[OP]
Contributor
I see lots of posts about tool storage. I am guilty myself. How many tools are you storing that you just had to have used it once or even three times in the last ten years but it still has its special place in your storage scenario. I start out by saying I have curved spoke shaves that I used for one job 25 years ago, and yes they did what was needed. I see them once in a while but have not used them. What have you got lurking in those dark spaces of never land in your shop?
Jim
Contributor
* Kreg pocket hole jig I bought at a show about 10 years ago.
I got foolishly carried away when I started out using hand tools. So I am the proud owner of:
* Lee Valley large router plane. I just had to have it. I've used it twice in 5 years. (Use the small one constantly.)
* Lee Valley aluminum winding sticks. Not used once in 4 years. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Look nice on the wall though.
* Lee Valley skew rabbet plane. The most lovely tool that I never use, but just had to have.
None of these are for sale though. They'll pry them from my cold dead hand.....
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
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I came to the realization that storing tools like that was not the best idea for me. It is one thing if a tool is a part of a set, or if I have projects planned for a tool in the future, but I go through the shop every year or so and move unused tools down the road. Just because I happen not to use a tool doesn't mean that someone elses methods or work wouldn't incorporate the same tool.
Frees up a little space and puts a little cash back in the tool fund for things I will actually use.
Making furniture teaches us new ways to remove splinters.
Member
Huh! Had never heard of winding sticks until just now - had to go to Lee Valley to see what they are. Is there supposed to be some advantage to winding sticks vs., say, a pair of torpedo levels?Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly
Contributor
You get to look like that picture of Tage Frid squinting down his workbench in Scott Landis's "The Workshop Book"
I never quite got the hype of them, or why you would buy something that is basically a couple sticks. If you are going to buy aluminum ones, just get 4 foot aluminum levels or straight edges and do X levels to check for twist. Winding sticks are handy in a pinch, I guess, but there are easier and more accurate ways to check for twist these days. I'm sure some people prefer them, though. But still, a couple 24" levels from Home Depot do the same thing, plus they can be used for levels.
Back on topic though, I have a wood skew rabbet that is displayed a lot more prominently in the hand tool cabinet that its actual utility. It looks cool though. The swan neck mortice cleaning chisel isn't as useful as I thought it would be either.
Last edited by Andrew Seemann; 02-17-2019 at 12:25 PM.
Member
Not to hijack the thread but your statement/question needs an answer. You are correct, there is no need for a set of LV aluminum winding sticks but they are handy and the right size for small work. Shop made sticks work as well as does just a couple of boards with parallel edges. Truing a board is very hard to do without a set of winding sticks/straightedge. By moving the winding sticks around on the board you can see wind, belly and/or concavity that is hard to see any other way. And yes, you should look like Tage Frid while doing it.
ken
Contributor
A year ago I could have offered up a list as long as your arm. Two purges in the last year have me pretty much "right sized" again. I still have a couple scraper planes that never get used, and my braces and bits haven't been touched in 5 years. They'll be the next to go.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
Member
Mine was a complete in the wood box with all the cutters Stanley 45 I bought from the Old Hippy Tool seller up in Maine way back in the early 80's. I hauled that sucker around for years and finally sold it last year.
ken
Contributor
After making a pair, mine do get used. One of the best parts of winding sticks is they can double as a straight edge.
There are a lot of parts from broken tools. Some duplicate tools and some tools that should possibly be ground up for scrap metal.What have you got lurking in those dark spaces of never land in your shop?
Though last Friday at a Tool Event in Portland a shooting plane was given a test drive. My thoughts have been moved toward the idea of selling off a few of the excess tools. Maybe it would raise enough cash to fund the acquisition of a new shooting plane. It sliced through the wood much easier than my low angle jack.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 02-17-2019 at 1:02 PM. Reason: A lot of words added
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Jim,
I assume it was a LN event. My LN 51 is a great user, go for it.
ken
Member
These have dedicated places in my workbench drawers:
LN large scraping plane and cabinetmaker's scraper - Every time I pull them out, I end up putting them away in favor of card scrapers.
LN #4 cast smoothing plane - for some reason I almost never use this. It sits right next to a bronze #3 and my hand always seems to grab the pretty one. On the other side of the #3 is a LN #164 low angle plane that is also suffers the same treatment.
LN mortise chisels - For some reason they repeatedly get ignored.
Henry Taylor carving chisels - I have 10 of them. I bought them for carving ball and claw feet. I did one years ago then we moved and they have been largely ignored since.
I am drawn to newly sharpened edges. But I don't like sharpening. I love dulling. Most of the above tools haven't been to the sharpening room in a while or I forgot they are already sharp. I need to go check them out again to see if any need dulling...
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain
Contributor
I just can't seem to give the braces and bits up, though I did sell some a couple years back. I use them just barely enough to keep them, although it is hard to justify the prominent space they take up in the big tool cabinet. I do have a full set of Jenning's bits in a nice wood case I haven't used. Those are at least in on a shelf. I did get them for a steal though.
In my defense, I have at least stopped acquiring more braces and bits.
Contributor
Bought two bits last Friday. If they are good and cheap they tend to come home with me.In my defense, I have at least stopped acquiring more braces and bits.
As for braces, my worst enemy is myself. If it isn't marked, don't ask the price unless you want to take it home. On a recent day trip with the LOML there was a 12" and a 14" brace for cheap in a shop in Claskanie, Oregon. They called out to me to be rescued. My new years resolution is to only buy ones that are not already abundant in my shop.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
I have waaay too many hand tools. I have bench planes that I've hardly every used and more chisels than I can shake a stick at. I really need to put some of them up for sale. When I die, my wife won't know what the tools are and she'll probably sell the whole batch for $100.
I don't feel that I have excess power tools - except for a DeWalt biscuit jointer that I never use any more. I really should put that up for sale. I don't because I'm afraid that as soon as I sell it, I'll need it.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
A Stanley #20 Circular Plane in mint condition. But I bought it at an estate sale for $20, so even if I never use every time I see it I'll always remember the smile on my face when I walked out with it.
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