Who gets your tools when you "move on"?

[Julie Moriarty]

I have two sons and one daughter. My daughter and I have spent the most time working on things together but never woodworking stuff. My sons could care less about tools of any sort. When it's my turn to "move on" :rolleyes: I won't have anyone in the family to pass my tools on to. And that kinda bothers me. :(

What about the rest of you? Who gets your stuff? And have you also been able to pass on your knowledge and skills?

[Kevin Bourque]

I'm taking the stuff with me.

[Alan Wright]

Julie, I'm in your boat, I have two teenage daughters who wouldn't have an interest. The power tools I really don't care what happens to, but my squares, hand saws, planes, etc.; the things I value, I do care about. I have a brother in law who does woodworking and while he will likely get the tools, I don't get the sense that he will appreciate them like I do. Oh well, I'll be dead, so I guess it won't matter

[Jerry Thompson]

No one in my family has any interest in wood working. My wife is an enigma. If she wants a book shelf, cabinet or step stool she just goes out and makes one. She once made a baby cradle that was to die for. She just sees it as something she needs so she makes it. She is not interested in hand tools nor using sny finish other hn Tung Oil.
So I don't know what to do. If I go first she could sell off all the hand planes, chisles, etc and let the kids deal with the Unisaw, jointer and so on.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a younger woodworking friend (a very good woodworker, by the way, and half my age) who I'm leaving my stuff to. If he doesn't want the stuff, at least he'll know the value and be able to sell the tools for what they're worth.

Mike

[Dave Zellers]

I won't have anyone in the family to pass my tools on to. And that kinda bothers me. :(


Mom? Is that you? It's your long lost son Dave.:cool:

[Paul McGaha]

No one in my family seems to have an interest in woodworking. Hope that changes at some point. If it doesn't, I guess I would expect my tools to be sold.

PHM

[eugene thomas]

I am sure will be highest bidder, but the wife has mentioned i should make book with what my stuff is worth so she is more informed.......

[Charlie Ross]

If i can't take em wit me, i'm not going!

[Jamie Lynch]

I'm a young guy, but I hope I'll have a son or daughter who will appreciate my tools when I go.

[David Helm]

Think I need to make an inventory with current values listed so my wife can make intelligent decisions about disposal. My best woodworking friend is about the same age as me (70) so he'll not need them either. Toughest might be the NW Coast native style carving tools; 5 different adzes, crooked knives and straight knives. These are very specialized tools and probably have a small market.

[Jay Jolliffe]

If I go before my wife I told here to sell them. She'll need the money. Maybe not since I have a good life ins. policy....I'm worth more dead than alive...

[Ryan Mooney]

Think I need to make an inventory with current values listed so my wife can make intelligent decisions about disposal. My best woodworking friend is about the same age as me (70) so he'll not need them either. Toughest might be the NW Coast native style carving tools; 5 different adzes, crooked knives and straight knives. These are very specialized tools and probably have a small market.

To echo the above.. I think we must be related? Uncle?? :rolleyes: :D

I asked Loml about this a while back and her response was that she'd just place an ad here along the lines of "full shop of tools, need a man who knows how to use them all". :D

[Rich Engelhardt]

Who gets your tools when you "move on"? (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?197702-Who-gets-your-tools-when-you-quot-move-on-quot)
Whoever show up first w/cash in hand.
I'm sure my wife will gladly dispose of everything so she can go back to parking her care in the garage.

[Brian Tymchak]

Interesting question that I've given a little thought to. We have no kids, so what to do? I've been thinking that I'd somehow like to leave it all to a deserving young woodworker that doesn't have the tools to be all that they can be. Be able to give them a solid start as it were. The tools (probably).. (well, likely).. won't be top of the line but for someone who doesn't have very much, I'm sure they would be appreciated. How to do that? Not sure yet. Maybe my local wood working club can help with that? If I leave it all the the club in my will? I haven't done anything besides think about it... Hmm. maybe I should get a move on, huh??

[Peter Hawser]

I am sure will be highest bidder, but the wife has mentioned i should make book with what my stuff is worth so she is more informed.......

I made a list so my wife could sell it all for a fair price. However, she hasn't seen this list yet and if she did, I just might end up dead right then and there! :D

[Sam Murdoch]

I'm surprised about how regularly I think about this - every time I buy a new handsaw or chisel or Festool or Woodpecker thingy. Lots of good and valuable tools in my shop. Wonder about being allowed to do a SawMill Creek 38 pages of threads sign up giveaway? No matter how you do it we owe it to those we leave behind to do a documented inventory. I'll get around to it someday...

[Todd Burch]

I received some tools from my grandfather that were his and his dad's, and maybe even his dad's. Most are marked with his mark. I've pointed these out to my wife, but I supposed I need to make a proper box for them and carve on the box what they are.

I've also received an estate of tools from a good friend from church - his dad retired and moved and could not take everything with him. Loads of stuff there. As I went through the tools, I found some items that were made and marked by one of his long deceased relatives and gave those back to my friend.

I've been told by both my dad and my uncle that I'll be receiving their stuff too.

My son, I suspect, will get all I have. I know he can use it, but I don't think he knows it yet. ;) I may sell off some of it before then, but that won't be for a while.

[Brian Kent]

Wife, Son & Daughter
Grandkids
Sister
Cousins

And anything left my wife has instructions to post on the Creek and ask you for a fair price for Sawmill Creek Classified's.

[Gary Herrmann]

I'm hoping my son will want them. Or maybe my wife will sell them.

Or maybe I'll just go the Egyptian route.

[Mel Fulks]

I've told my wife I want a quiet ,simple funeral. Sell the tools and use the money for the statue.

[Rich Riddle]

It depends how long I live. At the current time, not many prospects for them. My wife's nephew wants them, but he's only ten. If I die soon, most likely some of my friends, my dad, perhaps my nephew. It's grim thinking about it.

[Julie Moriarty]

I remember reading somewhere a guy and his wife moved into a "senior community" and he started a woodworking shop. The facility wouldn't help fund it so he and some of the other handy residents got the idea of charging a nominal fee to fix things for the other residents. After a while word got out and they couldn't keep up with the demand.

All of his woodworking tools stayed in the shop but were available for use by the members. And when he passed on, he would leave the tools with the facility, provided they would agree to keep the shop up and running just as he had set it up.

Whoever gets my stuff, especially the hand tools, I need to know they will not only appreciate them but also use them as they were intended to be used. Unless I sell the house, buy a boat, bring the tools with and then become lost at sea. :D

[Ole Anderson]

I, too, have been thinking about who gets what and how to dispose of what is left. Hopefully not for 35 years, by then I'll be a hundred. I have two sons, one of them does spend some time in the shop when he needs to cut some trim, but I don't see him as an interested woodworker yet. The other one almost cut his thumb clean off on the miter saw in my home shop when I was running a business building aluminum ski booms. I guess I will just let them take what they want and sell the rest. Now if one of them wants the house with the shop, they both grew up in this house, it is on the lake, and they both live in the area, I presume they will just keep the shop until they realize they like WW or decide to sell off what they will never use. Kind of sad to think about.

[Todd Burch]

I told my wife I wanted to be cremated. She said she would oblige, and then come back to the shop, sprinkle my ashes on the floor, and let the dust collector vacuum me away. I said "find by me!"

Todd

[Paul McGaha]

I made a list so my wife could sell it all for a fair price. However, she hasn't seen this list yet and if she did, I just might end up dead right then and there! :D

Hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhah

[Danny Thompson]

Mom? Is that you? It's your long lost son Dave.:cool:

Awesome . . .

[Stan Smith]

If i can't take em wit me, i'm not going!

This is the only answer that makes any sense.

[Buck Williams]

I am sure will be highest bidder, but the wife has mentioned i should make book with what my stuff is worth so she is more informed.......

Brings to mind that old line - "My greatest fear is that, when I die, my wife will sell my tools for what I told her I paid for'em"

[Jeff Duncan]

When I retire all the big stuff will be sold off. I'll just have some basic machines for stuff around the house and my hand tools. I'll likely leave it all to my son, who will hopefully be middle aged at that point and can make good decisions on how to proceed from there:D

JeffD

[Carl Beckett]

I told my wife I wanted to be cremated. She said she would oblige, and then come back to the shop, sprinkle my ashes on the floor, and let the dust collector vacuum me away. I said "find by me!"

Todd

What size dust collector? How many CFM? How do you know it will pick up all the fine particles and not just the large chips? If not that dust is bad for her health....

Ok ok

I went through this when my grandfather died, and then again when my father died. I kept a few pieces that were useful to me as keepsakes, and then the rest was sold. There were a couple people that showed up that understood the situation and paid fair price for anything they could use. I always appreciated and remembered this, and when I run into something similar via craiglist I try to pay fair price

[Phil Rose]

Interesting topic. I was speaking with a friend the other day who collects antiques and the same subject came up. He told me he has people named in his Will defined simply to advise the survivors on the appropriate disposition of the antiques ... People set to insure that the surviving family members receive full value for what they choose to sell. Perhaps it's time to start looking for woodworking people for that same service in my Will.

[Todd Burch]

What size dust collector? How many CFM? How do you know it will pick up all the fine particles and not just the large chips? If not that dust is bad for her health....



Currently, it's a Felder RL 160. It should be able to handle me. Could probably handle me if I were chipped/shredded small enough too. ;)

[John M Wilson]

What size dust collector? How many CFM? How do you know it will pick up all the fine particles and not just the large chips? If not that dust is bad for her health....

This is the hardest I have laughed in a long time!!!

My wife thinks I'm nuts, but that's a different thread...

Thanks, Carl, for the belly laugh!

[Ed Aumiller]

You need a list of tools and values for insurance purposes also....

My 8 year daughter loves being in the shop and building things.... she is first choice and gets most of them in the will....

If not, hopefully my son & grandsons will share the shop(s) for years as my wife will be here for 30 years after I am gone...

[glenn bradley]

I have tools that went from Grandpa and Uncles to dad and then to me. So far no sign of interest in the family. I'll have to keep the Cyclone as per my will; I am to be:

- burnt to a crisp
- sucked up into the cyclone
- then the whole she-bang gets dumped into the nearest duck pond (pending permission of the Forestry Service chapter charged with said duck pond)

I will ammend my will if the situation changes before I get to the clearing at the end of the path.

Amen

[Ryan Baker]

Whoever buys my house after i'm gone will probably dump it in a garage sale for about a dollar for everything. But I pity the fool that has to move it all back out of the basement! Ha!

Maybe I will put it in my will that it is all to become one huge SMC FreeStuff giveaway.

[ray hampton]

I wrote in my will that my son were to get all of my tools
everything that I own [including my home are a tool ]

[Peter Quinn]

I hope its a young person that will take them and make something with them. My children are 3 and 5, too early to call, they would certainly have first pick if the need or interest exists. My wife has no interest. Not sure what the value will be at the point its my time, but it may well be well out of my hands at that point. I'd truly like to have a young person get the deal of their lives, take the tools, set up shop, and have a lifetime of use and enjoyment. Of course there are 12 long steps up to get above ground, so that will test their will. Or maybe we can sell the house as "comes with basement wood shop...." to save on riggers.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Best one I ever heard was a friend, when asked about selling the tools he bought to build their house. He said "Over my dead body." She replied "That would be interesting, a viewing and tool sale at the same time."

[Jon McElwain]

A friend of mine who was a retiree took an interest in my wood working. Over a period of several years, he gave me a number of valuable tools. There was the 16" planer that was "too big" for his shop, but I know he wanted me to have it. He replaced it with a lunch box planer. There was the table saw that he "didn't want to fix," but the $15 bearing that needed replacing didn't seem like quite enough to give the machine away. Then there was the lathe, the

I think that unless I die suddenly, I'll hope to find a young prodigy who I can give some things to along the way. The oldest of my three girls has taken an interest in turning, but at 8 years old, there is a long way to go before I'll know if she or the other two will want them. Perhaps a future son-in-law will be a woodworker. All that said, I've got the lists and values in order in case of an untimely demise - better my family have the money than loose out on a small fortune.

[Jeff Monson]

Currently, it's a Felder RL 160. It should be able to handle me. Could probably handle me if I were chipped/shredded small enough too. ;)

I dunno, ever see the movie Fargo?? That RL would have a heck of a time dealing with that kind of particle seperation.

[Ray Newman]

Neither our son nor a nephew has the same interest in woodworking that I have.

I think that one member of my family simply would view my tools, along with my wife’s jewelry, fine china, crystal glass, and antique dolls, as “how much can we get for them?” I get tired of hearing at times about how (financially) desparate they are.

I am a bit leery of donating tools a woodworking club for disposal or use. In the past, I witnessed people responsible for disposing of such items as often keeping the best/better tools for their own use….

As for my antique and other firearms, I have list of when bought and price paid. Previously owned reloading equipment around does not bring much around here. Some will go to our nephew who is a hunter and appreciates historical things. My son’s interest in firearms is way different than mine and he might want a few things. What I will do in the next few years (I am 67) doing is slowly start selling them off to interested parties who know their worth and appreciate them.

I am in the process of making a list of people who –based on their actions or what they have said to me -- would not act in my estate’s best interest when disposing or attempting to purchase of what I leave behind….

And while we are on this subject, it is best to have a will or trust. You do not want to pass on and have the state decide who gets what.

Something else to think about: a number of us are veterans. If you retained your GI life insurance, who is your beneficiary? Back in the mid-1970’s I worked at the V. A. I saw widows come in, apply for their late husband’s GI life insurance death payment and discover that way back when he signed it over to a "Miss Sugar Smith”, his deceased mother, his high school sweetheart, or his former spouse….

[Ron Kellison]

I have a son with an Industrial Design degree who has learned to use the tools in my workshop better than I can. In fact, his projects usually crowd out the stuff I want to do! I have a daughter with her certificate as a licensed carpenter. Between the two of them I'm sure they will take care of my tools just like I do!

Ron

[Ken Fitzgerald]

After I built my first piece of furniture and my wife encouraged me to build a shop and outfit it with tools, she said she had one request. She wanted me to build her at least 3 large pieces of furniture so after she and I left this earth, each of 3 kids would inherit a major piece of furniture I had built.

My youngest son's response? "To Hell with the furniture, I want Dad's tools!" My oldest son and daughter have no interest in woodworking. I am covered.

[Stephen Cherry]

Don't know who will get my tools when I "exit the building", but I can say that I have bought lots of tools from estate sales, and remember where I got each one of them, and wish their first owners well when I use them.

[Jim Andrew]

I've thought about this, as I have one son who is not interested in WWing, but my older son is. Problem is he lives in LA, and rents. So not sure yet what will happen.
Don't want something to happen like what did in my Mom's family. Her Granddad was a apprenticed cabinetmaker in England, and when his apprenticeship was up, he came to Kansas. He had a chest full of cool hand tools, and Mom said her Dad had borrowed the chest when she was young, and the kids were not allowed to touch the tools. She didn't know what had happened to the chest, and I asked cousins and uncles if they knew anything about it, but no one did. Then, we stopped to visit a museum a couple countys east, and there was the chest. One of Mom's cousins had gotten the tools and chest, and had stored it in his barn for years and years, and when he died, his daughter didn't know what to do with it, so donated it to their historical museum. At least I got to see it.

[Daniel Shnitka]

Have any of you considered Big Brothers? In Canada there is such an oganization that looks for responsible types to be a "big brothers" to a children one at a time. The organization are needing a good role model for the youth. The youth are often from single parent family families. These are long term commitments.
I have a friend who looked apon the young fellow he was a big brother to as his non biological son. The youth is now a adult and doing well in his life and his career. The senior adult who was a big brother remains in contact with the younger man to this day.

[Denny Rice]

This is such a cool thread, this has been a subject that has been on my mind for quite a while too. Thanks for posting everyone.

[Bob Reda]

I'm pretty lucky, not only my tools but my cnc goes to my son who I have taught everything about the woodworking tools but not too much on the cnc. He has to make time for that. Anyway, just remember, when the hearst pulls up in front of your house, there is no luggage rack on top:)

Bob

[Ole Anderson]

When I retire all the big stuff will be sold off. I'll just have some basic machines for stuff around the house and my hand tools. I'll likely leave it all to my son, who will hopefully be middle aged at that point and can make good decisions on how to proceed from there:D

JeffD

??? For a lot of us, retirement is when you finally have time for serious WW.

[Rich Engelhardt]

And while we are on this subject, it is best to have a will or trust. You do not want to pass on and have the state decide who gets what.Either/or...
There's no one size fits all answer.
However...
Having said that, simply by asking that question, it tells me you need to get some qualified help in estate planning.

You mention a nephew...
My friend, Dan, was willed the family farm by his aunt.
Within a week of the will being read, Dan got a bill form the IRS for over $300,000.00 - due in full and due upon reciept of the bill.
The IRS estimated the value of the farm - they didn't go by the county appraisal. That was one of the points brought up when Dan fought it.
Dan did fight it, but, in the end fighting it just cost him an additional $25k in penalties and interest and another $25k in legal fees.
Had Dan's aunt put the farm in a trust, it would have avoided the huge tax liability.
Had she just sold the farm outright, then gifted him XX number of dollars over a period of years or until it reached the limit, that would have avoided a huge bill also.
Had Dan's aunt been his mother instead of his aunt, that also would have avoided the huge tax bill.

BTW - be very careful of estate planners. A lot of them offer free lunch seminars as a means of getting you face to face.
Enjoy the free lunches, but, learn to say no - over and over and over.
Their "sales pitch" is every bit as high pressure as the time share ones.
Good lunches though. Most of the ones around me have been at the local country clubs.

BTW - when it comes to the IRS - the estate division of the IRS is the single most profitable department. They recover moneies at a rate of $2,000.00 per hour. I just ran across that tid bit this morning while researching all the changes in the tax code the Fiscal Cliff Bill brings about.

[Jeff Duncan]

??? For a lot of us, retirement is when you finally have time for serious WW.

Ha ha, by the time I retire I probably won't even want to look at a piece of wood anymore:D

Unfortunately I'm so far behind on my personal list of things to build for the house.....I may never fully retire:o

JeffD

[Metod Alif]

According to my understanding, there are a couple of carpenters 'over there'. I'll try to get them into finer woodworking. Hand tools are my best bet, as they did not have (yet) electricity back then.
Actually, I do not think that I will worry about my tools after I die, so why bother now. My wife inherits all, and it will be up to her what to do with anything.
Best wishes (still here),
Metod

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Interesting thread. In my business, I deal daily with my clients taking on their families heritage. Sometimes it was planned, but others by default. Seems like everybody gets sentimentally attached to something, but usually it is not what their dad or grandad would have expected, I don't think. From my perspective, you can see the estate get split up, some want it for the money, some want it for sentiment, and some just to be difficult. Surprisingly though, with very few exceptions, dads stuff is better appreciated out of the family.

On that note, I honestly don't care what happens to it, I just hope my widow or heirs don't get taken advantage of by some sleeze for profit. Some education on the purchase values will help them be prepared for that, so I tell her what everything cost. The tools will all end up somewhere appropriate, us folks that value them are pretty resourceful at finding them, I just hope I can leave my family with some good memories and strong characters.

By the way, Carl, that was hilarious!

[Zach Dillinger]

I'm a young guy, but I hope I'll have a son or daughter who will appreciate my tools when I go.

+1 to this. If that doesn't happen, Martin Donnelly's kids will get my tools.

[Gary Hodgin]

In my heart I hope my grandsons, but in my mind I know it'll probably be someone looking for a deal at an "estate sale."

[Doug Richardson]

My father was a cabinetmaker, and "moved on" when I was 21. At that time I had no interest in woodworking. My mother, who lived to her 90's left the hand tools to my nephew, and the house and the power tools to me. Unfortunately, tools sitting idle in the basement for 30 years don't fare so well. So even tho I became interested in woodworking, I pretty much needed to replace those items anyway.....

[Michael Weber]

I've told my wife to auction everything off. A well advertised "woodworkers auction" will bring lots of people. The auctioneer will handle everything and it will all be over in a couple of hours. Pay the auctioneer his percent and get on with your life.

[Erik Christensen]

No kids and living in southern California - if I tried to give any of the big power tools to any younger guys who might appreciate them they wouldn't have a place to put them. I plan to inventory everything, put a price I paid and estimate of current value on each item and store it in a spreadsheet so whoever is selling them has a feel for worth. LOML knows what i spend on tools, not sure why that is such an issue for so many I talk to - if I bought a 80k Porche or BMW here in so cal that is expected behavior but spend half that on tools you use 30+ hours a week and you are nutz. each to his own.

[scott vroom]

My son will get everything...he's a remodeling contractor and cabinet maker. What he doesn't need he can sell. I'd take em with me but not sure how they'd perform under extreme heat.

[phil harold]

The hand tools that are dear to you, make nice tool chest / cabinet so they all stay together and can be willed or sold to one person

or
hang the cabinet on wall as a work of art (art of work?)

[Bruce Kohl]

Mike - That's sort of my story. As a young man I befriended an older professional cabinetmaker named John. Despite our differences in background (I was an attorney and he a tradesman) he took me under his wing and over the next twenty-five years we worked on numerous projects together. He taught me everything I know about fine woodworking, and we made many beautiful things. He retired from his cabinetmaking business about fifteen years ago and built a shop next to his house where he put all his machines and tools. He worked there for about six years before he became sick, and five years ago passed away. I was unfortunately out of town at the time, but when I returned I had a call from his daughter saying that he had left me all his woodworking tools. Included were numerous older machines - mostly Delta - and many fine old hand tools. When I told my wife she said I could take the tools on two conditions - one that I had to build a shop to house them in as I had no more room in the garage and she had hopes of someday being able to park her car there, and two that I had to find a younger version of me the same way that John had found a younger version of him so that if I died first she'd have someone to give the tools to. I built the shop - a 24' X 32' structure next to my house - the following year, and I have been taking woodworking classes at the local community college for the past couple of years trying to find that younger guy or gal.

Since I have two unmarried daughters who have no interest in tools or woodworking, I am looking for that special person to pass this gift on to when my time comes. I will always remember John because of the rare gift he gave me both of his time and ultimately the tools of his trade, and I consider it my obligation to someday pass his legacy along.

[Chris Barnett]

Guys/gals who have no sons who might be interested in woodworking, but do have daughters can consider that those daughters might later have a spouse with an interest or have children who would [or perhaps] be interested. I have some tools that were antiques when I saw my father use them 50+ years ago, and would like to see them kept in the family, or if not, placed in a museum for perpetual care. The routine tools & equipment will be sold if I go first since DW has absolutely no interest in the tools other than the product thereof.

I have made photos of everything and will finish a video which will have audio track to describe the item, source, use, worth etc for her to disposition that which kept me sane for many years. The photos and video will serve to provide the same info on other items to her or our children in the event we both go at the same time. There are usually sufficient distractions to keep a family busy at such a time...no need they be burdened with trying to figure that stuff out. The subject of tool disposition is always timely...no matter how old the thread may be.