The avid collector...

[Mark Singer]

Last week I ordered a set of Blue Spruce chisels from Lee at The Best Things...they came yesterday and are wonderful looking...Lee is one of the few guys that owns a great company and will spend time on the phone explaining the product prior to a sale....and he really knows his products!

The Story
While talking to Lee we got on the subject of very expensive planes... he has the Holtleys and others...He told me about a customer that purchased between $5000 and $10,000 of tools per month and would converse with Lee as I did.... After many months of this Lee said..."Your really buying some great tools! What kind of things are you making?" The customer hesitated and then answered..."Welll.....Well....I haven't started making anything yet, I am just really getting all that I need in tools so that when I start , I will be ready to go..."
That was their last conversation....the man never ordered another tool...
Interesting....I feel guilty if I don't use my tools...I think they enjoy being team players and get tired of siting on the bench especially if there is no game in progress:rolleyes:

[Jim Becker]

I prefer to use my tools, too, Mark...there is no point in acquiring them if I'm not getting the pleasure of putting them to work, even in the limited time I have to do so.

Now, as to those new chisels you theoretically have in-hand...I don't see any chisels!! ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mark........I've ordered Sorby tools from The Best Things.....good prices and great service!

Some folks are collectors.....to me a tool is meant to be used....Even specialty tools....you only use once every 7 years and yet when that need arises and you can remember where you last saw it.......

[Rob Blaustein]

After many months of this Lee said..."Your really buying some great tools! What kind of things are you making?"
That was their last conversation....the man never ordered another tool...
Wow, that was an expensive question.

Enjoy your chisels Mark--I am confident that they will be put to good use.

[Jim Dunn]

Went into a WoodCraft one day and saw a "used" bench top mortising maching. Looked new to me so I asked about it. The answer I got was "a doctor bought, it took it home, didn't like the looks of it next to his uni-saw and other top of the line tools and returned it for a full blown machine costing many hundreds of dollars". So I asked what kind of a woodworker he was and I was told he was just setting up a shop. That they knew of he hadn't even started up the uni-saw as yet.:eek:

[Corey Hallagan]

I collected tools in my early woodworking days and not so great ones at that! Many I never used and fell into the marketing trap. After reorganizing my shop and purchasing some decent tools that I needed and had room for an getting rid of the ones I didn't, I now feel comfortable with the tools in my shop and I pretty much use them all. I am giving the scroll saw another year... if I don't use it... in comes a bandsaw! These days I prefer to collect wood..... and I don't feel bad if I don't use it right away :)

Corey

[George Conklin]

I'm of the opinion that if they are not used, they are "garage art".:D

[Mark Singer]

I think it is better to make something with modest tools and do your best then to have great tools and do nothing....how do you know what you can do if you don't try.....I have a colection of watches and I try to wear them all at one time or another...I guess that is like using your tools...althogh I must say...using your tools is the most rewarding of all....it is what you do with them that makes it special....like a fine pair of skis...a great tennis racket....a fine guitar or violin...they are beautiful, but when played....or used and it is the combination of the artist or athlete and the insrument ...it is magic....now I hope Mr. $5000 plus a month is not an SMC member....he will probably never post after this thread:eek:

[Jake Helmboldt]

Get the best products and you'll be a great <fill in the blank>. I've seen it in too many endeavours where they rely on the "tool" and never get past the fact that they are essentially incapable of using a fraction of its potential.

Its not the wand, its the magician.

JH

back to my hodge-podge of used and medicore tools (so that I can hone my mediocre skills).

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have never been concerned what other people do with their money. I have enough trouble taking care of my own. Everyone collects somthing.

[Mike Cutler]

I think if we can step back from our point of view, and look at tools from a purely objective,and artistic viewpoint, some of them are actually quite beautiful, and intriquing.
The Lie-Nielsen lines of planes are very pleasing to the eye, and hands. I can easily see someone collecting them simply for their appearance and quality. Lie-Nielsen has to be aware of the "eye candy" aspect of their tools. Those Hotley planes can cost $15,000, and are stunning in appearance. I'd be afraid to use one myself.:eek:
This doesn't just apply tp hand tools either. Some of the older machines had a lot of " artistic style" built into them that the new machines just don't have.
In the end though, I would also personaly rather use the tools. To me there is something that just feels right about using the tool for it's intended purpose.

As a small personal story. A few years back I came across a bunch of really nice high quality Starrett Verniers, Micrometers, Inside and Outside calipers, and Dividers in an antique store. I bought them because the cost was considerably less than buying them new. The person that owned the store told me that a lot of people collected these and displayed them in old typeset frames. When I told them that I was going to use them,and that they would be stored in a tool box, they were taken aback. I wasn't sure that they were going to let me buy them.

PS. I've heard really great things about those Blue Spruce Chisels Mark. They are supposed to be very nice. I've never seen a pic of one though.;),;),;)

[Matt Day]

If the guy enjoys simply collecting, what's wrong with that? He'll preserve some fantastic tools for years and increase their value & collectability over time. Just like the folks that collect toys and keep them in packages. I would never do that, but if people enjoy it, and keep revenue flowing in the business, I don't think anyone should complain (not that you are).

The exact thing comes up in cycling all the time. I know plenty of people who come into our shop and simply spend money on the fanciest stuff and never ride it. Small shop owners NEVER frown upon it, as they keep them in business! And honestly, I think some people think that by spending money they become part of the society and are accepted, even if they don't have the skills or talent, they do at least have equipment. The guys who are always looking for a deal or to price match the web are the ones that make it hard for a small shop to stay open.

Sorry for the ramble...

[Gary Herrmann]

Wow he spent in one month about what I've spent for my whole shop. If I had the money, I'd buy the best of everything. Those Holtey planes are breathtaking.

Still, I wouldn't mind if a collector like that lived near me. Even if he didn't use the tools, it would be fun to go check out the latest acquisition, which is probably as close as I'll ever get...

[Larry Conely]

I'll certainly never be in the $5,000-a-month category, but I do enjoy nice hand tools. For many years, I purchased nearly every tool introduced from Bridge City Tools. They were innovative and high quality. Then they started producing for the sake of producing and, for me, became much less desirable. Anyway, as I age, the collector aspect becomes far less important. I'm in the process now of selling off the tools i don't use.

Larry

[JayStPeter]

When it comes to woodworking tools, I personally don't collect. In fact, I have some cleaning to do. I have some planes that have been sitting due to newer purchases that I need to sell off.

On the other hand, I went to a party at a well to do guys house. He had guitars played by famous rock stars hanging on the walls of his house ... many rare and custom. He didn't even play guitar. I thought it was pretty cool ... definitely my kind of art work. But, by your theory, a waste of good guitars. I felt the opposite when I visited a car collectors beautiful garage full of supercars, many with less than 100mi on them. I appreciate cars as art, but if I owned a Ferrari F40, it would have more than 100 mi on it :cool: .

[Mark Singer]

Whether it is ok to just collect tools is not the essence of this story....since the guy never called back to order anything....he , himself must hve been a bit uncomfortable being the avid collector that he was...Chris if you were the guy...I am sorry I mentioned it:rolleyes:

[John Gornall]

In my younger, poorer days there were tools that I just couldn't afford but could have made good use of. Every now and then I come across one of these tools and even though I don't really need them now I sometimes buy and then I have to dream up a project to make use of them.

[Robert Mickley]

If I had that kind of cash,(which I don't) I would probably have all kinds of stuff that saw little or no use, but I would have it if I needed it. :D

I can say every tool in my shop is a user with the exception of some antique stuff I acquired just to have. My nephew has some Die cast tractors that have never been out of the boxes. Most of it limited run stuff. He keeps telling me someday we are going to build a display case for them

And when it comes to tools,, if there are two ways to do some thing, you do it the way that requires a new tool to do the job

[Art Mulder]

5+ years ago I used to read the Oldtools mailing list. It was fun to learn about how to use planes and there was a pretty strong community feel.

But I left because of (a) the high volume and (b) seemed to me that the list was becoming more about collecting than using, which didn't really interest me.

[Chris Rosenberger]

Whether it is ok to just collect tools is not the essence of this story....since the guy never called back to order anything....he , himself must hve been a bit uncomfortable being the avid collector that he was...Chris if you were the guy...I am sorry I mentioned it:rolleyes:

Mark you had to let the cat out of the bag!!:o

[Mark Singer]

Mark you had to let the cat out of the bag!!:o

I had a strange feeling...wow $5k to $10k per month....did your wife know:rolleyes:

[John Schreiber]

Part of me says live and let live. And I know that I am in no position to judge the actions of another. And I can think of much worse habits than collecting fine things which are made by fine craftsmen.

Another part of me hopes that the people who make those decisions are making them in view of the widest possible perspective, because I know the world is full of real needs.

Other parts of me are just plane/plain jealous.

Sorry for inserting my heavy thoughts.

[Jake Helmboldt]

From the sounds of it I didn't interpret this guy as a "collector" so much as someone that felt they had to have all of the best before they could attempt woodworking.

If they are a collector, so be it. But if the guy thinks he'll just accumulate all the best tools and magically become a great woodworker, then most likely those tools will soon be for sale. Therefore I need this guys location so I can watch the classifieds.

JH

[Benjamin Dahl]

it sounds like he took the "buy the best tools you can afford" line of thinking to the extreme. hopefully he has stopped buying because he is learning how to use the tools and having some fun.