Bittersweet tool shoping

[Bart Leetch]

Well I brought the first of what may be many loads of tools from Dad's shop home last weekend.

I brought home several staple & nail guns all Senco, the top left angle head 15 gauge nail gun I already had, I also already had a 18 gauge nail gun & a 18 Gauge Stapler. & a Stanley door hinge jig with a Schlage door boring jig for lock sets. 17 3/4" Pipe Clamps, A raised panel set for the shaper which will arrive at a later date. A torch set with tanks that were purchased years ago. Plus many little items.

Now I need to find room in my storage area for more tools.

Also a little decoration for the shop.

If you count value of the tools monetarily the value is good because Dad gave them to me. But the cost of seeing my Dad no longer have a shop & only working around about 3-4 hours a day sorting out what to keep & what to get rid out of their combined possessions 50 year of stuff for each of them, they got married 7 years ago she is 88 & he is 85 in January & the rest of the time taking care of an invalid wife & the house keeping. Its really hard to watch I live 185 mile away so I can't get there real often.


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[Steve Beadle]

I would have placed a great deal of sentimental value on my father's tools, if I had been able to inherit any of them. I have the image in my mind of my father's powerful arm in action as he swung a framing hammer, but I don't have the hammer. I can see him running boards through the table saw (where's your safety goggles, Dad??), but I don't have the saw.

At least I have my own tools now, AND I have the memories!

Bart, I'm glad you have been able to get possession of tools handled and used by your father. I hope they have value to you beyond their obvious monetary worth.

Steve

[Nancy Laird]

Bart, you've raised a bunch of memories. When my hubby's father died, his single-car garage was so full of tools, etc., that it took us days to clean it out and decide what to keep. Know what? We kept all of it. Our radial arm saw is an old DeWalt (in putrid green) that just keeps on keeping on. We have his old Atlas lathe and Atlas bandsaw that he bought--the two of them--for about $75.00 total in the early 50s--and they both work just find. We have all of his old wrenches, pliers, saws, hammers, and multiple other things that he used during his woodworking days. He had a habit of painting all of his hand tools with bright red paint, so if he loaned them out, he would get them back. The red items really show up well on our tool wall and we treasure those items. We wouldn't part with them for anything--don't know what son will do with them when our times come, but I sure hope he holds on to them.

Nancy

[John Piwaron]

This brings some memories. The tools I've inherited are few, and they're not my fathers, they're my grandfathers and a couple of the ones my wifes uncle once used.

My grandpa's level in particular receives regular use. God knows how old it is, but it's still accurate. A few of the uncles chisels and his toolbox are in daily use.

I use the 7 drawer highboy my grandpa built completely by hand as a storage for reference material, Tormek jigs and the like.

These are treasures.

Your dads stuff is a treasure for you too.

[Jim Becker]

While my father really doesn't have anything like that to pass on...I already have my own golf clubs (that have been unused for about five years ;) :D )...I can very much appreciate the sentiments that your situation brings, Bart. Not only are these things from him, they are also something that just seeing them will bring him to mind, both now while he is still in your life and later when he's not. That's a pretty kewel thing. Those treasures are the best!

[Bart Leetch]

Some of Dad's bigger tools may be stored for a while because I don't have the room. But they will all be used at one time or another. About the only thing I don't already have in my shop is a planer like his Foley Bell-Saw 12" Planer/Molder/ Gang rip & his smaller Sears Shaper & the bigger Shaper not sure of the brand but it looks similar to Delta (but isn't)& others.

[Bryan Rocker]

I understand your difficulties. I worked with my dad on a wide variety of projects as he worked on the job and off the job for many years before cancer took him in 1999. He was a flooring/counter top man, tile, carpet etc, for all his life and had a whide selection of some good and some completely worn out tools. The plan up until the day he died was for me to take those of his tools I wanted and sell the rest which wouldn't have been much. However, my mom, coached by sister, decided to sell all the tools at an auction. They got at best 10 cents on the dollar. I watched a big chunk of my childhood disappear. It wasn't like my mom needed the money, she had her house paid off along with 7 rental houses also paid off. The only tools I managed to get ahold of where the few small tools Dad had loaned me, his PC router and a Makita sawsall. Other than that they all went at auction. To this day it makes my blood boil.

I too lived 300 miles + away, I went up monthly for the weekend if at all possible. Those drives after work on Friday night got tiring along with the late runs home on Sunday night. It was worth it, to spend what quality time he had left.

While I know its tough to do you will be in much better shape in the long run.