Use it or lose it!!!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I keep seeing all these fine tools on eBay where the seller says "I bought these a few years ago and never took them out of the box." Who are these people? Where do they get the money to buy, for instance, a $400 LN plane and just let it sit there... In the box! When I buy a fine tool it's after months of saving, and it doesn't even make it out the door of the post office before I rip it out of the box! Can I get an "Amen"?

That said, I am always grateful for these people as I take the tools off their hands at a fraction of the new cost.

[Chris Griggs]

I see a lot of "used once put it away".

I get the impression that there are a lot of folks who see nice tools taking beautiful shavings on the web/at shows/in mags, and when they don't work that beautifully on the first try (because one needs to learn to sharpen and set a blade properly) they give up and put them away.

[Chris Griggs]

When I buy a fine tool it's after months of saving, and it doesn't even make it out the door of the post office before I rip it out of the box! Can I get an "Amen"?


I get tools delivered to my work and all the little chamfers/cuts/wierd flats on the plastic trim of my termite barf desk are evidence of just how much I can't wait to use a new tool when I get it.

[Hilton Ralphs]

Amen brother!

The other day I bought an old wooden dado plane from an online auction site. The parcel arrived at the post office I was like you, super excited that I stopped at the outside rubbish bin to pull open the package.

Sadly I dropped the nicker in the bin and had to rummage through public trash to retrieve it.

[Brian Holcombe]

Woodworking is a romantic pursuit, some of us relish in the hard work and spend the entirety of our lives happy seduced by the hobby. Others have a one night stand and later sell off the tools that remind them of their poor, short term decisions.

Not to worry, we're around to put those tools to appropriate use.

termite barf, lol.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I opened a Veritas low angle plane in the PO and almost cleared the room. Apparently folks thought it was a gun!

[Chris Griggs]

I actually just realized that the only use my Narex paring chisels have seen is paring the plastic on my desk at work. LOL, haven't had a chance to use them in the shop of even hone them for that matter, but my desk got pared with them the second the package arrived at the office. My office mate thinks I'm out of my mind....and he's probably at least half right.

[george wilson]

My Narex parers have a little flat spot on the cutting edges as rec'd. Only the 1/4" MIGHT pare the desk out of the box. A week later,they haven't made it to the shop yet. My wife got tired of them being on the computer table,and put them BACK in the infernal sleeves,and put them in my "den". Now I have to get them out of those sleeves again!! That could take MONTHS!!! This is pathetic!! When did I ever manage to make all that stuff I posted!!

[Don Dorn]

I opened a Veritas low angle plane in the PO and almost cleared the room. Apparently folks thought it was a gun!Now that's just funny!

[Jim Koepke]

it doesn't even make it out the door of the post office before I rip it out of the box! Can I get an "Amen"?

Amen!

For me, if it is in the mail it seldom makes it to my driveway.

If it is UPS or FedEx, the driver gets to see.


Now that's just funny!

Until the SWAT Team bursts in...

jtk

[paul cottingham]

A very kind gentleman (I'll call him "Jim M.") in this very community sent me a Disston 12 in the mail, and I had that box open before the mail delivery person was back in his truck. He foiled me tho' "Jim" had reinforced the packaging so well, it took me a good 20 minutes to get it all apart. There were bits of box all over the porch, which I had to clean before my wife got home, and asked too many questions.

[Dave Kirby]

I keep seeing all these fine tools on eBay where the seller says "I bought these a few years ago and never took them out of the box." Who are these people? Where do they get the money to buy, for instance, a $400 LN plane and just let it sit there... In the box! When I buy a fine tool it's after months of saving, and it doesn't even make it out the door of the post office before I rip it out of the box! Can I get an "Amen"?

That said, I am always grateful for these people as I take the tools off their hands at a fraction of the new cost. Amen and Amen!!

[Don Kingston]

Some people want to be Michael Angelo, and some just want to buy his work. Tools are like furniture or art. Even the guy who can't do any thing proudly displays his electric weed wacker in the garage so everyone can see it. For those with less knowledge then him he can explain how to use it.

[Graham Haydon]

I guess there are a great many people who can invest in these pemium lines. There is also lots of promting to buy the best you can afford and to support home industries. They happen to look rather good too. Sometimes it's easy to get swept away in the romance and actually forget you don't need it in the first place. I wish I had seen some premium e-bay bargains. They nearly always go for nearly the same as new when I'm looking :-(

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I guess there are a great many people who can invest in these pemium lines. There is also lots of promting to buy the best you can afford and to support home industries. They happen to look rather good too. Sometimes it's easy to get swept away in the romance and actually forget you don't need it in the first place. I wish I had seen some premium e-bay bargains. They nearly always go for nearly the same as new when I'm looking :-(

I search for misspelled words. I got a Meucci pool cue listed as a "Meuci" for $100 with a leather case worth $100 by itself. The cue retails at $750, and maybe on sale you could get it for $550. Thanks to his misspelling and low reserve, I was the only bidder.

Also you have to check frequently. I recently bought a LN bronze #2 that had a buy it now of $150. I was simply the first to see it.

[Jim Koepke]

I search for misspelled words. I got a Meucci pool cue listed as a "Meuci" for $100 with a leather case worth $100 by itself. The cue retails at $750, and maybe on sale you could get it for $550. Thanks to his misspelling and low reserve, I was the only bidder.

Also you have to check frequently. I recently bought a LN bronze #2 that had a buy it now of $150. I was simply the first to see it.

That is the real trick, keeping watch.

A few misspellings and incorrect listings have helped me find a few things without competition. Stanley is often misspelled Stanely.

It is also good to keep up a search including > iron <. It is often used in place of blade, but often sellers might not know what they have and will list it by whatever they think the material may be.

jtk

[Ryan Baker]

Amen!

Though in the case of LN, things are usually listed for maybe $10 below new retail. For that price I'll deal straight with LN.

There are lots of retiree-to-bes with deep pockets out there with the romantic vision of picking up a new hobby and instantly making masterpieces, fed heavily by the shows and publications. Buying a premium tool is not an issue financially. But many find they never actually take up the hobby after all, or try it once and discover it isn't the same as the glossy brochure. Eventually they sell the stuff on, to free up money or space, or just to remove the reminder. But that's all fine, because we get a chance to find good homes for these abandoned tools and sometimes get a good deal in the process!

[John P Lewis]

Amen!

Though in the case of LN, things are usually listed for maybe $10 below new retail. For that price I'll deal straight with LN.

There are lots of retiree-to-bes with deep pockets out there with the romantic vision of picking up a new hobby and instantly making masterpieces, fed heavily by the shows and publications. Buying a premium tool is not an issue financially. But many find they never actually take up the hobby after all, or try it once and discover it isn't the same as the glossy brochure. Eventually they sell the stuff on, to free up money or space, or just to remove the reminder. But that's all fine, because we get a chance to find good homes for these abandoned tools and sometimes get a good deal in the process!

About 6-8 months ago I scored a LN 5 1/2 for well under 3 bills from the big auction website. I was one of two people to bid - this plane was less than a year old (seller was the original owner) but the sole and edge of the iron were pretty scarred up. The pictures showed the damage but I figured a little bit of fettling and she would be good to go. I was excited to open the box and immediately flipped the plane over and saw the sole was worse than any beat-to-heck century old Stanley. I emailed the seller and asked just what he had done. His reply was that he used it normally for two hours one day and that it was just showing honest wear. I wrote back that it looked like a five year old used it like they were pushing a toy truck around on the concrete driveway and that it would take 50 years of honest use for that kind of wear - not two hours of use. I never heard back from the seller and have since reground and sharpened the iron and sanded out the scratches from the sole. It is almost as good as new. I tend to talk to the plane to reassure her that no one will ever mistreat her again and she rewards me with wispy shavings. I probably should have bought a new plane but I am happy I could rescue this one from her abusive former owner. :)