine condition with a price of near zero! Remember, there was something in the first place that made you hesitate and 9 times out of 10, your immediate gut feelings are the correct way to go.

[George Sanders]

Thanks for the comments. James the helmet you refer to was a ww2 German radio operators helmet. They had several phone bidders on that item as it is very rare. I guess you were the young man I was talking to about the Wards Master smoothing plane. Looked it up when I got home and it was made by Millers Falls.
I forgot to say that the item above the drawknife is. I believe it is a tobacco cutter. The Stanley 1/4" chisels are almost full length. These are the first ones I've seen in about a year. Usually if there are any socket chisels they are too short or mushroomed from abuse.
All in all I am happy with what I bought.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I have a #45 I bought a few years ago NIB with everything including the manual, screwdriver, manila envelope with spare nickers, and a totally pristine rosewood pad on the fence. There was no rust and 100% of the nickel plating. It cost me $250 from the New Boston Tool Room. Phil Whitby had half a dozen that way at the time.

[Rob Lee]

Hi George -

45's etc come up pretty regularly, and one can be had almost NIB for about $200...

I have a NIB Record 405 that just came in .... want that for $200 plus postage???

See--- lots out there. It's important to wait for a good one though, and one that complete. Also watch blade condition...you don't want to be lapping 20-30 blades....

Cheers -

Rob