What got me going on this subject is that I'm starting to give things to daughter and SIL. In the past I would open a drawer and look in the back and see something and think "I forgot I had that". I have now put a special box in my big job box to put things in to give to them. I'll have to go thru that job box, a 3x5x4 that is nearly full, when it gets warmer in the garage. I thought I may be alone on this issue but it appears that I'm part of a large group
Jim
I have many, many, many tools that haven't even been used once in ten years. I do so many different things though, that if I sold any one of them, I would need it week after next, and have to go buy another one. As one example, my broadaxe doesn't get used often, but when it's needed, there is no decent substitute. I have three buildings full of tools, still need to buy more almost every week, and am getting ready, this Spring, to put an addition on one shop building.
Ken and Jim, the LN No. 51 is a gorgeous tool. I chose the LV/Veritas.
There were several points that sold me on the LV over the LN, but even if you ignore those (and you definitely shouldn’t) there is one thing that can’t be ignored...PM-V11 blades
As to the original intent of the post. I try not to collect or hoard tools, but I am open to trying out new or innovative tools. Even if they’re not the most productive tools to keep around, I enjoy working out uses for them.
The only real collection I keep is a set of Stanley transitional planes. I actually routinely use a few of them. I ‘m still short the No. 25 low angle smoother...if someone would like to send me one.
The PM-V11 blade does appeal to me over A2.
The Veritas also has a lower cutting angle. For me that is more important on right handed use than left handed use.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
OK I'm convinced – as much as I hate to admit it I have way too many hand tools, but am stuck about how to proceed.
I can gather the "extra" tools into a box in the shop, but what do I do then? I know I need to overcome laziness and simply take pictures and post. I'm discouraged because for a technological Ludite like me it's more work to take the pictures and post description that's probably worth.
I appreciate advice/suggestions about how to do the right thing – is it Craigslist, eBay,?
Cheers, Mike
i guess I'm lucky a little having an SIL that is interested. Trying to sell things is problematic in itself. Sometimes I wish someone who had a real interest would show up. Over the years I've had a few people that seemed interested. Things like "I'll come help if you show me how to do that." They arrive and see a bit and than ask, Where is your table saw and power sanders?. And than comes, I really don't want to do all that with antique tools. And we as woodworkers think how wonderful our tools are and how much they mean to us. Not so much to others. Dilemma, indeed it is. I have at least a part answer 1500 miles away.
Jim
If you know anyone that's looking to get into woodworking, you could always give them some tools to get them started. That's what I've been doing with some of the tools I started out with but have since replaced with better tools. Or duplicates I have that I bought just because I wanted to clean them up from their rusted/dirty state.
I have a few tools that have not been used YET, but I am planning to use them when I get more time and a place to work.
The most under used tools are simply due to numbers. I have too many saws and too many bench planes. Fortunately like some of the others, many of the planes will end up with my son in law and hopefully at some point with grand kids.
In the case of the hand saws, I have had many of them for years, and I mean 2 to 4 decades, but I added to the number a few years ago when I bought some of them for a song at a garage sale. The ones I bought were in good condition at a low price. A few will be restored and sharpened up so I won't have to stop work to sharpen a saw as a spare will be sharp and ready to go. A few will get cut down to make into panel saws for use on jobs where I carry tools with me a fair distance and need tools and tool boxes that will travel fairly easily, be light, and have only tools that will get used. Some of the extra planes will get a permanent assignment in such tool boxes as well.
That said, i am quite certain I have more handsaws that I will ever use or probably even give away. As I say to myself...you don't need any more hand saws. Don't buy any more....but I am not a good listener if the price is really low and the quality is very high.
Shoot, I still use the first one I ever bought, about 45 years ago. I used to use it a lot, now since I have more, I have other favorites, and so the first one does not get used as much. Still I probably have 1/2 of its life left, and I don't use a handsaw that has a very narrow blade. Even so I have used that first handsaw a great deal. If I have not worn it out it seems likely I will almost never wear one out, especially since I now sharpen my own saws, and only take off the minimum amount of steel each time I sharpen one.
Stew
Last edited by Stew Denton; 02-20-2019 at 10:22 PM.
Well, it depends on what you have available to you. For me, I just set the board on the bench and see if it rocks, or has gaps under it. My Frid bench and assembly bench both have flat tops, so that makes it easy. Straight edges work checking for dips and high spots as well. I know people will say you can't tell accurately enough, but whenever I have tried winding sticks, between the parallax, the squinting, the moving your head around, I don't really see anything more accurately than just using a straight edge, and I am good at mentally compensating for parallax.
At the same time, rarely hand thickness lumber, only when I have something too short to run through the planer. My checks for flatness are generally before running wood through the planer, and if necessary facing the board by hand if it is too wide for my 6" jointer.
You guys have reminded me that it is time to do a workshop tools purge. As you guys have also noticed - it's easy to end up with a bunch of stuff I don't use but somebody else would probably love....