A Sad Day - WKFineTools.com Calling it Quits

[Jim Koepke]

Just found out the site is going dark in a few days and all the content seem to be gone.

It was one of the great sources of information.

jtk

[joel cervera]

Woah! Sad indeed. Content like that should never be lost.. I’ve used it as a resource many times.

What a shame :(

[Tony Corey]

Very sad indeed.

wkfinetools was one of the best resources for old tool information on the web.

As a novice old hand tool user it was my favorite source of detailed information about using and restoring old tools.

TonyC

[Flamone LaChaud]

Just went there, only thing working is the front page, so if you haven't gotten all the info before now . . . it's gone.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

That is unfortunate.

[Pete Taran]

Anyone know of the reason for the tremor in the force? Did the owner pass?

[Bill Berklich]

per his website, no specific reason given -




It is time to say Goodbye! It’s been thirteen years since I started this website in July 2005. It was, in many ways, an interesting and satisfying project for me.
I met many interesting people, and some of them became contributors to this website. I also learned a lot about old woodworking tools, their history, and use. The site was also a platform for me to continue and publish my research about the history of various industries and toolmaking companies.
However, it is time for me to close the doors and take this website offline. There are various reasons for this decision, too many to discuss here. This site will go dark on July 31, 2018.
Thanks,
Wiktor A. Kuc

[Pete Taran]

It's a head scratcher. It doesn't cost much to park a domain and let the content exist in it's current form. Almost seems like he is taking his marbles and going home. Sad.

For those not ready to let go, you can see it here: 'https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.wkfinetools.com

Just click on one of the dates to see the entire site as it was on that date. Takes quite a while for the pages to load.

Finally, some color commentary from people who have spoke to the Wikmeister: 'http://swingleydev.com/ot/get/266213/thread/

[Matthew Hartlin]

That's really too bad. Enjoyed the content on there, specifically Will Myer's project builds. Luckily it sounds like Will may be making the move over here: https://eclecticmechanicals.com/ hopefully he can salvage some of his content onto that page. It's a real treasure trove of projects and tips.

[John C Cox]

This illistrates a very important point that many folks take for granted....

if information is important to you - make sure you have a copy of it for yourself.

I had a lot of detailed information and my own guitar builds documented on a web forum..... The forum owner had a massive stroke and died... And poof - within a month or two the place disappeared.... His wife wasn't a logger and really didn't have the inclination to run his small Alaskan specialty lumber business or live 9-million miles back out in the sticks without him....

And that's not to mention the thousands of pages of info I have lost over the years when somebody upgrades a server or has a major system failure... And it all takes a dump....

So there it is....

And if Wiktor really was interested in making some money on a last go at it - he could easily do what the owners of SMC do and offer the site on disk for a moderate fee..... More likely that's not the point. The guy is just tired of it and is moving on.... And so what if all the info is lost... He got his. You didn't get yours - that's your problem now...

[Brian Holcombe]

Take copyright into consideration and ask the owner if it’s someone else’s material. If it’s your own then definitely keep a copy so that you don’t lose it.

[Derek Cohen]

Thirteen years ago, when Wiktor began the website, he approached me to write articles for him, which I did. I was the only contributor for quite some time, until joined by Bob Smalser and Chris Schwarz. At that time WK Fine Tools, along with Wood Central, was the only place that hosted my articles (then mostly reviews). Wiktor introduced me to Philip Marcou, the planemaker, who wanted me to review the first production smoother he built. Philip and I became firm friends. Wiktor became Philip's USA agent, and this ended in bad blood. Really bad stuff. It was in the handtool forums of the day. In support of Philip, I chose to leave WK Fine Tools and start my own website, which is what I did. Wiktor was a gentleman about this, and allowed me to go with all my articles.

I am saddened to see WK Fine Tooks come down. Nothing lasts forever, I guess, but the website was becoming an institution.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Charles Guest]

A program like Evernote or OneNote makes it easy to clip articles you'd like to keep forever, effortless really.

[Jay Aubuchon]

Some of the content is available via the Wayback Machine (https://archive.org/web/). Many images appear to be missing though.

[Rob Luter]

I wish I knew then what I know now....

I scored a near mint Millers Falls #1 Cigar Shave at an antique show this weekend. A quick search on Sawmill Creek revealed that the best piece written on sharpening and use was by Jim Hendricks on the wkfinetools site. Gone. The Wayback Machine has the first page of test, but all the photos are gone. :(

[Pat Barry]

Just found out the site is going dark in a few days and all the content seem to be gone.

It was one of the great sources of information.

jtk
Interesting but I've never heard of it that i can recall. Whats the reason?

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting but I've never heard of it that i can recall. Whats the reason?

From my reading of his fare thee well post, "it is time."

It kind of reminds you that even on the internet there is shelf life.

jtk

[Ben Bowie]

There is a way to still access at least a portion of the site if anyone is interested. If you go to https://web.archive.org/ and search WKFineTools.com, you can find where they have taken snapshots of the site over the years. Click on one of the snapshots and you will be able to browse the portions of the sites that they have scanned and archived. I use https://web.archive.org/ quite often for sites that have been taken down in the past. I did a search for wkfinetools and the most recent snapshot is from July 24, 2018. Don't expect the whole site to work (some images are missing), but quite a bit of the pages and information has been preserved by this great non profit.