Looking for suggestions for places in and around Long Island, NY to visit

[Jeffrey Treitz]

Anyone know of any vintage tool swaps or flea markets that either cater to or have a good selection vintage hand or power tools around Nassau County NY? Or even a good woodworking or hardware store with a decent selection of quality tools. Heck, any place that would be of interest to a woodworker would be welcome.

I'm will be in Nassau County, Long island for Thanksgiving this year and will be staying for about a week which means that I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands and would love to check out anything the area has to offer that is woodworking related.

I'm located in Louisville KY and finding vintage tools locally is very difficult and for some reason I feel like, whether it is true or not, that the North East has more to offer as far as vintage tools are concerned.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have.

[les winter]

Tools for Working Wood in Brooklyn. Sometimes they have some used.
Get a Grip in Washington NJ. Check hours. Lots of old planes.

[John Kananis]

Get a grip is awesome...I live fairly close to it - it's a haul from long Island though.

You would never guess how big that place is by looking at the store front. Looks tiny but you go in there and it goes on forever.


Tools for Working Wood in Brooklyn. Sometimes they have some used.
Get a Grip in Washington NJ. Check hours. Lots of old planes.

[les winter]

Drive to TFWW, stop off in Manhattan for lunch, hop over to Grip, on the return trip catch a show on Broadway. Maybe stay over in a hotel that night. A day to remember.

[Jeffrey Treitz]

Thanks for the responses! Didn’t have my account setup to notify me when my threads get replies so I’m a little late getting back to you all. I’ve got friends there who I rarely get to see In the city so I’ll be spending a few days in the city. Checking out TFWW is the first place to check out on my list. One friend is a woodworker so he may know of some less well known places in the city.

Get a Grip looks amazing. The prices on line for hand tools are a bit pricey but it looks like that place sells everything so who knows what I end up walking out the door with. How I get there from the city may be tricky though.

I may take a train down to Philadelphia and stay for a day or two so I can check out Falling Water. So any places in that area on the table. The real question is what TSA will do when they find a #7 jointer and a monster framing chisel in my carryon. Looks like I’m going to need to make a visit to a UPS store if my little tool shopping jaunt is successful.

[John Kananis]

It's almost a straight shot from the city. George Washington Bridge to route 80 west. You're on 80 most of the time. Get off at exit 19 (Hackettstown) then route 57 for a couple miles and you're there.


Thanks for the responses! Didn’t have my account setup to notify me when my threads get replies so I’m a little late getting back to you all. I’ve got friends there who I rarely get to see In the city so I’ll be spending a few days in the city. Checking out TFWW is the first place to check out on my list. One friend is a woodworker so he may know of some less well known places in the city.

Get a Grip looks amazing. The prices on line for hand tools are a bit pricey but it looks like that place sells everything so who knows what I end up walking out the door with. How I get there from the city may be tricky though.

I may take a train down to Philadelphia and stay for a day or two so I can check out Falling Water. So any places in that area on the table. The real question is what TSA will do when they find a #7 jointer and a monster framing chisel in my carryon. Looks like I’m going to need to make a visit to a UPS store if my little tool shopping jaunt is successful.

Edit: my directions make it sound quick, it's a bit of a ride though.

[Rafael Herrera]

I visited TFWW once. Modestly setup as a storefront, but you get to see the tools before buying.

Falling Water is near Pittsburgh, not Philly. It's probably nice over there with with the autumn colors and all.

[Adam Leone]

It's almost a straight shot from the city. George Washington Bridge to route 80 west. You're on 80 most of the time. Get off at exit 19 (Hackettstown) then route 57 for a couple miles and you're there.



Edit: my directions make it sound quick, it's a bit of a ride though.

If you do head out Rt 80, Take a Dip Tools is another option. Bob Garay has a small store within the Mr. Sawdust school but call ahead to confirm whether he will be there and open.

[John Kananis]

I forgot about that place. And yeah, if you're going through hackettstown anyway, stop there for sure but like Adam says, call ahead.


If you do head out Rt 80, Take a Dip Tools is another option. Bob Garay has a small store within the Mr. Sawdust school but call ahead to confirm whether he will be there and open.

[Elias Scalf]

You can visit the Long Island Antique Tool Collectors Association's vintage tool swap. It is held at the Brush Barn in Smithtown, NY on the second Wednesday of every month. The event starts at 6 PM, but most people arrive by 5 PM.