2018 MWTCA Spring After Action Review

[Pete Taran]

This past week starting on Wednesday, the 2108 Spring Meeting of the Mid West Tool Collectors Association was held. If you have never heard of the MWTCA, you can check it out here (https://mwtca.org/join-renew-donate/join-mwtca/). For $26, it is the best money you will ever spend on your old/hand tool passion. You get a special publication every year (typically an antique tool catalog that has been reprinted), 4 issues of the Gristmill which contain scholarly articles on antique tools as well as information about upcoming meets and of course the ability to attend their twice annual national meets as well as the regional meets.

On Wednesday evening there is a social which I opted to skip, instead having dinner with some of my long time tool collecting buddys to include Patrick Leach, Steve McNulty and others. It kicks off in earnest DARK and early on Thursday morning with a no holds barred tail gate session. It seems the time it starts gets earlier and earlier. This year there was brisk trading already underway at 4:30 AM! A light is required and you have to move fast. I wear a fitbit, and I logged my 10,000 steps by 9 am. A view of a vendor table about 5:30 am just as the sun was coming up:

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Who needs to dig around for busted up chisels or roll the dice on Aldi when bargains like these can be had? Of course, all prices are negotiable:

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I bought some pretty nice and unique stuff this year. Some highlights include:

A pretty spectacular 1865 Disston and Son #12 with early cone shaped nuts. They don't turn up in this condition much anymore:

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In the early morning light, I thought this was just a regular Atkins 53 with misfiled teeth:

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As luck would have it (and 25 years of going to these things has taught me), I flipped it over, and by the dawns early light, I could see I had something far more special:

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Salesman samples made by various makers with different sized teeth are pretty common, but I've never seen an instructional, how NOT to file and set teeth before. Very unusual and rare. None of the saw aficionados present had ever seen anything like it. Not bad for $10.

No need to consult the interweb experts about the bolt pattern of this saw to aid in identification, it's plainly visible from the etch and the protective sleeve it has lived in for the past 85 years:

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More in part 2

[Pete Taran]

One of the exciting aspects of tool collecting is turning up little known patented features that have never been seen before and no one was sure were ever even made. It's one thing to take out a patent, it's another to make it and sell it to the public. Such is the case with this gem, the Stites removable saw handle, patent 710,904 which can be seen here (http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&idkey=NONE&SectionNum=3&HomeUrl=&docid=0710904)

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The idea was to be able to move a single handle around between several saws, saving space in your till and expense for the maker. An idea that never caught on, but at least an example is known. This gets a collector's blood really pumping to uncover something like this:

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Next up, more unusual stuff. Disston made rip saws up to 36" long. Check out this 34" long 8 point crosscut. Stamped 8 at the heel (which is 8.5" high) and outfitted with Cross Cut teeth. Shouldn't exist, not in any catalog nor documented anywhere else, but here it is:

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Of course, tons of user saws were had and came home to the stockpile, some which will be available for sale in the future, a perfect example is this pristine D15 with rosewood handle, like the day it left the factory:

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I bought some other stuff to use that was not saw related. Even though I have more chisels than I will ever use, I couldn't pass these Sorby chisel sets up at 1/3 retail price:

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This pristine $20 Sargent 196 rabbet plane had to follow me home as well:

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[Pete Taran]

By midday on Thursday, everyone packs up and takes a nap. Friday brings the indoor portion of the meet, where you can see displays of an instructional nature. After all, the MWTCA is as much about education as it is feeding the wanton tool lust that it's members are infected with. Additionally, the tool vendors move inside for a more relaxed day of tool buying and selling:

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If you are in need of anything, you can almost certainly find it here. Recently, there was a discussion about how hard it is to find the auxiliary hollow and round bases for the Stanley 45. How about a complete set, to include cutters and nosing attachment? It will set you back $500, but if you need it, you can have it, resting comfortably between a low angle jack and a compass plane:

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If you live east of the Mississippi, you owe it to yourself to come to a national meet and check it out for yourself. The Spring Meet was in Lansing, which was only about 4 hours away for me. This fall it's in Iowa, so it does move around. Thanks for looking.

[Joe Rogers]

Another sweet tailgate and indoor site with an auction later in the day is the PATINA sale/auction sited in Damascus MD. Usually early in March, the items availably will sate most collectors or users.
Joe

[Pete Taran]

Joe,

Patina is a good show, I sometimes go myself. Mostly user related tools though. Seems like the tailgate portion lately has eclipsed the inside part of the meet. All tool meets are awesome. :D